MVFF37 Program 2014 by CAFILM

C ALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE PRESENTS FORNIA INSTITUT

VA L L E Y

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

WELCOME TO THE 37TH MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL!

The theatrical experience: What has it been, what is it now, and what will it be in another 37 years? These are questions we ask ourselves as we strive to honor that experience at the Mill Valley Film Festival—the communal thrill when a beam of light cuts through the dark, hits the screen, and propels us into a new world that stimulates our minds and excites our spirits. One of our goals as a festival is sustaining the theatrical experience. At the same time, we must also embrace new technologies and lead the ﬁlmmaking and cinema-going community. Lead them to what? Well, we’re not entirely sure about that part.

For many years, I have used this Director’s Note to address the changing landscapes of film art, the film industry, and the film festival, and all I know for sure is this: The only constant is change. Yes, you can rely on MVFF to be the trusted curator, the one who goes far and wide to bring you the first look at the best in international, documentary, family, and short films, while also celebrating the Bay Area’s best stories. Yes, you can rely on our continuing to support and provide a venue for the hundreds of filmmakers who’ve dedicated their lives to inspiring audiences and advancing cinematic art. And yes, you can rely on our educating and activating audiences, from schoolchildren to senior citizens.

But theatrical exhibition is becoming increasingly difﬁcult to sustain. Audiences are ﬂuent in video-on-demand. Filmmakers crowd-fund and narrowcast. People are reinventing themselves, their viewing patterns, and their industries. Where does that leave the Mill Valley Film Festival?

Right here, where we have been for almost four decades. Think of the Festival as a non-political, cinematic town hall, a place where the community can come together, experience art, engage with it and its makers, and hash out issues at a galvanizing Q&A or an intimate conversation at a post-panel event. At the same time, the wider community of filmmakers have a chance to see how their work is received, get a realistic take on their stories’ impacts, and help guide their films out into the world, whether through the internet, video-on-demand, theatrical distribution, or heretofore undreamed-of hybrids. Amidst all this serious talk of our changing media landscape, let us not forget one of the most important parts of a festival: celebration! The Festival is 11 days of basking in the surprise and delight of filmed entertainment. And it also means stepping back and honoring those people—from established artists Laura Dern, Wayne Wang, Hilary Swank, Chuck Workman,

Jason Reitman, Frank Whaley, and Mike Binder to rising stars Elle Fanning, Eddie Redmayne, Leighton Meester, and Ansel Elgort, to superstars in their own realms, Metallica and Cecilia Chiang—who bring us such memorable, even life-changing, performances and stories.

Once upon a time, all of the people we are honoring this year were in the process of being discovered, which is a wonderful reminder to be open to the possibility of witnessing a breakthrough. You never know when an underthe-radar performance, first-time filmmaker, or micro-budget documentary will hit that magical combination of timing and tone and stylistic accomplishment. Some of you know a lot about what we’ll be screening over the next 11 days. Some of you try to come to any and all the shows you can, the obscurer, the better. Whatever your mode of attending, try to embrace the spirit of community and experimentation. Sometimes the best advice you’ll get on a must-see film is from the person who just happens to be standing next to you in the rush line.

And while experimentation is key, we also continue to help frame your viewing possibilities to capture what is emerging in the cinematic zeitgeist. This year, we focus on Latin American and Spanish language films, comedy in all its multifariousness, and the sciences hard and soft. And our opening, centerpiece, and closing films flip genre expectations, address hard-hitting contemporary issues, and capture underrepresented stories. We want to stimulate our audiences—in any number of ways, from philosophical self-exploration to direct action—and I think this year’s slate of films certainly does that.

Will festivals look entirely different in a few years’ time? Maybe MVFF will be three months long with films playing a dozen times or more. Maybe filmmakers will premiere their work and then come back a few weeks later to check back in with audiences. Maybe you, inspired by a particular film, will download “extras” the moment the credits roll and watch a taped Q&A or join an ask-me-anything live chat with a director.

For the moment, I feel privileged just to ask some of these questions. Join us as we experiment and maybe ﬁnd some of the answers.

As always, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those people who are helping us continue our great experiment, this 11-day wild ride that is the 37th Mill Valley Film Festival. To the foundations, corporate sponsors, and individual donors; our dedicated staff and board of directors; the pioneering ﬁlmmakers who devote their lives to their art; and, of course, you, ﬁlmgoers hungry for smart and entertaining movies.

Thank you, and enjoy.

MARK FISHKIN MVFF Founder-Director

4th Generation Mill Valley

FROM LA TO SF IN LESS TIME THAN LA TO LA.

The city of one long, constant rush hour needs a quicker way to travel. So Delta now offers 15 daily business shuttles between LAX and SFO, with a ﬂexible schedule for those without one. It’s a ﬂeet that includes First Class and Economy Comfort™, as well as amenities such as Wi-Fi and complimentary snacks and drinks. Seems that the Los Angeles commute just got a lot less cliché.

FOUNDER/ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mark Fishkin

FOUNDING BOARD

Rita Cahill

Mark Fishkin

Lois Kohl Shore

EMERITUS BOARD

Ann Brebner

Rita Cahill

Sid Ganis

Gary Meyer

Gordon Radley

Henry Timnick

The Honorable

Barbara Boxer

Stewart Boxer

Drusie Davis

Jeff Fisher

Peter Flaxman

ADVISORY BOARD

Robert Greber

Linda Gruber

Peggy Haas

Michael Klein

Roxanne Klein

CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE Board of Directors

KC Lauck

Andrew McGuire

Mary Poland

Eric Schwartz

Michael Schwartz

Skip Whitney

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH

LYNNE HALE

MICHAEL DYETT DOUGLAS DOLTON

DAVIS

BRUCE KATZ

JESSICA IGOE

AMY KEROES

CATHY NOURAFSHAN

JONATHAN PARKER

JANN STANLEY

DR. JOEL SKLAR

EVELYN TOPPER

SUSAN SCHWARTZ

Proud sponsor

Argo Slumdog Millionaire

The Artist

The King’s Speech

12 Years a Slave

[Tonight’s feature]

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 CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES 2014 SPONSORS

MAJOR SPONSORS

CHRISTOPHER B. and JEANNIE MEG SMITH

MAJOR FOUNDATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS

GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION

JENNIFER COSLETT MacCREADY

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT MAJOR INDUSTRY SUPPORT

COUNTY OF MARIN

CHRISTINE ZECCA FOUNDATION

THANK YOU

“THE WORLD IS SHAPED BY TWO THINGS... STORIES TOLD AND THE MEMORIES THEY LEAVE BEHIND.”

- VERA NAZARIAN

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE... SHARING STORIES AND MAKING MEMORIES FOR 37 YEARS.

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

Christopher B. and Jeannie Meg Smith

Jennifer Coslett MacCready

INVESTOR CIRCLE

Drusie and Jim Davis, Drusie Davis Family Fund

Gruber Family Foundation

Michael and Susan Schwartz Fund

PLATINUM CIRCLE

Jim Boyce Trust and Kris Otis

Ken and Jackie Broad Family Fund

Margaret E. Haas

The Jay Pritzker Foundation

Eric Schwartz, EAS Fund

Lois and Mel Tukman

Christine Zecca Foundation

GOLD CIRCLE

Alex and Elizabeth Aal

Gail and Doug Dolton

Jessica and Tommy Igoe

Andree and John Jansheski

Nancy and Rich Robbins

Saul Zaentz Trust

SILVER CIRCLE

Craves Family Foundation

Gertrud Parker

BRONZE CIRCLE

Ann-Eve Hazen Family Fund

Liz Hume and Jay Jacobs

Mark and Dorian Polite

Arch & Stella Rowan Foundation

FAST PASS | CFI

Anonymous

The Allen Family Fund

Beverly Butler

Alice Corning

Sharon A. Fox

Katz Family Foundation

Jim Kennedy

Daniel Kenyon and Michelle Marchetta Kenyon

Caroline Labé

Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation

Karen and Gregg Lund

Maggie O’Donnell Floum

Lynne Hale

Stephen and Mary Mizroch

Marjorie Swig

FAST PASS | MVFF

Brian and Nina Arellanes

Laurie Bautista

Jill Benioff and Alex Petrov

Kamala Geroux-Berry and David Berry

John Brennan and Stephanie McKown

Inez Brooks-Myers

Marc and Robin Bussin

Joe and Sue Carlomagno

Nancy and Gary Carlston

Brian and Marie Collins

Joel and Justine Coopersmith

Suzette deVogelaere

Stephanie DiMarco

Joanne Dunn

Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein

Julie Erickson and Art Rothstein

Dennis P. Fisco and Pamela Polite Fisco

Lorrie and Mark Fishkin

Catherine and Peter Flaxman

Janet Fox

Leonard and Chandra Gordon

Kenneth and Joan Gosliner

Lisa Graeber

Mera Granberg

Carmine and Wendy Guerro

Larry and Carie Haimovitch

Leslie Hansen

Susan and Richard Idell

Willa Jefferson-Stokes

Don and Donna Kelleher

Amy Keroes and Jeff Fisher

Roxanne Klein

Ellen Krantz Weiss

The KT Fund

K.C. and Steve Lauck

Cathie Lee

Cindy and John McCauley

Catherine and Ted McKown

Kevin and Rosemary McNeely

Kenneth and Vera Meislin

Monahan Parker, Inc.

Linda Morgan

Russell and Suki Munsell

Cathy and Robert Nourafshan

Gordon Radley

Heidi Richardson and Michael Dyett

Carolyn Cavalier Rosenberg, Sanford Rosenberg, and Media Research Associates

Karen and Harry Rosenbluth

Sue Schoenthaler

Jack and Judy Sherman

Susan and Joel Sklar

Vickie Soulier

Jann Stanley

Elliott and Shayna Stein

Patricia Tanoury

Lucinda Watson and Ted Bell

Zach and Marlies Zeisler

We would also like to thank the hundreds of volunteers and other contributors who help make the Mill Valley Film Festival a memorable experience every year!

Photo: Tommy Lau

Photo © Drew Altizer Photography

F O CUS¡VIVA EL CINE!

The Festival’s exploration of current Latin-American and Spanish-language cinema includes inspiring documentaries, genre-defying narratives, and exuberant animation. ¡Viva el Cine! also features a particular focus on music: from female musicians offering a fresh take on traditional mariachi music in Que Caramba Es la Vida, to modern rock stars with a ﬂamenco twist Rodrigo y Gabriela in For Those About to Rock, to Spain’s most devoted Beatles fan in 1960s-set Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed. Celebrating universal stories through Latino and Hispanic cultures from around the world, este es el cine moderno

La exploración del Festival del cine español y latino Americano corriente alcanza a incluir documentales inspiradores, narrativos que desafían género y animaciones exuberantes. ¡Viva el Cine! también ofrece un enfoque particular en la música: de músicas femeninas ofreciendo una fresca interpretación de la música mariachi en Qué Caramba Es la Vida a los estrellas del roc modernos con sabor de ﬂamenco Rodrigo y Gabriela en For Those About to Rock, hasta el más devoto aﬁcionado español de los Beatles puesto en los ‘60s Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed. Celebrando narrativas universales a través de las culturas latinas e hispanas de alrededor del mundo, este es el cine moderno.

5@5 LA PISTOLA Y EL CORAZÓN (various)

10,000 KM (LONG DISTANCE) (Spain)

THE BOY AND THE WORLD (Brazil)

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK (Mexico)

LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED (Spain) NATURAL SCIENCES (Argentina)

QUE CARAMBA ES LA VIDA (Germany/Mexico) STOCKHOLM (Spain)

LA TIRISIA (Mexico)

A WOLF AT THE DOOR (Brazil)

SPECIALSUPPORTPROVIDEDBY

HoraceW.Goldsmith Foundation

THE BOY AND THE WORLD NATURAL SCIENCES

QUE CARAMBA ES LA VIDA

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK

WE’RE PROUD TO SUPPORT

& MILL VALLEY the

FILM FESTIVAL

as it brings the best in independent ﬁlmmaking to our community.

BRAVO!

“AFTER

NOURISHMENT, SHELTER AND COMPANIONSHIP, STORIES ARE THE THING WE NEED MOST IN THE WORLD.”

- PHILIP PULLMAN

The California Film Institute believes that stories have the power to inspire, educate, and entertain. Each facet of the organization promotes storytelling through ﬁlm as a way to encourage dialogue and engagement in our community.

We are committed to providing opportunities for audiences to become engaged and enlightened by the best in independent and international cinema. We mentor students as they learn to create and share their stories through the art of ﬁlmmaking.

But we cannot do this without you.

CFI relies on the generosity of its community. Over 50% of our revenue comes from people like you.

Be a part of the story by supporting the 501(c)(3) non-proﬁt California Film Institute.

Helen.Baldovinos @morganstanley.com

www.morganstanleyfa.com/ helen.baldovinos

Stephanie

Stephanie.Olson @morganstanley.com

www.morganstanleyfa.com/ stephanie.olson

750 Lindaro Street, Suite 300 San Rafael, CA 94901

SONNEN PORSCHE

At a certain age, you have to follow your muse. The fi nest fi lmmakers always do, and that’s why it’s natural for all of us at The Sequoias and The Tamalpais to support the Mill Valley Film Festival. We celebrate independence and culture every day, so we’re proud to come together for an event that brings independent fi lms and fi lmmakers to Marin County each year. Call Candiece Milford at (415) 351-7900 to learn more about The Sequoias or Dusty Bricker at (415) 464-1754 for The Tamlpais.

VENUES

142 THROCKMORTON THEATRE 142 Throckmorton Ave

CINÉARTS@SEQUOIA 25 Throckmorton Ave

FRANTOIO RISTORANTE 152 Shoreline Hwy

GUIDEBOAT 129 Miller Ave

THE IMAGE FLOW 401 Miller Ave, Suite A

OUTDOOR ART CLUB 1 W Blithedale Ave

PIAZZA D’ANGELO 22 Miller Ave

PIZZA ANTICA 800 Redwood Hwy

SWEETWATER MUSIC HALL 19 Corte Madera Ave

LARKSPUR:

FARMSHOP 2233 Larkspur Landing Circle

LARK THEATER 549 Magnolia Ave

CORTE MADERA:

CENTURY CINEMA 41 Tamal Vista Blvd

RAFAEL FILM CENTER 1118 Fourth St

MAPLE LAWN ESTATE AT THE ELKS LODGE 1312 Mission Ave IL DAVIDE 901 A St

Parking is limited and metered in Mill Valley and San Rafael. Note time limits. Cars will be ticketed, possibly towed.

TOWN CENTER CORTE MADERA 770 Tamalpais Dr

IL FORNAIO Town Center Corte Madera

AND: TIBURON TAVERN 1651 Tiburon Blvd, Tiburon

CAVALLO POINT 601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker, Sausalito

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH

TICKETS / FEST GUIDELINES

mvff.com | 877.874.MVFF (6833)

BOX OFFICES

SAN RAFAEL

Smith Rafael Film Center

1112 Fourth Street

Sept. 7 2:00–6:00 pm (Premier Patron and above)

Sept. 8 5:00–9:00 pm (Director's Circle and above)

Sept. 9 5:00–9:00 pm (Gold Star and above)

Sept. 11 5:00–9:00 pm (All CFI Members)

Sept. 14–29, 5:00–9:00 pm (General Public)

1020 B Street

September 30–October 12, 10:00 am to 15 minutes after last show starts

MILL VALLEY

ROOM Art Gallery

86 Throckmorton Ave

September 14–30, 11:00 am–3:00 pm

Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center

85 Throckmorton Ave

October 1, 11:00 am–3:00 pm

October 2–12, 10:00 am to 15 minutes after last show starts

CORTE MADERA

Microsoft at the Village at Corte Madera

1640 Redwood Hwy

September 15–30, 3:00–7:00 pm

September 14, 21, and 28, 2:00–6:00 pm

Other venues with on-site box ofﬁces, including: Century Cinema Corte Madera, Lark Theater, 142 Throckmorton Theatre, open one hour before ﬁrst screening of the day

General admission

CFI members

Seniors (65+)

Students

$14

$11.50

$12.50

(purchase online or in person; present student ID at box ofﬁce)

Children’s FilmFest $10 (all ages)

5@5 Programs $8

CONVENIENCE FEES:

By mail, $3.75 per order

Online, $1.75 per ticket Phone, $10 per order

No service fee for in-person purchases

(All fees are nonrefundable)

WILL CALL

You must bring a valid photo ID that corresponds to the name on the credit card used to purchase the tickets. All ticket orders are ﬁ nal. No refunds, exchanges, substitutions, or reprints. MVFF is not responsible for lost, stolen, forgotten, or damaged tickets, or tickets misdirected by the post ofﬁ ce.

THEATER RULES & Helpful Notes

ARRIVE EARLY

To guarantee admittance, ticket and pass holders must be in the appropriate line 15 minutes prior to published showtime.

Seat saving is NOT allowed.

The use of cameras and other recording equipment is strictly prohibited during all screenings and programs.

ALL cell phones and e-devices MUST be turned OFF prior to program introduction.

Take personal items and refuse with you as you exit. Items left behind will be disposed of.

While waiting in line, please be considerate of our neighbors and local businesses. Do not block doorways.

Outside food and beverages not permitted.

RESERVED SEATS

You will notice reserved seat signs at screenings. Please do not sit in a reserved seat unless it has been arranged for you, and do not stand near the reserved seats in hopes that they will be released. MVFF staff and volunteers take great effort to release reserved seats whenever possible.

RUSH TICKETS FOR SOLD-OUT SHOWS

Rush tickets often become available after advance tickets have sold out.

The rush line forms outside each venue one hour before showtime.

Approximately 15 minutes prior to show, any available rush tickets are sold on a ﬁ rst-come, ﬁ rst-served basis. No discounts. Cash only.

ACCESSIBILITY: MVFF is committed to accommodating audience members with disabilities, offering early seating as needed. To receive assistance, please make yourself known to the theater manager. All screening venues and their bathrooms are wheelchair-accessible. Assisted-listening devices are available at the Rafael, CinéArts@Sequoia, Lark Theater, and Century Cinema Corte Madera.

CONSENT TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED/FILMED: The California Film Institute and its representatives may photograph, film and/or otherwise record attendees at all festival activities. By attending, you consent to such photography, filming and/or recording and to any use in any and all media throughout the universe in perpetuity and without compensation of your appearance, voice and name for promotional and/or advertising, or any other purpose by the California Film Institute and its affiliates and representatives.

Buy tickets in person at this Microsoft store for a chance to win a Surface 2!

OPENING NIGHT

Welcome to the 37 th Mill Valley Film Festival.

THE HOMESMAN

Director Tommy Lee Jones US 2014 122 min

Writer-director Tommy Lee Jones brings classic scope and modern sensitivity to this literal anti-Western about a spinster (Hilary Swank) and a claim jumper (Jones) escorting three women eastward through a dangerous and desolate frontier landscape.

See page 118 for complete film synopsis.

Thursday, October 2, 6:45 pm and 7:00 pm CinéArts@Sequoia

Program and Gala: $125 general | $110 CFI members

Program only: $60 general | $55 CFI members

SPECIAL GUEST: HILARY SWANK

OPENING NIGHT SPONSOR

OPENING NIGHT GALA FOLLOWS

THE OPENING NIGHT SCREENINGS

Thursday, October 2, 9:00 pm – midnight

Town Center Corte Madera 770 Tamalpais Dr, Corte Madera

Join us for a sensational party!

OPENING

The 11-day celebration kicks off with two exceptional Opening Night fi lms and a Gala to remember.

Enjoy delicious food provided by Balboa Cafe, Big Jim’s BBQ, Caribbean Spices, Equator Coffees, Il Fornaio, Johnny Doughnuts, Judy’s Breadsticks, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pig in a Pickle, and Pizza Antica.

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN

Director Jason Reitman

US 2014 116 min

Men, Women & Children follows the story of a group of teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-images, and their love lives.

See page 125 for complete film synopsis.

Thursday, October 2, 7:00 pm Century Cinema Corte Madera

Program and Gala: $125 general | $110 CFI members

Program only: $60 general | $55 CFI members

SPECIAL GUESTS: JASON REITMAN and ANSEL ELGORT

Luscious libations from our friends at Lagunitas Brewing Company and local wineries, are a perfect complement to the scrumptious spread.

Dance to infectious rhythms from The Brothers Comatose and tunes spun by The Crackerjack DJs.

OPENING NIGHT SPONSOR

ELLE FANNING

Elle Fanning launched her career at the tender age of three and now, at age 16, already has built an extraordinary body of work. As a child actress, she cultivated her craft opposite the best in the business—Sean Penn, Jeff Bridges, Brad Pitt, and Cate Blanchett, to name a few—and then landed breakout roles in Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere and J.J. Abrams’s Super 8. Described as a “Streepian mixture of poise, intensity and technical precision” and a performer of “heartbreaking clarity and grace,” Fanning now has an enviable career grounded in thoughtful indie terrain (Ginger & Rosa) and studio successes (Maleficent). She continues to shine in current projects Low Down, Young Ones, and The Boxtrolls.

LOW DOWN

Director Jeff Preiss US 2014 114 min

Elle Fanning is Amy-Jo, a teenager growing up in 1970s Los Angeles with her gifted but troubled jazz-pianist father, Joe Albany (John Hawkes) and her grandmother (Glenn Close). Director Jeff Preiss’s atmospheric imagery and spot-on casting immerse us in the ever-changing rhythms of the music and her story

See page 124 for complete film synopsis.

PROGRAM and PARTY

Saturday, October 4, 7:00 pm Smith Rafael Film Center

Join us for 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 Alice Corning, celebrated Mill Valley artist.

After the program, join us at Il Fornaio. Il Fornaio Corte Madera offers elegant dining and authentic, award-winning Italian cuisine. Town Center Corte Madera

Program and Party

$85 general | $75 CFI members

Program only

$45 general | $40 CFI members

PARTY SPONSORED BY

SWEET and LOW DOWN Portrait of an Artist at 16

By Deanna Quinones

Nearly everyone in Hollywood is a hyphenate these days. Elle Fanning, at only 16, can compete with them all. She is a movie star-high-school kid/ambitious career woman-giggly prom date/style icon-social media-phobe/voiceover talent-aspiring ballerina/live-action Disney princess–down-home Georgia girl/Marilyn Monroe devotee-thoroughly modern actress. With more than 40 screen credits already under her belt, it is a fairly safe bet that many more descriptors of success will ﬁt this young powerhouse in the decades that lie ahead.

Born in Conyers, Georgia, in 1998, Mary Elle Fanning may well have had the paving stones to her future already set. Older sister Dakota was beginning to move toward the spotlight in local theater productions and it would be only a few short years before the family set out for Los Angeles. Fast forward to 2001 when Dakota was cast in the high-profile I Am Sam with Sean Penn, and Elle—not quite three years old—stepped into the same role as the younger version of her sister. The following year she did the same, sharing Dakota’s character in Taken, Steven Spielberg’s Sci-Fi Channel miniseries. There, however, is where the talent-packed sisters parted ways in their professional pursuits. Fanning began getting television work, with appearances on Judging Amy and CSI: Miami, and soon gained her first individual big-screen role in the Eddie Murphy vehicle Daddy Day Care. Veering from slapstick comedy to serious drama, Fanning was next cast as the daughter of fractious and grieving parents Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger in 2004’s The Door in the Floor. The producers of that film had originally intended to cast twins to handle the grueling shooting schedule, but were so impressed by Fanning that they chose to use only her. Though the sisters would go on to share voice work as (you guessed it) sisters in the 2005 English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki’s delightful anime feature My Neighbor Totoro, they have yet to share time on screen.

From the start, the appeal of this wide-eyed, ﬂaxen-haired beauty was obvious and hard to resist. But Fanning proved, without delay, that she was much more than the adorable tyke who could lob a scripted bon mot and elicit the requisite “awww.” She worked steadily through her adolescent years, landing roles in Hollywood dramas such as Because of WinnDixie, Babel, Reservation Road, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. With Phoebe in Wonderland, Fanning gave what the New York Times called a “touching, subtle portrayal of a troubled” nine-year-old with Tourette’s syndrome who struggles to cope with her disease and self-destructive compulsions. Three years later, she was lauded for her performance as the daughter of a dissolute actor in Soﬁa Coppola’s Somewhere

She layered ﬁlm work with television appearances, including roles on House, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds, and Dirty Sexy Money. What she managed not to do, much to her professional credit, was slip into the typecasting trap. Though some of the parts shared thematic similarities—younger sister to a leading character or winsome child caught in the midst of a family’s grief, for instance—Fanning approached each with a fresh take, demonstrating an innate talent for capturing the nuances that bring a character to life. Behind that lovely camera-ready face were a ﬁerce intelligence and emotional depth that belied her youth.

By 2011, Fanning had more than two dozen credits to her name and had crossed the threshold into her teens. A remarkable growth spurt saw her shoot up seven inches by age twelve, and her physical presence began to carry the mature gravity her work had already demonstrated. Then came the breakthrough, the moment when Elle Fanning abruptly stopped being known simply as a talented child actor or Dakota’s little sister. She hit the zeitgeist with a starring role in J.J. Abrams’s Super 8, a true blockbuster that enjoyed critical as well as popular success.

Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

MALEFICENT

Super 8 was named among Time magazine’s Top Ten Best Movies of 2011, and accolades poured in for Fanning’s performance. As teen spitfire Alice Dainard, she is the beating heart of the young cast as the object of main character Joe’s affection but also as the anchoring presence to all the action. As Joe Morgenstern wrote in The Wall Street Journal, “It’s the presence of Elle Fanning’s Alice, an exquisite girl on the verge of young womanhood who reluctantly agrees to play the main zombie. Alice doesn’t know what a wonderful actress she is. The first time she runs her lines, she invests the silly words with a depth of feeling that leaves her castmates stunned, and Super 8 briefl y becomes a movie about the primal power of movie acting, as well as a revelation of Ms. Fanning’s extraordinary gifts.”

Those gifts continued to be on prominent display as the next two years brought a slate of projects, including intriguing short films and featured roles in Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo and Sally Potter’s Ginger & Rosa. Stepping into the character of flame-haired Ginger for that ’60s-era coming-of-age drama, Fanning made the next leap from impressive teen talent to a maturing artist worth watching. A.O. Scott, in his New York Times review of the film, declared “Ms. Fanning, who is younger than her character, shows a nearly Streepian mixture of poise, intensity and technical precision. It is frightening how good she is and hard to imagine anything she could not do.”

That impression clearly remained with Scott. In the frontpage Times Arts & Leisure feature titled “Sugar, Spice and Guts” (September 7, 2014), he refers back to the 2012 ﬁlm to again hail Fanning’s work in Ginger & Rosa within the article’s celebratory overview of the changing face of girlhood onscreen.

Retaining that momentum, despite her workload as a fulltime Los Angeles high school student, Fanning completed several major projects this year. Her role as Aurora in Disney’s live-action Sleeping Beauty reboot, Maleﬁcent, put her toeto-toe (or perhaps ﬁngertip-to-cheekbone) with Angelina Jolie’s villainous wronged fairy bent on revenge. She also voiced the character of Winnie Portley-Rind in the animated feature The Boxtrolls. At the start of 2014, two major premieres at Sundance drew acclaim for her performances: one as a teen struggling for survival in Jake Paltrow’s dystopian

drama Young Ones, the other a portrayal of the daughter of jazz pianist Joe Albany in our Spotlight feature, Low Down

Based on the memoir Low Down: Junk, Jazz and Other Fairy Tales from Childhood by Amy Jo Albany, this wrenching biopic features a trio of performances that might be considered a mirror to the jazz work Joe Albany created playing with the likes of Charles Mingus, Lester Young, and Charlie Parker. The always marvelous John Hawkes (MVFF 2012 Spotlight) and Glenn Close (MVFF 2011 Tributee) portray the heroin-addicted father and anguished grandmother to Fanning’s Amy, as the ﬁlm depicts her heartbreaking witness to the downward spiral of a parent she cannot rescue from self-destruction. It’s a story that speaks volumes about the resiliency of a young girl transcending her circumstances, while celebrating the bright burst of light that was the jazz scene in 1970s Los Angeles.

The challenge of portraying a living person is one Fanning meets beautifully in the ﬁlm. “It was exciting for me to play such a strong character,” she explained in a recent interview. “The script was great because it had this very raw feeling to it—it felt free, and I enjoyed that very much. Also the cast was pretty amazing: John Hawkes, Glenn Close, Flea, Peter Dinklage. Everyone was so perfect for his or her part. Even though it was scripted, it had an ad lib feel to it that I liked because we could experiment and go off script.”

Fitting herself with ease into a powerhouse cast, working under the direction of luminaries such as Francis Ford Coppola, David Fincher, Sally Potter, and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, grabbing the spotlight on any red carpet, Elle Fanning has certainly staked her claim among the vanguard of young Hollywood. Stay tuned as she continues to expand on her achievements, granting us the pleasure of watching her blossom and blaze on screen and off.

Photo:

Photo: Xxxx

LOW DOWN

GINGER & ROSA

More than just a home, it’s a

SCREENING ROOM

Home is where we create the memories we embrace for a lifetime. Film is how we preserve those moments eternally for our community of family and friends.

Alain Pinel Realtors

Honored to Support the Mill Valley Film Festival

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’s Inﬁnity, sailing to and/or 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

WAYNE WANG and CECILIA CHIANG

The Mill Valley Film Festival is proud to honor the contributions of renowned filmmaker Wayne Wang and the subject of his new film, legendary culinary artist Cecilia Chiang, with this special screening of Soul of a Banquet. Both Chiang and Wang have deep roots in the San Francisco Bay Area and, as immigrants and visionaries, have made extraordinary contributions in their respective artistic domains. As the owner-founder of the beloved Mandarin Restaurant, Chiang pioneered a new style of Northern Chinese cuisine. Wang’s films have often embraced the role of food in the creation and transmission of culture (Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, The Joy Luck Club). We promise an unforgettable evening of culinary and cinematic delights.

SOUL OF A BANQUET

Director Wayne Wang

US 2014 78 min

In 1961, Cecilia Chiang opened San Francisco’s worldfamous Mandarin Restaurant, and a culinary star was born. Centered around an absorbing, emotional interview with Chiang herself and sprinkled with colorful insights from Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl, this mesmerizing, moving tribute brings to the table a unique San Francisco success story.

SPONSORED BY

See page 129 for complete film synopsis.

PROGRAM and PARTY

Sunday, October 5, 5:00 pm Smith Rafael Film Center

Join us for a special program featuring a conversation with Wayne Wang and Cecilia Chiang and a screening of Soul of a Banquet

After the program, join us at Cavallo Point 601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker, Sausalito

Program and Party

$85 general | $75 CFI members

Program only

$45 general | $40 CFI members

WAYNE WANG and CECILIA CHIANG

AT THE TABLE WITH SOUL OF A BANQUET

By Cheryl Eddy

If a movie hasn’t made you hungry in the past few months, you haven’t been getting to the theater much. But all those Cuban sandwiches (thanks, Chef ) and perfectly crafted omelets (your fault, Helen Mirren) have nothing on the glorious food captured by Wayne Wang in Soul of a Banquet, a documentary as straightforward yet deeply meaningful as the signature dishes of its subject: Cecilia Chiang, longtime owner of inﬂuential San Francisco restaurant the Mandarin.

Soul of a Banquet is divided into two parts. We first meet “the mother of Chinese cooking”—now retired and in her mid-90s—in her San Francisco apartment as she shares her life story, with assists along the way from close friends and admirers Ruth Reichl and Alice Waters. It’s a frankly remarkable tale. Born into an aristocratic Chinese family in 1920, she learned about cooking in her family’s wellappointed kitchen, and was fortunate to be raised by progressive parents who sent her (and her sisters—out of 12 siblings, Chiang was “Seventh Daughter”) to college rather than bind her feet. “Cecilia is one of the last of an old school,” Reichl says, and this theme returns frequently throughout the film. The tastes of her Beijing girlhood would stay with Chiang and become a primary resource for the menu of the Mandarin—the first restaurant to introduce American diners to authentic, classical Northern Chinese cuisine.

She left China at the right moment—escaping Japanese occupation on foot in 1942—and eventually made her way to San Francisco in 1960. She became an “accidental restaurateur” (Reichl again) after ﬁnding herself suddenly in charge of a venture she merely intended to invest in. Though Cantonese-speaking Chinatown proved unfriendly at ﬁrst, Chiang was determined. “I want to serve real Chinese food,” she recalls saying, forbidding any Americanized dishes like chop suey.

Her self-determined mission was twofold: Not only did she want to share her mother’s tempting recipes with her customers, she also recognized that the China of her youth—and its cuisine, so important in her memories—no longer existed. At the Mandarin, which later moved from Chinatown to an expansive space in Ghirardelli Square, she could challenge palates (and make them swoon) with her food amid elegant surroundings, while keeping a nearextinct part of Chinese culture alive.

Fortunately, she was in an utterly unique position to do so. Soul of a Banquet does touch on contemporary Chinese and Chinese-American chefs whose food may be innovative and tasty but which fails to incorporate the full range of history that goes into the cuisine. It’s not their fault, the ﬁlm allows. “What Mao did to Chinese food was a crime,” Reichl points out, and she means both in the moment (when “subsistence stew” ruled the diet) and for future generations, who would never experience traditional dishes unless someone like Chiang kept making them.

The Mandarin’s significance comes into even sharper relief when Chiang speaks about her fi rst return visit to China in 1974. At that point, she’d been away nearly 30 years, and the changes in her homeland—squarely in the grip of Mao’s Cultural Revolution at the time—were profound. Though she holds forth comfortably in English for most of Soul of a Banquet, here Wang films her recollections in her native tongue, with subtitles. This graceful, tactful shift allows her to convey the emotions the trip awakened. Her father, who’d schooled her in flavors at the dinner table of their Beijing mansion, was ill and living in extreme poverty. Other family members who’d remained in China had fared even worse. It’s a harrowing, moving sequence.

SOUL OF A BANQUET

WAYNE WANG and CECILIA CHIANG

Wang, a part-time San Francisco resident, breaks up the ﬁlm’s interview segments with poetic, observational segments that give a glimpse into Chinese food culture. The camera peeps through a car window at a quiet, darkened Chinatown; later, we observe women crafting various dumplings and ingredients being assembled, including a whole ﬁ sh so fresh it gasps for air while waiting its turn on a pile of ice.

Food has been a favorite motif for Wang over the years, in films like Dim Sum: A Litte Bit of Heart (1985) and the San Francisco-set The Joy Luck Club (1993), so this pairing with Chiang feels natural. Director and subject also share Chinese heritage, though Wang is from Hong Kong, and is three decades younger (his name, a nod to John Wayne, suggests a family that embraced American pop culture). Though he’s mined mainstream success with films like the Jennifer Lopez rom-com Maid in Manhattan (2002), his most memorable work features Chinese and Chinese-American characters, as in his 1982 breakout Chan Is Missing, which takes place in and around SF’s Chinatown. He came to Soul of a Banquet through Waters, who was planning several events to mark the 40th anniversary of her own pioneering restaurant, Berkeley’s Chez Panisse. Waters—who made headlines in 2009 for saying that she’d want her last meal to be Chiang-made shark fin soup— wanted one of the commemorations to be a banquet meal reviving signature dishes from the Mandarin, which was sold by Chiang in 1991 and closed in 2006.

Would Wang like to film this 12-person feast, to be prepared by Chiang and served in her dining room? Would he? Indeed he would, lavishing each course with the most mouthwatering close-ups since 2011 foodie doc Jiro Dreams of Sushi. If that film left you with some very specific raw-

fi sh cravings, you’ll be a goner once Soul of a Banquet ’s plates begin to form. Wang chronicles each part of the labor-intensive process (the prep work alone is exhausting: a lot of chopping, a lot of slicing, a lot of meat carved with surgical precision), spotlighting each item as it makes its way to the guests, Reichl among them. Each item arrives with an anecdote, explanation, or special nugget of context from the hostess. “My mother’s favorite dish,” Chiang says of the red braised pork; of the bon bon chicken, she details each of the fi ve flavors that shine through.

The most dramatic dish is the beggar’s chicken, a whole bird baked in a clay cocoon that’s smashed tableside, revealing the succulent meat within. As she shares the folk legend behind the dish’s name, Chiang beams with pride—in her element, in a room full of friends, sharing wonderful food with deep ties to Chinese history. Lucky for us, Wang’s camera is also there, paying rapt attention.

This opportunity to honor two people who have uniquely contributed to culture in San Francisco and beyond—one in front of the lens, and one behind—makes for a one-ofa-kind tribute at the Mill Valley Film Festival. Both Wang and Chiang will be on hand for post-ﬁlm discussion. The after-party at Fort Baker’s picturesque Cavallo Point—a luxury hotel and spa that also happens to house a cooking school—should be an apt ﬁnale to an extraordinary evening of great tastes.

Photo: Courtesy of The New Your

The MVFF Centerpiece celebrates the midpoint of 11 days of superb cinema.

BLACK AND WHITE

Director Mike Binder

US 2014 121 min

After the deaths of his wife and daughter, an attorney (Kevin Costner) becomes entangled in a custody battle with his biracial granddaughter’s paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer). This hopeful film explores a volatile discussion in American life and aims straight for the heart. See page 110 for complete film synopsis.

Wednesday, October 8, 7:30 pm Smith Rafael Film Center

Program and Party: $85 general | $75 CFI members

Program only: $45 general | $40 CFI members

SPECIAL GUEST: MIKE BINDER

PROGRAM and PARTY

After the program, join us at Frantoio Ristorante & Olive Oil Co., one of Marin County’s premier dining destinations, 152 Shoreline Hwy, Mill Valley.

CENTERPIECE SPONSORED BY

YOU ARE PART OF A GREATER COMMUNITY.

Union Bank® believes in the power of partnerships. That’s why we partner with communities and organizations to make a positive difference in the places where we work and live. To us, building a strong community is the most valuable investment of all.

Union Bank is proud to sponsor the 37th anniversary of the Mill Valley Film Festival.

unionbank.com

Mill Valley Branch

Michael O’Shea

AVP, Branch Manager 453 Miller Avenue Mill Valley, CA 94941 415-380-6084

Strawberry Village Branch

Herman Badgett VP, Branch Manager 800 Redwood Highway Frontage Road, Suite 329 Mill Valley, CA 94941 415-380-3782

Tiburon/Belvedere Branch

Herman Badgett VP, Branch Manager 1652 Tiburon Boulevard Tiburon, CA 94920 415-789-7001

PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE MVFF

Focus Features proudly congratulates Eddie Redmayne on his extraordinary performance in and for receiving the Mill Valley Spotlight and Award at this year’s festival.

EDDIE REDMAYNE

Debuting on the stage of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is never a bad way to break into show business. Eddie Redmayne’s career launched from this auspicious beginning, eventually winning him an Olivier Award and a Tony for his acclaimed work in John Logan’s Red. Hollywood came calling, and Redmayne has toiled steadily on both sides of the pond, building a distinguished profile in The Good Shepherd, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Pillars of the Earth. Redmayne’s star truly ascended when he was cast opposite Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn, then landed the role of Marius in Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables. With his performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything already generating awards buzz, Redmayne looks primed to catapult into the stratosphere.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Director James Marsh UK/US 2014 123 min

Stephen Hawking’s (Eddie Redmayne) future looks limitless, his brilliant mind ensuring his success as a cosmologist, while his relationship with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) promises a fulﬁlling personal life. Then tragedy strikes when he is diagnosed with a motor neuron disease at age 21.

See page 131 for complete ﬁlm synopsis.

SPOTLIGHT SPONSORED BY

JENNIFER COSLETT MACCREADY

PROGRAM and PARTY

Thursday, October 9, 7:00 pm

Smith Rafael Film Center

Join us for a Spotlight program featuring a conversation with Eddie Redmayne and a screening of The Theory of Everything. Redmayne will be presented with the MVFF Award.

After the program, join us at Farmshop, Jeff Cerciello’s (Bouchon) new California-chic restaurant at the Marin County Mart, for farm-to-table cuisine, refreshing libations, and great company.

Program and Party

$85 general | $75 CFI members

Program only

$45 general | $40 CFI members

PARTY SPONSORED BY

ABOUT TIME: EDDIE REDMAYNE

By Zoë Elton

“Time.” Stephen Hawking—vibrantly embodied by Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything —pokes his head around the door, a cheeky grin on his face, as he interrupts his doctoral advisor, who’s sitting with a group of students at the University of Cambridge in the early ’60s.

Time: This will be Hawking’s subject. No small undertaking. For a young, vibrant, totally brilliant young man whose intellect is unstoppable and who has just fallen in love, the universe may seem inﬁnite. Yet he has just been diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND), a debilitating condition that, he is told, leaves him with a life expectancy of two years. So, time is of the essence personally—and, professionally, he engages with the irony with a whole-heartedness that is nothing short of enthusiasm.

That whole-heartedness and enthusiasm drives Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of Hawking, a rich, multifaceted, and intimate insight into the mind, heart, and sensibilities of one of the world’s greatest thinkers. As we know, Hawking deﬁed the prognosis but not the symptoms, and the unstoppable intellect continues to question the greatest of questions. Framed in the context of Hawking’s marriage, the ﬁlm is perhaps as much about the practice of love and the living of life as it is about physics, cosmology, and MND. But it’s the physical embodiment of MND that presented the greatest challenge for the actor.

In a phone interview from his home in London, Redmayne described preparing for the role. He spent four to five months researching the biographical material, as well as, he says, “trying to get my head around the science. And then, also, the illness.” Because the film wasn’t shot chronologically, he had devised a way to map out what the physical performance was going to be in relation to the progression of the disease. “But it wasn’t until about five days before we started filming that I

actually got to meet [Hawking]. It was slightly disconcerting because I’d made choices about him and his personality without actually having met him. And then when I met him, thank God it didn’t dismiss all the work that I had done.”

But more than that: “It really affirmed what everyone had written about him, which is that he just emanates this vibrancy, this kind of love of life.” To evoke this, Redmayne used pictures. “I had three images up in my trailer by the time we started shooting. One was Einstein with his tongue out: obviously one of Hawking’s idols but also capturing this capricious quality. And the second was the joker in a pack of cards controlling a wee puppet, because there’s something about Stephen: He really controls a room, so that felt an important quality, a very strong personality. And then the third one was James Dean, because there is something firstly iconic about him, obviously, but also deeply cool and flirtatious and sort of sexual. I wanted to try and pay tribute to that, and all of those qualities you could see in him.”

Einstein, the joker, Dean: Redmayne has chosen his triumvirate well, balancing the academic Hawking with his inner sense of cool. Hawking’s a young man who seems to live in the moment, and whose offhand attitude to his studies seems to embody something particular about that time: “The notion of cool always involves effortlessness, and making it appear like you haven’t done any work and that it’s all innate.”

Redmayne has portrayed other real people in the course of his career. In doing so, he observes, “You feel the need to serve someone as truthfully as you can.” For a moment, you “become a specialist in a whole different world. Whenever I get cast as someone who lived, you go do all the research around it—and you do all the research in order to forget it. Alfred Molina, who I adore, always said that no audience wants to see your homework; you don’t want to show it up on screen.”

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

He describes researching Tony in Savage Grace, excavating his psychological truth by reading his diary entries. “Or Colin Clark in My Week with Marilyn. You do try and get under the skin.” And, he says, “It’s all riveting for me.”

Our conversation circles back to The Theory of Everything

Based on Hawking’s wife Jane’s memoir, Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, it’s a love story in ways that are wonderfully unconventional. I asked Redmayne what most surprised him about the Hawkings’ relationship. He responded, “Pretty much all of it! But there were various elements that I found extraordinary. The first was I didn’t realize that motor neuron disease doesn’t affect your sexual system, because it’s an automatic system. So there was the sexual element of the relationship. Also, the idea that there was a certain strength, maybe a stubborn strength, to Stephen, that he refused to have help.” While his illness may be something that defines the way we see him, “for him, the illness couldn’t have been less important. It was about the work, that capacity to keep looking forward and live as optimistically a life as he has, was pretty surprising and extraordinary.” And, more than that: “What’s amazing is that he’ll find the bonuses in it.” When he could no longer write or communicate easily, he didn’t have to teach so much, so he had more time to spend doing his own work. And “the fact that he was unable to write meant he had to create an entire new way of working, what Hawking just calls ‘visualizing.’ It’s a way of finding equations and things in his mind rather than having to write them down and scrub them out and start all over again. So I love that, that he’ll always find the positive.”

Jane Hawking is played by Felicity Jones. It’s a beautiful performance, and an insightful complement to Redmayne’s work. The interdependence of their lives is striking, both physically and emotionally. I asked whether their work together as actors mirrored that interdependence. He notes that “as your body stops working, your caregiver becomes almost an extension of that body. There’s some amazing footage of Stephen in the garden, and he’ll be going around in the wheelchair, and his head will lop forward and Jane—almost without even looking—will place his head back.” It’s like “spontaneous choreography.” On the set, because of his character’s physical constraints, “Felicity really had to do all the running around. And I think it’s really extraordinary, what she’s done—and above

and beyond that, she’s a wonderful human being. Not only a great dance partner, but a great strength.” Jones and Redmayne were already friends, which “meant there was an ease between us already, that we could talk freely and work freely.”

The connection is palpable, and underscores a central theme, of what the nature of love really is. Redmayne describes it as “an exploration of love in all its guises, and whether that’s young love, or romantic love, or love of a subject—but also the complications of love and the foibles of love. And I’m not sure I knew that when I was making it, but that’s what it seems to be.”

Redmayne has had to take some time out after the demands of this project. “I haven’t worked since,” he says. He’s needed time to decompress. “It was quite physically grueling and it was all-consuming. Before filming it I was doing this film Jupiter Ascending where I’d have to get a six-pack and bulk up, and the day that finished, I had to lose a load of weight for Hawking. And suddenly you realize at the end of it, I can’t quite remember who I am! What am I, who am I?”

Time and the nature of time have been life-defining topics for Stephen Hawking. Asked whether this project has affected the way that he thinks about spending his own time, Redmayne replies, “Absolutely. And that was really about spending time with people suffering from the disease, and then specifically with Stephen. How extreme that it takes such a horrific diagnosis to make you appreciate or live life as fully as possible. And of course we all live and have our own foibles and complications that get magnified in our own lives, but what I’m trying to take away from it is to live each minute fully and each day fully—without sounding too glib.”

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

SAVAGE GRACE

Valentino

Ferragamo

Sergio Rossi

Stuart Weitzman

Gianvito Rossi

Roberto Cavalli

CHUCK WORKMAN

Just about anytime you watch an inspirational Academy Award clip montage or memorable film trailer, you are witnessing the genius of Chuck Workman. In addition to creating short films and openings for 20 Academy Award presentations, Workman has directed the Oscar-winning short Precious Images, produced several documentaries (Superstar, The Source, The First 100 Years), edited main titles and sequences for countless film and television series, and crafted the iconic trailers for Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and American Graffiti, among many others. Workman continues to galvanize audiences with his stirring cinematic compositions and demonstrates his absolute command of the form in homage to another master, Orson Welles, in this year’s Magician.

MAGICIAN

Director Chuck Workman US 2014 96 min

From Tinseltown’s boy wonder to guerrilla-filmmaking outcast, to cinematic legend, Orson Welles remained cryptic, insatiable, and fiercely independent. Oscar-winner Chuck Workman traces Welles’s remarkable life and career using a wealth of archival footage and a who’s who of the cinematic and theatrical worlds.

TRIBUTE SPONSOR

PROGRAM and PARTY

Friday, October 10, 7:00 pm

Smith Rafael Film Center

Join us for a Tribute program featuring a conversation with Chuck Workman and a screening of Magician. Workman will be presented with the MVFF Award.

After the program, join us at Il DAVIDE.

See page 124 for complete film synopsis.

Program and Party

$85 general | $75 CFI members

Program only

$45 general | $40 CFI members

Chuck Workman, Master of Montage

MORE THAN MEETS the EYE Chuck Workman, Master of Montage

By Michael Fox

The Guinness Book of World Records is silent about this particular pinnacle, but surely it’s correct: More people have seen Chuck Workman’s ﬁlms than those of any other moviemaker, living or dead. The go-to guy for the Academy Awards ® telecast since 1988, Workman has crafted countless show-stopping montage sequences spanning “100 Years at the Movies” to a tribute to American comedy, to the poignant annual “In Memoriam” segments. Graceful, evocative, and always surprising, his work unerringly cuts (pun intended) to the heart of why we love movies, summoning echoes and stirring emotions that go far beyond simple nostalgia.

“I’m constantly thinking about the collision of images and how the audience retains what those images are, and at the same time makes a subconscious connection between the two,” Workman said in a recent phone conversation. “I think it’s kind of Marxist, but at the same time it’s a way to look at ﬁlm so that it’s more than just a linear experience: There is something that we can’t really explain that happens when we look at the way images are ordered and held. One [image] goes to another and one comes from another; that gives us more meaning in an interesting way.” Alas, Workman’s name is nowhere near as well known (at least outside the industry) as his style, skill, and sensibility, which constitutes a mild drawback in the age of the auteur.

Even the casual observer who recognizes Workman’s “signature” likely associates him with the canon of existing images from popular American cinema. In fact, Workman’s remarkable body of work includes a host of documentaries about radical, pioneering artists who rejected the prevailing modes and mores in their respective spheres: Andy Warhol, the Beat writers, avant-garde ﬁlmmaker Jonas Mekas, and Orson Welles,

the quintessential independent ﬁlmmaker and the subject of Workman’s new Magician, screening in this year’s festival.

What these iconic, infl uential figures have in common is the restlessness and genius to go beyond the strictures and received wisdom that defined their art form. They were modernists, more interested in new ways of telling a story—and capturing a moment—than with the story itself. That’s not to suggest that they prized style over substance; rather, style and substance were indistinguishable and inseparable. Here’s the paradox: Workman’s attraction to, and affection for, these mavericks would seem to be at odds with his longtime immersion in Hollywood narrative film. Clearly, there’s more to Chuck Workman than meets the eye.

“The audience has to want to participate,” Workman says. “If the audience just sits back and says, ‘Send it to me. Send me the message, and I won’t lean forward to get any more,’ then I think that you’re wasting your time. So the [ﬁlmmaker’s] idea is to almost compel the audience to watch it harder. One of the best reviews I ever got was for Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990), where whoever it was, Roger Ebert or somebody, said, ‘You can’t take your eyes off the screen.’ In other words, you have to watch it very closely, and if you can bring that to it, then you’re going to see all sorts things in there that you might not get in a very passive experience.”

Workman is the ﬁrst to say that most Hollywood movies aspire to engage the audience only as entertainment. While he certainly doesn’t begrudge moviegoers the pleasures of Casablanca or It’s a Wonderful Life, he believes that the beauty, power, and potential of cinema is limited by a fealty to storytelling.

CITIZEN KANE

“I’m not saying we don’t enjoy those Hollywood films,” Workman allows. “But they’re kind of easy to absorb, and I think that the more challenging film is a more interesting film.”

The three American filmmakers whom Workman admires the most, Orson Welles, Stanley Kubrick, and Robert Altman, were renowned for making unconventional, demanding ﬁlms and bucking the studio system. They all suffered for their “sins,” but completed a slew of extraordinary ﬁlms that transformed the way movies are watched and made.

“In Hollywood,” Workman relates matter-of-factly, “you’re expected to give exactly what the audience expects with maybe a little bit of twist of some kind. Basically that’s what they’re looking for. They want to reproduce an experience because that’s the way it’s been proved, over and over and over again, that more people will come into the theaters. And it is a business; there’s no question about that.”

His witty and inspiring Magician: The Astonishing Life and Times of Orson Welles, is ﬁlled to the brim with its subject’s hard-earned (at grievous expense) wisdom about the perils of making innovative movies in mid-century America. Workman, with his privileged view of Hollywood’s inner sanctums and a deep empathy for the uncompromising outsider—he’s also directed a couple of narrative features, most recently A House on a Hill (2003) with Philip Baker Hall—is the ideal director to depict Welles’s bittersweet saga.

“Welles wasn’t a studio ﬁlmmaker,” he notes. “The studios were there to make a reproducible commodity, and he was there to show off how great he was, to some extent. To be special. They don’t necessarily want you to be special. Yet I was allowed, and people are allowed, to do all kinds of great stuff, but only within your little box. It’s not a horrible conspiracy in Hollywood. They’re just trying to make a living.”

The Philadelphia native got his fi rst taste of success producing trailers for hit ’70s fi lms such as American Graffiti, Star Wars, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He honed and refi ned his editing style in the ensuing years, producing the groundbreaking compilation fi lm Precious Images in 1986 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Directors Guild of America. Comprised of nearly 500 clips, the sevenminute piece won the Academy Award for best live-action short fi lm, became the most widely shown short in cinema history, and was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2009.

they understood what I was doing,” Workman muses. “But they had to watch it. They had to look harder. It’s possible that Hollywood doesn’t give the audience enough credit. Think of the audience for Elizabethan drama in those days, or fine painting in the 19th century, or fine writing in the 20th century. They’re not an elite audience. It’s the regular audience. But I think the Hollywood studios and the people that make those films—and they’re not just in Hollywood—know that there’s a certain way to deliver this material that has to be kind of sentimentalized and melodramatic, and they are possibly a little afraid to go outside the box.”

In recent years, Workman has found himself increasingly interested in artists on the frontiers of ﬁlm. Visionaries (2010) documented the American avant-garde, notably Jonas Mekas and Stan Brakhage, while What Is Cinema? (2013) drew on interviews with the likes of Robert Bresson, Alfred Hitchcock, Mike Leigh, and David Lynch to illuminate and advance the ineffable qualities of ﬁlm.

With the Welles documentary completed, Workman seems less inclined to pursue another portrait of a filmmaker, although Kubrick and Jean-Luc Godard are tempting subjects. Instead, he’s gearing up to make an experimental narrative in an attempt to bridge the gulf between cinema-as-art and mainstream receptivity. If you find it a stretch to conceive of the same filmmaker poring over frames of black-and-white Hollywood classics for an Oscar tribute, Chuck Workman understands.

“I always found that I didn’t have to work down to some level when I worked with a mass audience, that

“It’s something that is hard to reconcile, because I made my living for 30 years working with Hollywood films, which I’m now saying are just there for the entertainment values,” he says. “But what I was trying to do with them was dig a little bit beneath the storytelling surface, and try and fi nd new values. I looked at the Hollywood films as a bank of images and moments that were certainly melodramatic and not real. The problem with all those films is that when you put them all together it’s kind of kitschy. In fact, I made a film about kitsch once for a think tank in Europe where I put in all those same shots that I used to put in the Oscars. But when you look at them just for the craft of the way the image is done, they reveal a lot.”

Michael Fox is a Bay Area ﬁlm critic, journalist, and teacher, and the curator and host of the CinemaLit series at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco.

An authentic blend of daily services, specialty shops, well-being boutiques, and al fresco eateries where locals connect and the world seems a li le more personal.

MILL VALLEY

Redwood Hwy Frontage Rd., exit Hwy 101 at Tiburon Blvd./E. Blithedale

strawberryvillage.com

SPECIAL SCREENING and PARTY

LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN

Director Frank Whaley

US 2014 104 min

Eleanor (Leighton Meester), a working-class twenty-something from Oneida, is a bit down on her luck. After dumping her deadbeat musician boyfriend (Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong) by throwing his guitar out the window, she finds herself homeless, jobless, and friendless on the mean streets of Manhattan. In what may as well be an alternate universe, 12-year-old prodigy Reggie (brilliant newcomer Julian Shatkin) resides in an über-opulent Upper East Side mansion, heroically thwarting the efforts of his mother (Debra Messing) to normalize him. Seizing an opportunity, Eleanor becomes Reggie’s au pair and an unlikely friendship evolves over plates of tofu curry and lazy summer afternoons. Whaley’s film focuses on the peacefully ruminative hours these kindred spirits share and whose relationship reaches across age, class, and social norms. Their shared musicality underscores this contemplative tale of two souls who find harmony in each other’s company.

See page 123 for complete ﬁlm information.

SPECIAL GUESTS: FRANK WHALEY LEIGHTON MEESTER

BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG

SPONSORED BY

PROGRAM and PARTY

Monday, October 6, 7:00 pm Smith Rafael Film Center

Join us for an onstage conversation with special guests Frank Whaley, Leighton Meester, and Billie Joe Armstrong.

Program and Party:

$75 General | $65 CFI members

Program only:

$30 General | $25 Members

After the program, join us at Tiburon Tavern for exquisite cocktails and elegant comfort food paired with Northern California’s freshest coastal inﬂuences. 1651 Tiburon Blvd, Tiburon

PARTY SPONSORED BY

SCREENING

FRANK WHALEY

LEIGHTON MEESTER

BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG

The LATINO ADVISORY GROUP of the MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

Cecilia Zamora

Community Liaison

Maria Aguila

Fermin Alvarez

Pablo Castro

Rafael Jesús González

Marti Guerra

Gerardo Marin

Linda Mariscal

Pia Mize

Jaime Ortiz

Carol Paz

Mara Perez

Diana Putterman

Olga Talamante

Teresa Varela

Delﬁn Vigil

HoraceW.Goldsmith Foundation SPECIALSUPPORTPROVIDEDBY

CODEMAKER CLUB

●

After-school classes: Start September 22 For info: www.srclubhouse.com

After-school classes start September 22nd at the Intel Computer Clubhouse in San Rafael More info and booking details at www.srclubhouse.com

Intel

“As a filmmaker you don't get a lot of honest support. It's not the type of profession that you can simply take classes for in order to become a professional (sorry, film school). But then I bought Moviemaker's 2012 Complete Guide To Making Movies...and my career was changed forever. No joke. This magazine answered every question I had! ” - real life psyched reader

subscribe today at moviemaker.com

AN ICONIC LOCATION WITH WORLD-CLASS VIEWS

Cavallo Point Lodge, just minutes from San Francisco, offers historic and contemporary accommodations with stunning Golden Gate Bridge and bay views. Experience fine dining at Murray Circle restaurant with local, ingredient-driven cuisine by Executive Chef Justin Everett.

Refresh and renew at the Healing Arts Center & Spa and enjoy 20% OFF* a facial, massage or body trea tment, Monday–Thursday.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES

STAR WARS: EPISODE V—THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Monday, Oct 6, 5:00 (family screening) and 8:30 pm (fan screening)

Century Cinema Corte Madera

Tickets: $15 general | $14 CFI members | $10 children

As we count down to Episode VII, dust off your lightsaber, channel your inner Jedi, and come join us at MVFF’s favorite family night as we celebrate Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen—as it was meant to be seen!

Skywalker Sound veterans Matthew Wood and David Acord will be on hand to discuss the sounds of the Star Wars universe, including some audience participation voice changing and sound effects trivia!

Get photos with authentic Star Wars-costumed characters! Come dressed as your favorite for the costume parade at the family screening.

See mvff.com for full details on this long-running MVFF tradition.

SPONSORED BY

CHILDREN’S

5@5: THIS BIRD’S GONNA FLY

THE 3D SIDESHOW

THE BOY AND THE WORLD HOPPITY GOES TO TOWN

MINUSCULE: VALLEY OF THE LOST ANTS

MVFF YOUTH REEL 2014

Music dominates this year’s family ﬁlms. Whether it’s the hip-shaking beat of Brazil or the lilting of 1940s swing, most of our programs will have you dancing your way out of the theater after the credits roll. Music speaks its own language, so even our foreign ﬁlms have no dialogue. The Boy and the World starts with simple washes of color and samba and ends with neon cityscapes, hip-hop, and scarcely a word spoken. In France’s 3D animation Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants, there are no frantic melodies but instead a lovely, upbeat score that complements the action as our ant friends move sugar cubes across perilous landscapes.

The MVFF free screening is the 1941 animation by the Fleischer Brothers, Hoppity Goes to Town, a takeoff on Jimmy Stewart ﬁlms that will have everyone swinging to jazz and crooning love songs.

Shorts programs let musical notes tell the stories, too, including the wonderful 3D Sideshow, compiled by 3D enthusiast and scholar Robert Bloomberg, that features music videos and fascinating ﬁlms, old and new, that let the third dimension sing.

On October 12, 3:00–5:00 pm, enjoy a children’s party hosted by Microsoft at the Village at Corte Madera. Join us for refreshments, entertainment, short ﬁlms, and fun!

THE BOY AND THE WORLD

THE 3D SLIDESHOW

5@5: THIS BIRD’S GONNA FLY

MINUSCULE: VALLEY OF THE LOST ANTS

CFI Education provides students of all ages and diverse backgrounds the opportunity to learn about themselves and the world through ﬁlm.

For 37 years, the Mill Valley Film Festival and the California Film Institute have pioneered creative film programs for the community, providing year-round screenings, interactive sessions with film professionals, and hands-on workshops to introduce students of all ages to film as a vibrant tool of creativity, communication, and cultural experience. CFI Education serves students as well as families, teachers, and adults throughout the Bay Area.

A PLACE IN THE WORLD

A seven-film, eight-month curriculum for 100 students from diverse schools in the East Bay, San Francisco, and Marin. Students examine international films addressing universal coming-of-age issues with filmmaker and documentary subject Q&As.

ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH FORUM

Hundreds of students, grades 1–12, from around the Bay Area, participate in a two-day forum of ﬁ lm screenings, Q&As with ﬁlmmakers and subject experts, and panel discussions examining pressing environmental issues. The forum has an “active cinema” component wherein representatives from environmental groups provide information about the work their organizations do.

COMMUNITY CINEMA

Multigenerational monthly daytime screenings feature previews of hard-hitting, topical documentaries, followed by discussions with ﬁlmmakers and special guests. Attendees include school groups and

community members, all engaging in dialogue with the speakers. Presented in partnership with ITVS and PBS’s Independent Lens and P.O.V. series.

CFI EDUCATION AT MVFF

CFI Education hosts free screenings for schools, drawn from a selection of festival ﬁlms, often followed by Q&A sessions with guest ﬁlmmakers.

FILMMAKERS GO TO SCHOOLS

Throughout the year—but particularly during MVFF—CFI Education matches schools with ﬁlmmakers for classroom presentations and this year at Microsoft at the Village at Corte Madera.

MY PLACE | MY STORY

Five-day intensive workshops for youth from underserved communities use ﬁlm as a visual storytelling technique and a tool for empowerment. Youth are referred from various community social service agencies. Students write and ﬁlm their own personal stories. Programs take place in Marin, the East Bay, and San Francisco. My Place 2.0 brings graduates from former workshops back to hone their skills.

SUMMERFILM

This is a series of three programs for young adults aged 13–18 who are interested in the ﬁlm industry on all levels. They learn how to watch, critique, and understand tricks of the moviemaking trade.

Learn more about how you, your school, business, or organization can participate in CFI Education. 415.383.5256 x135 education@caﬁlm.org cﬁeducation.org

S UPPORT P ROVIDED BY

ENNIFER C OSLETT M AC C READY

F ENWICK F OUNDATION

H ORACE W. G OLDSMITH F OUNDATION

N ANCY AND R ICH R OBBINS

CLOSING NIGHT/LAURA DERN TRIBUTE

WILD

Director Jean-Marc Vallée

US 2014 120 min

Reese Witherspoon stars in this adaptation of Cheryl Strayed ’s best-selling memoir, a striking account of the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail trek she undertakes to grieve the death of her mother (Laura Dern) and help give closure to a troubled past.

See page 134 for complete film synopsis.

CLOSING NIGHT SPONSOR

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

Sunday, October 12, 7:30–11:30 pm

Maple Lawn Estate at the Elks Lodge 1312 Mission Avenue, San Rafael

Since the mid-1980s, Laura Dern has been engaging audiences with her entirely unique and wholly authentic screen presence. The daughter of celebrated actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd has made her mark several times over in such films as Mask, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose, Jurassic Park, and Citizen Ruth. Her career continues to soar with recent cinematic hits The Master and The Fault in Our Stars, as well as her latest role in the buzzy new release, Wild

Sunday, October 12, 5:00 pm CinéArts@Sequoia and Smith Rafael Film Center Program and Party: $85 general | $75 CFI members

SPECIAL GUEST: LAURA DERN

Immediately following the screenings, celebrate the grand finale of the 37th Mill Valley Film Festival.

Enjoy live music on the terrace or a martini in the Drake Room bar. Sol Food, Theresa & Johnny’s Comfort Food, Big Jim’s BBQ, and West End Cafe are just a few of the wonderful caterers for this special evening.

WILD AT HEART: LAURA DERN

By Margarita Landazuri

That public relations cliché “Hollywood royalty” seems inadequate somehow, when applied to Laura Dern. It’s true she’s the daughter of acclaimed actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, and in interviews she has fondly recalled growing up on movie sets in the 1970s. And yes, she’s been nominated for an Oscar, won three Golden Globes for her television roles, and starred in a bona ﬁde blockbuster, Stephen Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. But “royalty” sounds stodgy and grand, and from her earliest career, Dern has been a risk-taker. Her work for directors such as David Lynch and Alexander Payne has always been adventurous, quirky, original, and real.

As a child, Dern appeared as an extra in two of her mother’s ﬁlms. At age seven, she was a kid eating ice cream in the diner where the heroine worked, in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, for which Ladd received the ﬁrst of her three Oscar nominations. The scene required 19 takes, and Scorsese told her, “If you can eat an ice cream cone 19 times, you should be an actress.” Years later, when her mother was trying to dissuade her from acting, Dern cited Scorsese’s endorsement in her arguments.

Dern’s first speaking role was in Foxes, Adrian Lyne’s debut film about rebellious teenage girls growing in the San Fernando Valley, starring a young Jodie Foster. Dern had a memorable bit as a nerdy, bespectacled girl at a party that gets out of hand. At 13, she had a more substantial role in Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, as a member of an all-girl punk band. It was barely released but has become a cult favorite in the years since. The film was shot in Canada, and she went on location over her mother’s objections, suing to become an emancipated minor in order to do so.

Smooth Talk, based on a Joyce Carol Oates story, was made for public television and released in theaters in 1985. It was Dern’s most substantial role to that time. Her distinctive gangly, rawboned beauty was an asset in playing a bored and

restless teen who doesn’t know what to do with her newfound sexual feelings, and she was sensational. “Laura Dern’s Connie seems just right—shallow and tantalizingly lovely,” New Yorker critic Pauline Kael wrote.

After seeing that performance, director David Lynch cast Dern in Blue Velvet the following year, without an audition. Blue Velvet began a collaboration that became one of the most important in Dern’s career. She plays the hometown girlfriend of Kyle McLachlan, and her sunny, clean-cut innocence is a beacon in the midst of depravity. But she also subtly demonstrated her passion for her boyfriend, and her commitment. The film polarized critics, but the performances were all highly praised. Her next character for Lynch, Lula in Wild at Heart, based on Barry Gifford’s novel, was more complex and more intense. Dern was up to the challenge. “She was the first opportunity I’d had to play not only a very sexual person, but also someone who also was, in her own way, incredibly comfortable with herself,” Dern said in an interview at the time. “She has no fear of anyone else’s judgment. It’s just wonderful to be inside someone like that.” At Lynch’s suggestion, Dern and her costar Nicholas Cage, who played a pair of lovers on the run, took a bonding road trip to Las Vegas before shooting began. Again, critics were divided about the film, but were impressed with the performances. Vincent Canby of the New York Times wrote, “Though Miss Dern and Mr. Cage are constantly upstaged by the rest of the movie, they triumph. There’s nothing phony or self-deceiving about Miss Dern’s performance as a young woman who has lost her baby fat without entirely growing up. She is a character in a country-and-western ballad come to life.”

Dern’s third film with Lynch, Inland Empire, again demonstrated how much she and the director trust each other. Shot on digital video and at three hours long, the film was baffling to critics and filmgoers alike. According to Variety critic Jay

WILD

LAURA DERN

Weissberg, “There was never a complete script, so thesps turned up each day with a new set of lines and no idea where they were going, making Dern’s central turn even more remarkable for its coherence.” Lynch campaigned for an Oscar nomination for Dern by sitting on Hollywood Boulevard with a poster and a live cow, but was unsuccessful in convincing the Academy.

Dern’s only Oscar nomination to date was for best actress in Rambling Rose, in which she plays a wayward young woman in the Depression-era South who is taken in by a loving family. Diane Ladd plays the family matriarch, and she also received a nomination, as best supporting actress. It was the only time that a mother and daughter were both nominated for acting roles in the same year. Again, critics raved about Dern’s performance. “This is a miraculously natural young actress, completely uninhibited and without affectation,” wrote Hal Hinson of the Washington Post. “Dern accomplishes her effects so invisibly and with such graceful ease that her skills may be under-appreciated, but pay attention. This is a spectacular actress arriving at the very peak of her talents.”

Raised by a feminist mother who is politically active for progressive causes, Dern has also embraced activism. But she understands the power of comedy to make political points. That’s one of the reasons she was drawn to Alexander Payne’s directorial debut, Citizen Ruth. An equally valid reason, of course, was the richness of the material, written by Payne and Jim Taylor. Dern plays an ignorant, glue-snifﬁng mother of four who ﬁnds herself pregnant again, and becomes a notso-innocent pawn of both sides in the abortion debate. Dern’s performance was a standout, even among expert comic actors such as Swoosie Kurtz and Mary Kay Place. According to Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, “Dern is a revelation:

Desperate, kooky, as devious as a pack rat, her Ruth grows likable, and even heroic, by remaining too pure a scoundrel to be taken in by the phonies around her.” That same year, 1997, Dern guest-starred on Ellen DeGeneres’s comedy series, playing a lesbian in the series’ coming-out episode. A decade later, she appeared on DeGeneres’s talk show, and revealed she had faced an antigay backlash because of the episode and did not work for a year and a half after that. More recently, the lifelong Democrat played a Republican politician in the television movie, Recount, about the 2000 presidential election. The election was decided by Florida’s electoral votes, and it was that politician, Florida’s Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who stopped the vote recount. Dern said in interviews that she enjoyed playing the character, whom she termed “eccentric,” but found researching the events “painful.” Enlightened, her recent HBO series, also takes a comic look at a political issue: after a breakdown, her character gets involved in several self-help programs and becomes a whistleblower at the large corporation where she works.

These days, Dern, now 47 and the mother of two, is putting her maternal experience to use in playing mothers in two recent ﬁlms, The Fault in Our Stars and Into the Wild In the former, she plays the mother of a child with cancer; in the latter, a woman who is dying of lung cancer. She recently said, “I don’t turn my nose up at anything. If it’s a great part, it’s a great part.”

Dern has also had a substantial career in television, winning three Golden Globes for her television work. In an interview about Enlightened (2011-2013), which Dern co-created with Mike White, Dern said, “I gravitate toward characters and writer-directors who are interested in the broken funny in life.” That’s an apt summation much of Laura Dern’s career, and much of her appeal. Long may her freak ﬂag ﬂy.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

Before the

www.yetwahsanrafael.com

WORLD PREMIERES

3 STILL STANDING

316

ALLoT

(A Long List of Things)

A BRIDGE TO A BORDER

CAPTURING GRACE

DYING TO KNOW: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary FINDING THE GOLD WITHIN

F R E E

GARDENERS OF EDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT PLASTIC MAN: The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish RACING TO ZERO: In Pursuit of Zero Waste STATES OF GRACE THE WEDDING CONTRACT: A Balinese Love Story

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES

1000 RUPEE NOTE CATCH ME DADDY THE PATENT WARS A WOMAN AS A FRIEND

YALOM’S CURE

US PREMIERES

CHARLIE’S COUNTRY COWBOYS

GETT: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem HIDE AND SEEK THE LAMB

LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN NUOC 2030

SOLEILS

STOCKHOLM

LA TIRISIA

TU DORS NICOLE

¡VIVA EL CINE!

Latin-American and Spanish-language cinematic gems from around the globe come right here to Marin County. ¡Que viva!

5@5 LA PISTOLA Y EL CORAZÓN (various)

10,000 KM (LONG DISTANCE) (Spain) THE BOY AND THE WORLD (Brazil) FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROC (Mexico) LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED (Spain) NATURAL SCIENCES (Argentina)

QUE CARAMBA ES LA VIDA (Germany/Mexico) STOCKHOLM (Spain)

LA TIRISIA (Mexico) A WOLF AT THE DOOR (Brazil)

HUMOR – In the Jocular Vein

Thirsty vampires, stand-up comics hungry for laughs, Scandinavian and Eastern European black humor, Italian commedia, and good ol’ fashioned American musical comedy comprise this international crop of winningly funny delights.

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO 3 STILL STANDING CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW COWBOYS AND DISAPPEARED I CAN QUIT WHENEVER I WANT IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE LUCKY STIFF WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS A WOMAN AS A FRIEND

THE ART of the SCIENCES

The hard and soft sciences and their passionate practitioners are the subjects of these inspiring and revelatory ﬁlms addressing the mysteries of matter and mind in illuminating and artful ways.

HOW I CAME TO HATE MATH THE IMITATION GAME THE IMMORTALISTS THE PATENT WARS THEORY OF EVERYTHING YALOM’S CURE

VALLEY of the DOCS

The latest in documentary ﬁlmmaking, from heartfelt stories of activism to historical pieces, to current events.

US CINEMA

A showcase for new ﬁlms from around the US by master and emerging ﬁlmmakers who share a talent for independent storytelling.

WORLD CINEMA

Stories from six continents that will change the way we understand our global neighbors and ourselves.

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

Giving young people and their families a taste of cultures and adventures they won’t ﬁnd anywhere else, while nurturing their love of ﬁlm.

5@5 and MVFF SHORTS

An assortment of short cinematic gems, sometimes preceding feature ﬁlms, sometimes in a program of their own. Many amazing feature ﬁlms start their journey to the big screen as shorts. Catch them now!

SPONSORED BY

JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS

METALLICA: MVFF ARTISTS IN

MVFF37 is delighted to welcome Metallica, locals and longtime friends of the festival, as Artists in Residence. Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo (L. to R.) have each selected a film to host at the festival and will be present to introduce and discuss their chosen films.

Kirk, a noted horror movie aﬁcionado presents an unadulterated, schlock-ﬁlled, Z-movie euphoria, late-night screening of the 1971 favorite Dracula vs. Frankenstein.

Robert brings MVFF audiences a sneak peek at Jaco, the new documentary that brings the story of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius to the screen; produced by Trujillo with John Battsek of Passion Pictures. See page 93 for complete information on the live event, A Musical Celebration of Jaco.

Lars makes a cutting-edge selection with Whiplash. This indie feature about an aspiring drummer and his ruthless teacher won multiple awards at Sundance this year. Following the screening, director-screenwriter Damien Chazelle will join Lars on stage for a conversation.

James’ classic pick The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is in all its restored, big-screen glory. Be sure to catch it.

Tickets: $35 general | $30 CFI member

KIRK HAMMETT

DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN

ROBERT TRUJILLO

AND THE UGLY

LARS ULRICH

WHIPLASH

JAMES HETFIELD

THE GOOD, THE BAD

A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF JACO

October 6, 9:00 pm

Sweetwater Music Hall

19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley

Tickets: $150

Purchase tickets at sweetwatermusichall.com Tickets are not available through MVFF. Festival badges not valid.

MVFF and Steep Productions present:

A musical celebration honoring the pioneering jazz musician Jaco Pastorius and the work-in-progress screening of JACO – See page 121 for ﬁlm details.

Hosted by Robert Trujillo, Music Director and JACO Producer

Featuring:

MAERIC with Mary Pastorius, David Pastorius & Eric Young

Kirk Hammett & Robert Trujillo of Metallica

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction

L. Shankar

And special guests

A beneﬁt for the California Film Institute

Associate Producer -- Famous4

Home to the renowned community of independent feature and documentary filmmakers whose incredible films have won 23 Oscars and 43 Oscar nominations. Congratulations to Mill Valley Film Festival.

OFFICE SUITE LEASES 150 SF & Up

24/7 security; parking; unique Bay views; amenities

EDITING SUITES

Affordable leases for expanding production needs

SCREENING

ROOM

For industry, educational and private use

FANTASY STUDIOS

Professional post production for your film

BERKELEY FILMMAKERS SCREENING SERIES

Monthly series showcases independent cinema

3 STILL STANDING – ON STAGE!

With performers WILL DURST, LARRY “BUBBLES” BROWN, and JOHNNY STEELE

Special guests to be announced.

Professional comedians and award-winning film makers weave together film and live stand-up comedy for a unique storytelling experience—a hilarious and memorable journey into the lives of three gifted comedians.

An evening that is part movie, part stand-up, all funny, this live comedy event follows the world premiere of the film 3 Still Standing. See page 108 for film details and ticket information.

Saturday, October 4, 8:00 pm

142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley

$45 General | $40 CFI members

MC: Marc Hershon

Buon Appetite!

SEASONAL MENU HIGHLIGHTS

LUNCH served with salad...$11.50

SPECIAL 4:30-6:30PM Three-course Dinner...$19.50

415-924-3332 www.fabrizioristorante.com 455 Magnolia Avenue Downtown Larkspur

Tuesday - Saturday 11:30 AM - 9:30 PM

ROBIN WILLIAMS: A CELEBRATION

the MVFF

Join us for an informal celebration of the life of one of the most beloved and brilliant members of our community: Robin Williams. His connections with Marin run deep, from his time at Redwood High School and College of Marin, to sightings on his bike, at local coffee shops, and trying out new material at 142 Throckmorton Theatre. He trained at Juilliard, won an Oscar and a Grammy, and amassed a legendary body of work on screen and stage with his force-of-nature comedy. We’ll show footage from his appearances at the Mill Valley Film Festival, including a spontaneous routine with his mentor Jonathan Winters, as well as his 1988 MVFF trailer, in which, playing campy film critic Lex Leed, he interviewed himself as five different filmmakers. Details and guests TBD. This is a free event, but will be ticketed.

Sunday, October 5, 1:00 pm 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley

Free: ticket required. Two tickets per patron; see mvff.com for details.

WITH SUPPORT FROM

During

Tribute to Jonathan Winters in 2001, Robin joined Mr. Winters on stage. An evening for the ages.

Photo:

Patrik Argast

QUESTION ENGAGE TRANSFORM

GET ACTIVE!

Discover a world of inspiration in Active Cinema. Join us for Active Cinema screenings throughout the Festival, support the grassroots activism of ﬁlmmakers, and engage with admirable work by special guests, co-presenters, and Active Cinema partners.

ACTIVE CINEMA PANEL

Saturday, October 11, 12:30 pm

This panel will look at new platforms and how ﬁlmmakers can use and understand their potentials in order to engage audiences and get issuedriven works to be as effective and inspiring as we hope they can be.

CAPTURING GRACE

Directed by David Iverson In association with Dance for PD

DYING TO KNOW:

Ram Dass & Timothy Leary

Directed by Gay Dillingham In association with Drug Policy Alliance

FINDING THE GOLD WITHIN

Directed by Karina Epperlein In association with Hunters Point Family

F R E E

Directed by Suzanne LaFetra and David Collier

In association with Destiny Arts Center

GARDENERS OF EDEN

Directed by Austin Peck and Anneliese Vandenberg In association with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

HOW I GOT OVER

IN PLAIN SIGHT

Directed by Erica Jordan In association with Make a Stand

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

Directed by John Antonelli, Tom Dusenbery, Will Parrinello In association with the Goldman Environmental Prize

ORIGINS

Directed by Will Parrinello

In association with Seva Foundation

RACING TO ZERO:

In Pursuit of Zero Waste

Directed by Christopher Beaver and Diana Fuller

In association with Bioneers

THE WAR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Directed by Steven Kochones In association with Peace Action West

NETWORKING IN NATURE

Active Cinema Nature Hike

Saturday, October 4

10:15 am - 12:30 pm Free

Meet at Tennessee Valley trailhead parking lot. Hike to the ocean. Share ideas and the view.

Some of the best information is garnered in peer-to-peer connections. Join Festival staff and guests to hike and exchange ideas and wisdom on filmmaking, filmmaker resources, activism, and strategies for action. Bring water and sunblock, wear good hiking shoes. Get some fresh air and fresh ideas with filmmakers, friends, and cinephiles during this hour-long hike through beautiful terrain. All are welcome!

MVFF’s Active Cinema ﬁlms are united in their commitment to explore the world and its issues, engage audiences, and transform society. After the credits roll and the lights come up, onscreen images continue to have signiﬁcant impact. Transforming ideas into action is what Active Cinema is all about! Look

Directed by Nicole Boxer

In association with Center Point

Tennessee Valley info: nps.gov/goga/ planyourvisit/tennessee_valley

IN PLAIN SIGHT

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

RACING TO ZERO

NEW MOVIES LAB

The Mill Valley Film Festival presents workshops and panels on the art, technology, and business of filmmaking with top filmmakers and industry professionals. All New Movies Lab participants are subject to change; find updates and complete program details at mvff.com.

Tickets are $14.00 general / $11.50 CFI members

THE BEST OF TIMES OR THE WORST OF TIMES: THE MVFF STATE OF THE INDUSTRY CONVERSATION

Saturday, Oct 4, 11:00 am Rafael 3

Join us for this industry panel on the ever-changing possibilities for producing, marketing, and distributing ﬁlms in today’s climate.

Invited Guests:

Ed Arentz - Managing Director, Music Box Films (Ida, The Green Prince, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Paul Cohen - veteran movie executive; distributor (Mephisto); producer (Off the Map); ED, Torchlight Film Program, Florida State University

Eric d’Arbeloff, Co-President, Roadside Attractions LLC (Homesman, Winter’s Bone, Supersize Me)

Geoffrey Gilmore - Chief Creative Ofﬁcer, Tribeca Enterprises; UCLA Dept of Film, Theater and Television faculty; Sundance Film Festival Director (1991-2009)

Reception to follow the panel

VARIETY CONTENDERS CONVERSATIONS: FOCUS ON ANIMATION

Conversations with filmmakers from films that are part of awards season, these discussions are designed to illuminate the creative filmmaking process.

Edited versions of the discussions will be available at variety.com.

THE BOXTROLLS

Saturday, Oct 4, 1:15 pm Rafael 3

Steven Gaydos - VP, Executive Editor, Variety, will lead the discussion on The Boxtrolls. Invited guests:

Directors Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi Producer Travis Knight

THE LEGO MOVIE

Saturday, Oct 11, 11:00 am Rafael 3

Steve Chagollan - Senior Features Editor, Variety, will lead the discussion on The Lego Movie. Invited guests:

Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

ACTIVE CINEMA: THE INVISIBLE PEAK A SCREENING, DISCUSSION AND CALL TO ACTION

Saturday, Oct 4, 3:30 pm Rafael 3

Gary Yost and Peter Coyote’s beautiful, compelling short ﬁlm, The Invisible Peak, was made for the National Parks Conservancy to inaugurate the Tamalpais Lands

Collaborative’s efforts to restore and maintain Mt. Tam—and in particular, efforts to remove the remnants of the old military base on top of the West Peak.

Invited Guests:

Peter Coyote - actor, author, and activist Liza Crosse - Marin Municipal Water District board member Gary Yost - ﬁlmmaker, activist

INSIGHT: A MASTER CLASS WITH TED HOPE

Sunday, Oct 5, 1:00 pm Rafael 3

Ted Hope offers visionary insights into film and filmmaking filtered through his unique indie wisdom, with readings and reference to his first book, Hope for Film

A book signing, courtesy of Copperﬁeld’s Books, will follow.

DOCUMENTARY STORYTELLING WORKSHOP WITH TOM SCHLESINGER

Sunday, Oct 5, 3:30 pm Rafael 3

Renowned story consultant Tom Schlesinger leads this workshop in which participants will learn the 12 essential elements of documentary storytelling, how to engage the widest audience, and how to have the greatest social impact. Schlesinger has taught storytelling seminars at Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasﬁlm Ltd., AFI, and the WGA.

ACTIVE CINEMA TOOLKIT: UPGRADES FOR CHANGE

Saturday, Oct 11, 12:30 pm Rafael 3

A dynamic panel of filmmaker-innovators will discuss their work and practices—in transmedia storytelling, participatory technology and other tools—and discuss ways that new platforms can support filmmakers and their efforts to use the power of story to inspire quantifiable engagement.

Invited Guests:

Helen De Michiel - ﬁlmmaker, writer (Love Lunch Community; Tarentella MVFF 1995) Sundance/Skoll Stories of Change program.

Wendy Levy - Director, New Arts Axis; Senior Consultant, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program; CoFounder of Sparkwise; Executive Director, NAMAC

Sydney Levine - (moderator) Founder, FilmFinders; Writer/ Editor, SydneysBuzz on Indiewire

Zeresenay Mehari - ﬁlmmaker/writer (Difret 2014)

Kenji Yamamoto - editor, producer (Rebels with a Cause, MVFF 2013, Trust: Second Acts in Young Lives, MVFF 2010)

Denise Zmekhol - ﬁlmmaker (From the Ground to the Cloud)

Squeak Carnwath, Conﬁdence, 2013, oil and alkyd on canvas over panel, 60 x 55”

5@5 A MATTER OF TIME

5 @ 5

62 min

“And I hope it’s all it seems, not another dream. There’s a time for you and me, in a place living happily.” Life lessons echo in these shorts about the bonds of family and asserting one’s independence. A family’s quiet night together has fateful repercussions in Erich Steiner’s haunting In the Still of the Night (Austria, 14 min). Sibling rivalry between sisters takes an unexpected turn in Lara Gallagher’s American Gladiators (US, 10 min). A dying mother tries to reconcile her fractured family in Barbara Zemljic’s moving The Right to Love (Slovenia, 17 min). Personal expression enters an aquatic dimension for a young girl in Lexi Lefkowitz’s playful Freestyle (US, 7 min). And insecurities and deceptions arise when a lesbian couple prepares for a hurricane in Melissa Finell’s Disaster Preparedness (US, 15 min).

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Thursday, Oct 9, 9:30 pm Rafael 3 Saturday, Oct 11, 1:30 pm 142 Throckmorton

5@5 LA PISTOLA Y EL CORAZÓN

5 @ 5

70 min

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! “ Esta noche tan oscura, con sus sombras tan tranquilas y el viento me sigue cantando, esta humilde canción .” Whether immersed in the mystical or grounded in the real, these LatinAmerican and Spanish-language shorts traverse a universe of emotion. Pablo Pérez Lombardini uses magic realism to depict a young man’s search for The Enchanted Lagoon (Mexico, 17 min) and the unnerving turn his journey takes. In Jesse Allen’s dark comedy The Clean Up (US, 13 min), two office-building cleaning ladies run into a most unexpected late-night problem. Live action and animation meld in a surreal urban rhapsody in Guilherme Marcondes’s The Master’s Voice: Caveirão (Brazil/France, 12 min). Maricarmen Marino’s lovely Bella (Mexico, 10 min) explores a young man’s mortality through his mother’s memories and contemplations. And in Melissa Hickey’s Ni-Ni (US, 18 min), an unlikely reunion becomes a meditation on gang violence and dangerous choices.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Tuesday, Oct 7, 9:00 pm Rafael 3 Thursday, Oct 9, 4:30 pm Sequoia 2

IN ASSOCIATION WITH LATINO COUNCIL AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

5@5 ROUND AND ROUND

5 @ 5

67 min

“Round and round and up and down and round and round and dizzy, dizzy till I can’t see.” Tonal shifts abound in these shorts about life and death, love and business. For starters, welcome to the new corporate landscape of leadership in Martin Sweeney’s visionary Femto-Management: A Micromentary (US, 12 min). In Omar el Zohairy’s dry comedy Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375 (Egypt, 18 min), a single sneeze takes on Kafkaesque proportions for one government official. In Danny Madden’s remarkably animated Confusion Through Sand (US, 13 min), a desert soldier is at war with both the enemy and the elements. Memorializing a girlfriend’s ex becomes a nightmare scenario for one modest beau in John Salcido’s raucous Tribute (US, 18 min). And a middle-aged gay couple uncover new revelations while mattress shopping in Jonathan Wysocki’s Adjust-a-Dream (US, 6 min).

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Monday, Oct 6, 1:30 pm Sequoia 2 Wednesday, Oct 8, 9:15 pm Rafael 3

5@5 SHAKIN’ SHAKIN’ SHAKES

5@5 THAT TRAIN WON’T STOP HERE

5 @ 5 5 @ 5

65 min

“It shakes down to the sea. It shakes up to the volcano. And then it starts to scream. And Lord, it makes me tremble.” Tension, horror, and sci-fi thrills rule this selection of memorable shorts. A dinosaur-fighting, space-exploring couple embarks on a new adventure in Michael Lukk Litwak’s The Life and Death of Tommy Chaos and Stacey Danger (US, 10 min). A baby elephant faces peril in the jungle in Soyeon Kim’s beautifully animated Ahco on the Road (South Korea/US, 9 min). Ramin Serry presents a time-travel comedy about a lazy father who becomes a Future Hero (US, 7 min). In David Coyle and Lewis Costin’s Enfilade (Australia, 10 min), a single room can represent the horror of eternity. With Tal Zagreba’s disturbing Humor (Israel, 5 min), a moment of expression takes on a viral life of its own. Alex Clark’s creepy Siren (Canada, 9 min) joins paramedics who face more than they bargained for in an emergency response. And playing on a roof, an imaginative boy finds a dangerous new toy in Frank Jerky’s tense Six (US, 8 min). —Sterling Hedgpeth

Friday, Oct 3, 9:30 pm Rafael 3 Tuesday, Oct 7, 4:45 pm Sequoia 2

58 min

“Looking out my window, I see my world has changed. The sun won’t rise this morning.” Whether you desire dark, introspective, or tubed-meat undertones, this year’s stop-motion and hand-drawn animation shorts program will take you on locomotive rides both comedic and surreal. Kicking off the journey is Tamara Hahn’s Gnosis (US, 5 min), featuring a monster’s desire to steal a baby, followed by Santiago “Bou” Grasso’s Father (Argentina, 12 min), in which a woman ponders over her dear wartime leader. José Miguel Ribeiro takes us on a gorgeously illustrated Journey to Cape Verde (Portugal, 17 min). Then Eric Cheng’s Higher Sky (US, 6 min) slaps a kung-fu lesson to a monkey and swallow. Brats and chicken sizzle alive at the beach in Carlo Vogele’s Wurst (US, 6 min). The animation train screams to a stop with visual effects master Phil Tippett’s first installment of Mad God (US, 11 min), where characters writhe in macabre, nightmarish splendor.

—Amanda Todd

Wednesday, Oct 8, 3:45 pm Sequoia 2 Friday, Oct 10, 9:30 pm Rafael 3

5@5

THIS BIRD’S GONNA FLY

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

64 min

Nonverbal or in English. “So this bird’s got to ﬂ y…I’m tellin’ you, honey, this bird’s got to ﬂ y.” This program of animated shorts from around the world is sure to delight children of all ages. The Argentinian Llama Drama gets us off to a hilarious start. The French LaMi (in three segments) tells the story of the notes of the scale as they make friends. Miriam’s Kite from Estonia follows the adventures of Miriam and her duck. Nunavut, Canada brings us the Inuit The Orphan and the Polar Bear. The evolution of the New World is a bright, bouncy short short from the UK’s Oliver Sin, followed by a bright and bouncy 13 from Marin’s own Cynthia Pepper. The Australian The Gallant Captain is a boy on a mission. Through sand and drawing, the classic hoop is transformed and erased and transformed again in Tess Martin’s Hula Hoop . A blend of 2D and 3D, Rabbit and Deer, our centerpiece from Hungary, will amaze and tickle you. Russia’s A Tin Can bounces down some funny roads. The poignant, child-produced The Man Who Loved to Whistle is more of a heartwrencher; it was produced in Croatia by our cultural partner, SAF Cakovec. All ages. —John Morrison

Sunday, Oct 5, 11:00 am Rafael 2 Sunday, Oct 12, 12:00 pm 142 Throckmorton

THE 3D SIDESHOW

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

90 min

Thrill to these depth-defying shorts, all in 3D! Watch a ribbiting rogues gallery in Robert Bloomberg’s Frogs & Friends (US, 7 min). Jason Jameson and James Hall’s One Night in Hell (US, 7 min) depicts a skeleton’s underworld journey. Did Georges Méliès create the world’s first 3D film? See for yourself in The Infernal Cauldron (France, 3 min). Harold Lloyd gets another dimension of thrills in Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor’s classic Safety Last! (US, 4 min excerpt). A train journey goes surreally off track in Santiago Caicedo’s Moving Still (Colombia, 3 min), while Jeff Boller’s A Geek Like Me (US, 4 min) is a tribute to shared interests. Joséphine Derobe’s Diary of a Fridge (France, 9 min) chronicles 30 years in a family’s life. All Is Not Lost (US, 4 min) is a kaleidoscopic view of human connection via OK Go, Pilobolus, and Trish Sie. Bob Venezia’s Pieces of the Fair (US, 3 min) reveals the secret life of carnival rides. David Silverman’s The Longest Daycare (US, 5 min) pits Maggie Simpson against the Ayn Rand School for Tots. Trish Sie’s White Knuckles (US, 3 min) combines 12 pups and a rock band. In Lauren MacMullan’s Get a Horse! (US, 6 min), Mickey Mouse takes a special wagon ride. And finally, Patrick Osborne’s Feast (US, 6 min) shows one man’s love life from his dog’s perspective. Ages 6+ —Robert Bloomberg

Saturday, Oct 4, 11:00 am Rafael 1 Sunday, Oct 12, 11:00 am Sequoia 1

Tickets $18 general | $15 CFI members | $10 children

THE ART OF AMAZING 4K SHOWCASE

90 min

Experience the cutting edge of film technology! This shorts program captures the full potential of eight million pixels’ worth of high definition: a state-of-the-art, ultrahigh-resolution visual experience with the hidden details, vibrant colors, and captivating compositions unlocked only by 4K. Watch online a selection of up to 15 short films—abstract, narrative, technical, and genre-bending—and vote for your favorite. The filmmaker finalists will be included in this free showcase. Prizes will be awarded by a panel of industry judges from MVFF, Sharp Electronics, THX Ltd., Lucasfilm Ltd., RED Digital Cinema, and Adobe, based on creativity, technical quality, and the ability to capture detailed, vivid scenes showcasing all of the benefits of 4K. Join us as we go boldly into the future of digital film! There’s still time to vote at sharpartofamazing.com! Voting begins September 15, and runs through October 8, 2014. Please see page 25 for more details.

Thursday, Oct 9, 7:00 pm Sequoia 2 This screening is free. Get your complimentary ticket at mvff.com.

10,000

KM (LONG DISTANCE)

WORLD CINEMA

Spain 2014 • 99 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Carlos Marques-Marcet Producers Tono Folguera, Sergi Moreno, Jana Díaz Juhl Screenwriter Clara Roquet

Cinematographer Dagmar WeaverMadsen Editor Juliana Montañés Cast Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer Print

Source Visit Films

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! In Spanish with English subtitles. Sergi and Alex ( Game of Thrones ’ Natalie Tena), a striking young couple living together in Barcelona, are ready to take their passionate love affair to the next level when 10,000 kilometers suddenly come between them. Alex has been offered a year-long, all-expensespaid artist’s residency in Los Angeles. Sergi, hesitant at first, encourages Alex to follow her dream, leaving them with only one way to bridge the divide: digital. As the days roll by, Skype acts as savior, and we witness the happy, painful, and revelatory process of a long-distance relationship sustained—and reinvented—through the ether. At first plunging us into the most intimate moments of a couple’s life, 10,000 KM then mediates our experience, as it does theirs, through texts, video chats, and social media updates, probing the nature of technology and connection while it chronicles the story of a young couple separated not only by distance, but also dreams and desires.

—Angelique Smith

Thursday, Oct 9, 8:45 pm Rafael 2 Saturday, Oct 11, 2:45 pm Sequoia 1

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SPAIN, LATINO COUNCIL, AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED

1000 RUPEE NOTE (EK HAZARACHI NOTE)

CINEMA WORLD CINEMA

Sweden 2013 • 114 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter

Felix Herngren Producers Malte Forssell, Henrik Jansson-Schweizer, Patrick Nebout Screenwriters Hans Ingemansson, Jonas Jonasson Cinematographer Göran Hallberg

Editor Henrik Källberg Cast Robert Gustafsson, Iwar Wiklander, David Wiberg, Mia Skäringer, Jens Hultén

Print Source Studio Canal

FOCUS: HUMOR—IN THE JOCULAR VEIN

In Swedish with English sub titles. Life has been one extraordinary, accidental adventure after another for explosives buff Allan Karlsson, and he sees no reason why the fun should stop at age 100. He slips out of the retirement home and boards a bus, inadvertently saddled with an unpleasant stranger’s luggage. Allan makes friends easily, especially around booze, but his impromptu jaunt is somewhat complicated by the suitcase’s contents: 50 million kronor in cash. Pursued by both a lackadaisical policeman and a pack of dim-bulb thugs in the employ of an English gangster, the droll centenarian hits the road with an expanding circle of quirky acquaintances. The top-grossing film in Sweden last year, Felix Herngen’s delightful romp (adapted from Jonas Jonasson’s international bestseller) peppers Allan’s globe-hopping life story—highlighted by history-altering encounters with Franco, Truman, Stalin, and Reagan—with richly absurd ﬂ ashbacks. The whimsical and witty score is by Matti Bye, whose acclaimed ensemble is a perennial favorite at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

—Michael Fox

Wednesday, Oct 8, 5:45 pm Sequoia 1 Thursday, Oct 9, 12:45 pm Rafael 1 Friday, Oct 10, 2:45 pm Rafael 3

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SWEDEN AND THE BARBRO OSHER PRO SUECIA FOUNDATION

SPONSORED BY MILL VALLEY LIBRARY FOUNDATION AND THE FRIENDS

India 2014 • 89 min

Director/Producer/Editor Shrihari Sathe Screenwriter Shrikant Bojewar Cinematographer Ming Kai Leung

Cast Usha Naik, Sandeep Pathak, Shrikant Yadav, Ganesh Yadav, Pooja Nayak, Devendra Gaikwad Print Source Infinitum Productions

“When the goddess of wealth comes, she brings trouble with her, too.” And so it unfolds in Phulambri, a village in India’s Maharashtra state struggling to maintain its gentle rhythms and traditions in the face of endemic corruption. Lonely widow Budhi— distraught since her farmer son, drowning in debt, took his own life—has nonetheless found comfort and balance among her fellow villagers. Most of them are as poor as she is, but unfailingly generous with whatever they have, be it goat’s milk for tea or freshly baked fluffy bread in the morning. That delicate balance is upended the moment a politician shoves a 1,000-rupee note into Budhi’s hands at a campaign rally, setting off a chain of events that will take her to the brink of despair and back again. With a Technicolor palette and buoyant original songs, this deeply humanistic morality tale is a feast for the eyes, ears, and brain, and lingers long after the credits roll. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Atissa Manshouri

Thursday, Oct 9, 6:00 pm CCM

This screening is free for CFI members. Get your complimentary ticket at mvff.com.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 3RD I SOUTH ASIAN FILMS

3 STILL STANDING

US 2014 • 90 min

Directors/Producers/Cinematographers

Robert A. Campos, Donna LoCicero

Producers Tommy Gil, Allison Hatcher

Editors Brandon Dumlao, Eli Olson Cast Larry “Bubbles” Brown, Will Durst, Johnny Steele, Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, Robin Williams Print

Source Beanfield Productions

FOCUS: HUMOR—IN THE JOCULAR VEIN

For one bright, shining moment, three San Francisco standup comics seemed poised for the big time. Will Durst, Johnny Steele, and Larry “Bubbles” Brown were killing audiences in the Holy City Zoo, the Punch Line, and all the other packed, brick-walled venues that made San Francisco the country’s best, most radical comedy scene in the 1980s. Agents—and Vegas—came calling, and why not? Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, Bobcat Goldthwait, and numerous others were honing their unique talents beneath the same spotlights and becoming stars. Then, as the ’90s dawned, the local comedy scene died, and SF’s era of cutting-edge, no-holds-barred humor faded into legend. What did these three comics do? They kept telling jokes however they could—and they still do. This loving, lively documentary—packed with hilarious vintage footage, intimate interviews, rat-atat editing, and a jazzy score—captures the triumphs and struggles, the art and dedication, of three indomitable performers who still bring it every time. WORLD PREMIERE

—Jeff Campbell

Saturday, Oct 4, 5:00 pm Sequoia 1

Wednesday, Oct 8, 1:30 pm Rafael 1 Friday, Oct 10, 2:15 pm Sequoia 1

See page 95 for live comedy performance information.

AFTER THE FALL

US 2014 • 110 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Saar

Klein Producers Sarah Green, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Hans Graffunder Screenwriter Joe Conway Cinematographer Matthias Koenigswieser Editor Hank Corwin Cast Wes Bentley, Jason Isaacs, Vinessa Shaw, Haley Bennett Print Source Phase 4 Films

On the surface, Bill Scanlin (a sad-eyed Wes Bentley) is living the American dream. A hard-working insurance broker, he is a stand-up guy with a wife and two sons, a big house, and a pool. But in a world where nice guys finish last, Bill’s strict moral code has cost him his job—he’s just not making it hard enough for clients to file claims. Hiding his unemployment from his wife, he grows increasingly desperate as the financial walls start to cave in. Then, almost accidentally, Bill discovers a different, riskier line of work—and he gets good at it. But his wife and new buddy Frank (Jason Isaacs), a cop whose own moral code needs some fine-tuning, begin to suspect something is awry. Director Saar Klein’s gripping, unpredictable feature debut is a powerful clash of conceit and conscience where doing the right thing is not quite as obvious as it seems.

—Joanne Parsont

Saturday, Oct 11, 8:00 pm Sequoia 2 Sunday, Oct 12, 2:00 pm Lark

ALLOT (A LONG LIST OF THINGS)

US 2014 • 90 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor John

Sanborn Producers Video Free America

Producer/Cinematographer Skip

Sweeney Cinematographer Roger Jones

Editor Khaboshi Imbukwa Cast Miranda

Sanborn, Thais Schwab, David Meyer

Print Source John Sanborn

For the millions who grew up alongside Michael Apted’s epic Up Series ( Seven Up! , etc.), multimedia wizard John Sanborn ( PICO , MVFF 2013; The Planets , MVFF 2011) has upped the ante with a film that brims with mindful self-reflection and plenty of heart. In ALLoT, Sanborn attends his 40th high-school reunion with a film crew to interview former classmates and gain a measure of closure on some openended chapters of his life. High school is, after all, where you dream with friends about what you will do with your future. Engaging with his former classmates from New York’s Walt Whitman High School, Sanborn pulls no punches with his questions: Who did you imagine you’d become, and, after 40 years, who are you now? The result is a highly personal and surprisingly universal memoir sparkling with contemplative conversation and meditations on the unpredictable challenges and transformations of life—and that’s ALLoT: A Long List of Things WORLD PREMIERE

—KD Davis

Friday, Oct 3, 7:30 pm 142

Throckmorton

Sunday, Oct 5, 8:30 pm Rafael 3

THE ART OF LIFE

This trio of shorts delves into the lives and decades-long careers of three brilliant Bay Area artists: sculptor Jerome Kirk, metal artist Victor Ries, and painter Wilma Daubenspeck Cliff.

KIRK

US 2014 • 31 min

Director Ashley James

Influenced by Calder, Smith, and Bertoia, kinetic sculptor Jerome Kirk’s hypnotic art has been described as the combined work of “poet, mystic, and mechanical engineer.” Kirk is a gorgeously filmed investigation into a lifetime of passion and commitment, from the artist’s humble beginnings in Detroit to his present-day studio in Oakland.

METAL MAN: THE STORY OF VICTOR RIES

US 2014 • 36 min

Director Bill Chayes

The Bauhaus-influenced Metal Man, respected teacher, and visionary in liturgical sculpture was Victor Ries, who died last year at age 105, leaving behind metal artworks of all kinds and sizes, from jewelry to altar installations in places of worship. This is the story of his incredible life and career.

ART IS THE TREE OF LIFE

US 2013 • 26 min

Directors Christine Weicher, Geoffrey Quinn

At 95 years old, Wilma Daubenspeck Cliff is an undiscovered painter with a remarkable sense of color and a life well lived— though not without tragedy. In this short, the artist narrates her journey.

Sunday, Oct 5, 4:00 pm 142 Throckmorton

Monday, Oct 6, 6:15 pm Rafael 2

BELOVED SISTERS

(DIE GELIEBTEN SCHWESTERN)

WORLD CINEMA

Germany/Austria 2013 • 170 min

Director/Screenwriter Dominik Graf Producer Uschi Reich Cinematographer Michael Wiesweg Editors Barbara Buhl, Bettina Ricklefs, Katja Kirchen, Andreas Schreitmüller, Heinrich Mis Cast Hannah Herzsprung, Florian Stetter, Henriette Confurius, Claudia Messner, Ronald Zehrfeld, Maja Maranow Print Source Music Box Films

In German with English subtitles. In this sumptuous costume drama set in late–18th-century Germany, two aristocratic sisters ﬁ nd themselves drawn inexorably to the young Sturm und Drang poet Friedrich Schiller and daringly forge a lifelong secret triangle. When younger sister Charlotte von Lengefeld ﬁ rst meets Schiller in 1788, he is a penniless dramatist whose early controversial writings— and penury—render him an unsuitable husband. But Charlotte and her married sister Caroline discover an intoxicating kinship with Schiller and his Romantic ideals of universal knowledge and the transformational power of literature. The sisters’ pact of loyalty to each other and Schiller is tested as their private intrigues—revealed through a clever, and cleverly filmed, exchange of coded letters—unfold against a backdrop of revolutionary Europe at the violent dawn of democracy. Gorgeous period details, breathtaking sylvan landscapes, and a refreshingly modern sensibility animate th is speculative drama based loosely on historical events.

—Peter L. Stein

Friday, Oct 10, 7:00 pm Lark

Sunday, Oct 12, 12:00 pm Rafael 3

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF GERMANY

BLACK AND WHITE

US CINEMA

US 2014 • 121 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Mike Binder Producers Kevin Costner, Todd Lewis Cinematographer Russ T. Alsobrook Editor Roger Nygard Cast Kevin Costner, Jennifer Ehle, Gillian Jacobs, Octavia Spencer, Bill Burr Print Source IM Global

CENTERPIECE PROGRAM Kevin Costner made a deep, instinctual commitment to Black and White (he’s producer and star), and it shows: This searing, complicated film addresses tough issues head-on, yet aims straight for the heart. Several years after his daughter’s passing, New Orleans attorney Elliot Anderson (Academy Awardwinner Costner) is dealt another blow when his wife dies in an accident. Together, they had been raising their biracial granddaughter Eloise—played with wise-child aplomb by newcomer Jillian Estell. As Elliot’s everdeepening grief is increasingly fueled by alcohol, Eloise’s African-American grandmother Rowena (the luminous Octavia Spencer) blindsides him with a custody suit. Where should custody reside: with überloving matriarch Rowena and her extended family; with Eloise’s serially absent, druggie dad; or with her white, alcoholic grandfather? As the custody trial unfolds, so do latent prejudices and assumptions on both sides. Writer-director Mike Binder explores a continuing volatile discussion in American life, demonstrating that the power of love, above all, is the key to Eloise’s future.

—Leah LoSchiavo

Wednesday, Oct 8, 7:30 pm Rafael 1

See page 49 for complete Centerpiece event pricing and information.

CO-SPONSORED BY UNION BANK AND FRANTOIO RISTORANTE & OLIVE OIL CO.

THE BOY AND THE WORLD (O MENINO E O MUNDO)

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

Brazil 2013 • 85 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Alê Abreu Producers Fernanda Carvalho, Tita Tessler Cinematographers Débora Fernandes, Débora Slikta, Luiz Henrique Rodrigues, Marcus Vinicius Vasconcelos Cast Vinicius Garcia, Felipe Zilse, Alê Abreu, Lu Horta, Marco Aurélio Campos Print Source GKids

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! Nonverbal. Handdrawn animation and music from luminaries in Brazil’s contemporary music scene enhance this wordless tale of a boy’s travels to find his father, who no longer can earn a living from the land. Traveling from his rainforest playground through the cotton harvests and factories where people like his father find work, to the anonymous city littered with a confusion of signs, billboards, and flyers that tout the values of a commercialized society, the boy keeps looking for his father. He sees his birds, trees, and song replaced by endless lines of trucks, piles of trash, and displaced people and knows only that he wants to restore his happy family and life of color and wonder. But the new world has chosen progress—armored monsters razing forests and people turned into identical, anonymous commodities—over traditional ways of life, cultural heritage, and natural diversity. Awash with color, motion, music, and wonder, The Boy and the World is an experience meant for the big screen, even as it precisely captures the viewpoint of one so small. Ages 6+

—Roberta McNair

Sunday, Oct 5, 11:00 am Sequoia 2 Sunday, Oct 12, 11:15 am Rafael 1

IN ASSOCIATION WITH LATINO COUNCIL AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

A BRIDGE TO A BORDER

CAPTURING GRACE

CATCH ME DADDY

US CINEMA WORLD CINEMA VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2014 • 92 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Rob Nilsson Producers Michelle Anton Allen, Marshall Spight Cinematographers Chris Damm, Galina Pasternak Editors Gustavo Ochoa, Luis de la Para, Faith Vasquez Cast Richard Castrillon, Tristan Cunningham, Jeff Kao, Deniz Demirer, Alex Hero, Tiziana Perinotti, Michelle Anton Allen Print

Source Citizen Cinema

There is a saying that goes, “When a man crosses a bridge, he faces a border.” With Bridge to a Border, Rob Nilsson ( Collapse , MVFF 2013; Maelstrom , MVFF 2012) delivers a compelling political thriller with a deeply philosophical bent. US Border Patrol officer Pakal Gomez has made a career out of calculated risks, but following his escape from prison (after having been incarcerated for a crime he did not commit), he’s ready to risk it all. Radicalized in jail by an insurgent group dedicated to “being heard,” Gomez and “The Bridge Group” plan a terrorist action intended to give them an international media forum for their views. In this emotionally charged and suspenseful narrative, Nilsson reflects on the subject of domestic terrorism from the perspective of those lured into its web. In the aftermath of the Occupy movement, this gripping and ruminative film takes a sobering and speculative look at who is Right and what is left of the Left. WORLD PREMIERE

—KD Davis

Friday, Oct 10, 9:00 pm Rafael 2 Saturday, Oct 11, 2:45 pm Rafael 3

US 2014 • 64 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter David Iverson Cinematographer Eddie Marritz

Editor Gail Huddleson Print Source

Kikim Media

What happens when a group of adults with Parkinson’s disease collaborates with leading professionals from the Mark Morris Dance Group to stage a performance? One of the participants puts it succinctly: “When the dance class is going on, there are no patients. There are only dancers.” This inside look at a visionary Brooklyn program, led by former Mark Morris company member David Leventhal, offers evidence for the beneﬁ cial aspects of physical activity in alleviating the debilitating symptoms of the disease. But, more dramatically, it challenges our expectations about illness and art. Director-producer David Iverson, a radio broadcaster known to Bay Area audiences as the Friday host of KQED’s Forum call-in show, was himself diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2004. He follows the proceedings with rapt attention, as men and women of diverse backgrounds ﬁ nd acceptance and unlock potential in a common cadence. WORLD PREMIERE

—Rob Avila

PRECEDED BY

RIDING MY WAY BACK

US 2013 • 28 min

Directors Robin Fryday, Peter Rosenbaum

Aaron, a military veteran suffering from injuries that left him suicidal, learns to care for a horse named Fred, and through their relationship begins healing the terrible, invisible wounds of war that had nearly defeated him.

Friday, Oct 10, 6:00 pm Sequoia 1 Saturday, Oct 11, 1:45 pm Rafael 2

IN ASSOCIATION WITH DANCE FOR PD

CHARLIE’S COUNTRY

WORLD CINEMA

Australia 2013 • 108 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Rolf De Heer Producers Nils Erik, Peter Djigirr Screenwriter David Gulpilil Cinematographer Ian Jones Editor Tania Nehme Cast David Gulpilil, Peter Djigirr, Luke Ford, Jennifer Budukpuduk Gaykamangu, Peter Minygululu Print Source Visit FIlms

In English and Yolngu with English subtitles. David Gulpilil received a Best Actor award at Cannes this year for his performance as a character largely based on his own life experience in Australia’s Aboriginal community. In his third collaboration with filmmaker Rolf de Heer ( Ten Canoes , MVFF 2006), Gulpilil is the soulful embodiment of Charlie, a restless elder in alcohol-free Arnhem Land who feels the government’s growing grip on his culture while he decries the rapid disappearance of Yolngu traditions. Although well past his prime, Charlie decides to “go bush” and sets out into the wild to practice the old ways, without reckoning how much things really have changed and exactly where he might be going. The film eloquently depicts the daily indignities endured by a marginalized and impoverished people, and in Gulpilil’s remarkable face it finds a vessel of both bemusement and despair, often at the same time, as Charlie confronts modern society with outrage, resilient humor, and more than a measure of mischief. US PREMIERE

—Richard Peterson

Sunday, Oct 5, 7:45 pm Lark Wednesday, Oct 8, 12:00 pm Sequoia 1

CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA

WORLD CINEMA

US/France/Switzerland/Germany 2014 • 124 min

Director/Screenwriter Olivier Assayas

Producers Karl Baumgartner, Thanassis Karathanos, Jean-Louis Porchet, Gérard Ruey Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux Editor Marion Monnier Cast Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloë Grace Moretz, Lars Eidinger, Johnny Flynn Print Source IFC

When the internationally renowned actress Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is offered a role in a London revival of a career-defining drama that she appeared in two decades earlier, she’s confronted with a dilemma: Does she accept the older character now being offered her—and is she prepared to let go of the younger one? Aided and abetted by her assistant Val (Kristen Stewart), she retreats to the secluded Sils Maria, in the Swiss Alps. In an exquisite pairing of talents, Stewart proves herself a terrific match for the always wonderful Binoche in scenes partly about an actor’s process, partly about intimacy and their personal dynamic. And then, there’s the inevitable generational shift, underscored by the appearance of Chloë Grace Moretz as the upstart Hollywood starlet who will play Enders/Binoche’s earlier role. With inspired casting, filmmaker Olivier Assayas’s multilayered variations on the themes of life, art, and age are a rich, satisfying experience. — Zoë Elton

Friday, Oct 3, 8:45 pm Sequoia 1 Monday, Oct 6, 1:00 pm Rafael 1

DIOR AND I

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

France 2014 • 90 min

Director/Screenwriter Frédéric Tcheng

Producer Guillaume de Roquemaurel Cinematographer Gilles Piquard Editor

Julio C. Perez IV Cast Raf Simons, Anna Wintour, Sidney Toledano, Pieter Mulier Print Source Guillame de Roquemaurel

Filmmaker Frédéric Tcheng follows up his work on excellent fashion films, including Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (MVFF 2011) and Valentino: The Last Emperor, with another masterful exploration of a towering fashion institution. In Dior and I , we enter the storied world that is the House of Dior with a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Raf Simons’s highly anticipated first haute couture collection as the iconic brand’s new artistic director. From conception through its ultimate exhibition, the process is shown to be a true labor of love by the stoic Simons and a dedicated, charming, and often humorous team of collaborators. Beautifully melding the everyday, pressure-filled components of fashion with an elegant reverence for the history of Christian Dior, Tcheng’s colorful homage to the seamstresses of the atelier is nothing short of magical.

— Liza Domnitz, Tribeca Film Festival

Tuesday, Oct 7, 8:00 pm Sequoia 1 Tuesday, Oct 12, 2:00 pm Sequoia 1

DIPLOMACY

(DIPLOMATIE)

WORLD CINEMA

France 2014 • 88 min

Director/Screenwriter Volker

Schlöndorff Producers Marc de Bayser, Frank Le Wita, Sidonie Dumas Screenwriter Cyril Gely

Cinematographer Michel Amathieu

Editor Virginie Bruant Cast André Dussollier, Niels Arestrup Print Source Zeitgeist Films Ltd.

In French and German with English subtitles. In the predawn hours of August 25, 1944, Paris was almost obliterated. That it was not is reimagined as an all-night act of desperate diplomacy in this crackling World War II drama. Swedish consul Raoul Nordling (André Dussollier) must somehow convince German general Dietrich von Choltitz (Niels Arestrup) not to follow Hitler’s order to blow up the City of Light, even as the Allied army is poised to retake it. Based on a 2011 play and remade for the screen by Oscar- and Palme d’Or-winner Schlöndorff ( The Tin Drum ), this tautly written pas de deux features two actors who mesmerize us with every calculated glance. “What if an order is absurd?” Nordling challenges. Bound by duty, von Choltitz is not blind to consequences, and the impossibility of his position—for him, every choice sacrifices something vital—is unexpectedly moving. “What would you do in my shoes?” the general retorts. Nordling has no answer, and the question rings loudly today.

—Jeff Campbell

Saturday, Oct 4, 8:00 pm Sequoia 1 Wednesday, Oct 8, 3:30 pm Rafael 3

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF GERMANY

DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN

US CINEMA

1971 • 90 min

Director/Producer Al Adamson

Producer John Van Horne Screenwriters

William Pugsley, Samuel M. Sherman

Cinematographers Paul Glickman, Gary Graver Editor Irwin Cadden Cast J. Carrol Naish, Lon Chaney Jr., Zandor Vorkov

For some people, Dracula vs. Frankenstein is mindless, lowbrow dreck without artistic merit. For the rest of us, it’s time to party! Let’s head back to 1971 and bask in the badly lit glow of Dracula vs. Frankenstein on the big screen! Come one, come all! Behold the twisted visions of fabled schlockmeister Al Adamson! See legendary Lon Chaney, Jr., as Groton the mute man-boy, clumsily wield an ax! Witness the strangest Count Dracula of all time, Zandor Vorkov, recite his dialogue through an echo box! Watch brain-dead hippies, a drugged-up lounge singer, and a wild-eyed mad scientist (J. Carrol Naish) try to explain what the hell is happening around them! Who needs coherence, polish, and subtlety when every line of semi-philosophical dialogue mixes with random shots of miscellaneous objects and locations to create nonstop giddiness, unexpected hilarity, and overwhelming wonder? This is unadulterated Z-movie euphoria.

—Brendan Peterson

Friday, Oct 3, 10:00 pm Rafael 1

Kirk Hammett will introduce the film as part of MVFF’s Metallica Artist in Residence screenings. See page 91.

Tickets: $35 general | $30 CFI members

DYING TO KNOW: RAM DASS & TIMOTHY LEARY

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2014 • 95 min

Director/Producer Gay Dillingham

Producers Michael Donnelly, Sol Tryon, Tao Raspoli Screenwriter/Editor David Leach Cinematographer Alan Kozlowski Cast Richard Alpert (aka Ram Dass), Timothy Leary, Dr. Andrew Weil, Roshi Joan Halifax, Huston Smith, John Perry Barlow, Lama Tsultrim Allione, Zach Leary, Joanna Harcourt-Smith, Peggy Mellon Hitchcock Print Source CNS Communications, LLC

Turn on, tune in, and drop out (this is Mill Valley, after all), but don’t forget to “be here now” for this fascinating film about the lifelong friendship and fearless explorations of LSD guru Timothy Leary and Eastern spiritualist Richard Alpert, aka Ram Dass, who together radically altered 20th-century consciousness. Having met while on the faculty at Harvard in the early 1960s, the seemingly disparate intellectuals quickly formed a bond that lasted for decades. Their wild yet wise journeys through psychotropic drug trips, communal living, Tibetan mysticism, radical politics, polymorphous pleasure, and even imprisonment (Nixon considered Leary “the most dangerous man in America”) led the counterculture dynamic duo through the doors of perception and toward a transformational understanding of the final frontier: death. As surprising and inspiring as a magic mushroom trip, yet thankfully without the side effects, Gay Dillingham’s lively celebration of these two profound philosophers—unrepentant hippies to the end—is a cinematic vision quest safely tethered to the here and now via Robert Redford’s reassuring narration. WORLD PREMIERE —Steven Jenkins

Saturday, Oct 4, 4:00 pm Rafael 1

Tuesday, Oct 7, 1:45 pm Sequoia 2 Friday, Oct 10, 11:45 am Rafael 3

IN ASSOCIATION WITH DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE SPONSORED BY THE SEQUOIAS & THE TAMALPAIS

FINDING THE GOLD WITHIN

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK: THE STORY OF RODRIGO Y GABRIELA

Director/Producer/Cinematographer/ Editor Karina Epperlein

Cinematographers Andy Black, Vicente Franco Editor James Gowdey Cast Kwame Scruggs, Jerry Kwame Williams, Darius Simpson, Brandyn Costa, Stacee Starr, Shawntrail Smith

Print Source Karinafilms

“If there is no enemy within, no enemy from without can harm you.” That’s one of the countless nuggets of wisdom, usually encased in a myth, passed down over the last decade to hundreds of black Ohio adolescents who’ve participated in a unique, multi-year mentoring program. Alchemy, Inc.’s approach is centered on a drum circle that fosters self-awareness and sharing and instills self-confidence, critical thinking, maturity, and a determination to succeed. Those qualities are readily apparent in the six college freshmen that Bay Area filmmaker Karina Epperlein ( Awakening from Sorrow: Buenos Aires 1997, MVFF 2009) follows as they leave home for the first time. Obliged to deflect and reflect stereotypes and racism from other students, in addition to all the usual challenges that go with stepping up a level, they must draw on every internal resource. At a certain point in this intimate and poetic film, a new group of sixth graders takes their place behind the drums. The circle remains unbroken. WORLD PREMIERE

—Michael Fox

Friday, Oct 3, 8:00 pm Lark Saturday, Oct 4, 8:00 pm Rafael 3

Special guests from Alchemy, Inc. will attend the screenings.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH HUNTERS POINT FAMILY SPONSORED BY THE ZAENTZ MEDIA CENTER, A WAREHAM DEVELOPMENT

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

Mexico/US 2014 • 84 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter

Alejandro Franco Cinematographer/ Editor Rubén Gabriel Márquez Ignorosa Cast Rodrigo Sánchez, Gabriela Quintero, Robert Trujillo Print Source Sentido Común

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! In Spanish and English with English subtitles. This aptly titled (after the AC/DC anthem) filmic salute is a primer on how to persevere and stay true to your music, even if it doesn’t fit neatly into any standard category. Guitarists Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintera grew up in Mexico City and met as teenagers, bonding over their love of heavy metal. After playing together for years they have developed their own unique sound: acoustic metal with flamenco and salsa influences. “We always try to make a whole sound just with two guitars,” Quintera says. Music journalist and first-time director Alejandro Franco’s engaging film traces Rodrigo y Gabriela’s career, from playing in a metal band and working day jobs to busking on the streets of Dublin, to playing sold-out concerts around the world, from Glastonbury to Red Rocks. That they have succeeded is evident in generous performance excerpts and testimonials from musicians like Al Di Meola, Peter Gabriel, and Robert Trujillo of Metallica.

—Margarita Landazuri

Sunday, Oct 5, 8:00 pm Rafael 1 Tuesday, Oct 7, 2:15 pm Rafael 2

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF MEXICO IN SAN FRANCISCO

IN ASSOCIATION WITH LATINO COUNCIL AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

US 2014 • 92 min

FORCE MAJEURE

FOXCATCHER

F R E E

WORLD CINEMA VALLEY OF THE DOCS US CINEMA

Sweden/Norway/Denmark/France 2014 • 118 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Ruben Östlund Producers Erik Hemmendorff, Marie Kjellson, Philippe Bober Cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel Editor Jacob Secher Schulsinger Cast Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju, Fanni Metelius Print Source Magnolia Pictures

In Swedish, English, and French with English subtitles. A ski vacation meant to bond a family together takes an unexpected turn when a moment of panic reveals a father’s cowardice in this darkly funny blend of satire and psychological thriller, the winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke), Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), and their two kids’ holiday goes sideways in Force Majeure ’s most thrilling (and chilling) scene, when Tomas abandons his family in the face of an out-of-control “controlled” avalanche. Writer-director Ruben Östlund began his career making ski ﬁ lms, and he returns to his roots with several exhilarating action scenes. Shooting in the Alps, he and cinematographer Fredrik Menzel make the most of the location, the humans and their problems small against the majesty of the mountains. Off the slopes, Östlund observes his characters sharply but with detachment, in a cutting portrait of a pictureperfect family unraveling when its illusions are laid bare.

—Pam Grady

Tuesday, Oct 7, 7:30 pm Sequoia 2

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SWEDEN AND THE BARBRO OSHER PRO SUECIA FOUNDATION

US 2014 • 133 min

Director/Producer Bennett Miller

Producers Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik, Anthony Bregman Screenwriters E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman Cinematographer Greig Fraser Editors Stuart Levy, Conor O’Neill, Jay Cassidy Cast Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

This year at Cannes, the Best Director award went to Bennett Miller ( Moneyball , Capote ) for this hypnotic and multilayered drama based on a true story that is truly “stranger than fiction.” Channing Tatum stars as Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz, who is invited by wealthy heir John du Pont (Steve Carell) to move onto the family estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. They enlist Mark’s older brother—and fellow gold medalist—Dave (Mark Ruffalo) to head Team Foxcatcher, although Mark is as determined to emerge from his beloved sibling’s shadow as du Pont is to win the respect of his disapproving mother (Vanessa Redgrave). This richly atmospheric drama boasts outstanding performances, with evident physical demands on Tatum and Ruffalo, but Carell is a revelation as the eerie aristocrat, his otherworldly manner and sinister cadence providing strong contrast to the blue-collar brothers as he steers the foreboding narrative to its inexorable conclusion.

—Richard Peterson

Friday, Oct 10, 8:30 pm Sequoia 2 Sunday, Oct 12, 8:30 pm Sequoia 1

THE FUTURE STARTS HERE

US CINEMA

US 2014 • 90 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Tiffany

Shlain Producer/Screenwriter/Editor

Arne Johnson Producer/Screenwriter

Sawyer Steele Screenwriters

Karen Everett, Ken Goldberg Cinematographer Jesse Dana Print Source AOL, Inc.

A wildly entertaining and inspiring ride exploring what it means to be human in our increasingly connected world, The Future Starts Here is an Emmy-nominated original series by Tiffany Shlain: acclaimed filmmaker, founder of the Webby Awards, and Mill Valley native. Season one (2013) of the web series was an instant hit, with over 20 million views, delving into the nuances of motherhood, robots, and tech etiquette. Using her award-winning style of fast-paced archival images, colorful animations, and witty insights, Shlain not only explores the intersection of modern society and technology, she also questions the relationship—even suggesting that viewers extract themselves from connectivity through a weekly “Technology Shabbat.” Join Shlain and MVFF for this special interactive screening of select episodes from season one and a sneak peek at season two, as we come together to consider the changing landscape of media, art, and technology as they intersect with daily life and the small and large screens.

—Alexis Whitham

Wednesday, Oct 8, 6:00 pm 142 Throckmorton

GARDENERS OF EDEN

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US/Kenya 2014 • 64 min

Director/Cinematographer/Editor

Austin Peck Director/Cinematographer

Anneliese Vandenberg Producer Kristin Davis Cast Dame Daphne Sheldrick, Julius Shivenga, Nick Trent Print Source RYOT Films

Even in Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park, elephants aren’t safe from poachers. The surging price of ivory has given rise to organized gangs that hunt and kill these majestic creatures for their tusks, usually leaving orphans in their wake. Continuously on the lookout and always ready to come to the rescue, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has a well-established protocol for transporting and caring for the traumatized baby elephants and, just as crucially, a remarkable record of successfully reintroducing them to the wild. Everyone we meet in this eye-opening film—from pilots to nursery keepers, antipoaching trackers to Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick, who founded and continues to lead the organization in its fourth decade—gives proof that the serpent does not rule the garden. WORLD PREMIERE —Michael Fox

Producer Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) will attend the Sat-Sun screenings.

PRECEDED BY FROM THE GROUND TO THE CLOUD US/Tanzania 2014 • 8 min

Director Denise Zmekhol

Watch how the Jane Goodall Institute uses mapping technology on mobile devices for forest monitoring and chimpanzee con ser vation.

Saturday, Oct 4, 2:00 pm Sequoia 1

Sunday, Oct 5, 4:45 pm Rafael 2

Tuesday, Oct 7, 11:45 am Rafael 2

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST AND SPEAK TO ME

GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM

(GETT: LE PROCÈS DE VIVIANE AMSALEM)

WORLD CINEMA

Israel/France/Germany 2014 • 115 min

Directors/Screenwriters Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz Producers Marie Masmonteil, Sandrine Brauer, Shlomi Elkabetz Cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie Editor Joëlle Alexis Cast Ronit Elkabetz, Menashe Noy, Simon Abkarian, Sasson Gabay, Eli Gorstein, Gabi Amrani Print Source Music Box Films

In Hebrew with English subtitles. During the sometimes comic, sometimes harrowing religious court proceeding that may finally secure her a divorce, long-suffering Viviane Amsalem (the deeply moving Ronit Elkabetz) blurts out, “I don’t want to live anymore with this man! It is my right.” To which a rabbi responds, “But it is not your choice.” That is the jarring reality in today’s Israel, where only a gett , a decree issued by an all-male rabbinic tribunal, with the husband’s consent, can legally dissolve a marriage. Attuned to this inherent misogyny, Elkabetz, who co-wrote and -directed with her brother, stages the final chapter in the Amsalems’ hollow marriage as a Kafkaesque ritual, by turns tragic and farcical. Confined within a nondescript courtroom, yet featuring remarkably layered performances, Gett which won the Best Israeli Feature award at this year’s Jerusalem Film Festival—is a strange journey into the enigmas of a couple and a society caught between tradition and modernity. US PREMIERE

—Peter L. Stein

Monday, Oct 6, 7:30 pm Sequoia 2 Wednesday, Oct 8, 6:00 pm Rafael 3

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL AND THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

(IL BUONO, IL BRUTTO, IL CATTIVO)

WORLD CINEMA

Italy 1966 • 179 min

Director/Screenwriter Sergio Leone

Producer Alberto Grimaldi Screenwriter Luciano Vincenzoni Cinematographer

Tonino Delli Colli Editors Eugenio Alabiso, Nino Baragli Cast Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef Print Source Park Circus

A morally ambiguous symphony of bloody bullets and twisted townsfolk, 1966’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a giddy celebration of eccentric cinema from Italian auteur Sergio Leone. Never mind the “Spaghetti Western” label, this is electric filmmaking that transcends genre. Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach play the respective title characters with dogged dedication and dirty drive, while Ennio Morricone’s iconic music creeps into your consciousness. Leone’s explosive combination of widescreen landscapes and close-up character portraits creates a mind-blowing movie-buzz. From the opening seconds to the closing credits, this epic tale, set against the Civil War, focuses on the cold-blooded realities of gold-hungry bounty hunters and the people they love to kill. Pulsing with reckless energy, this exploitation art-film brims with colorful, cold-blooded people, breath-taking visuals, and penetrating twists on the Western framework that will leave you gasping and grinning at once. (This version contains restored footage.)

—Brendan Peterson

Wednesday, Oct 8, 7:00 pm CCM

James Hetfield will introduce the film as part of MVFF’s Metallica Artist in Residence screenings. See page 91.

Tickets: $35 general | $30 CFI members

THE HI DE HO SHOW

HIDE AND SEEK

WORLD CINEMA US CINEMA

US • 100 min

“Get Ready”: This Hi De Ho homage to the great American soul labels, curated by music-meister John Goddard from his personal video collection, promises to inspire “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”—and not “just a little bit!” Goddard, our great guru of the groove, continues his exploration of the pop explosions of the ’60s, that time unforgettable for rock and pop, blues and funk, and a whole lotta soul. While the Beatles were making waves across the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic Records—along with Motown and Stax—was making sure the airwaves weren’t completely invaded by Liverpudlians. Americans were redefining soul, with a “Back at ’Cha” channeled through brilliant artists like Wilson Pickett, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Carla Thomas, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Rascals, and Otis Redding. Their stunning musical legacy may have left some one-hit Brits wondering “Where Did Our Love Go?”—yet it united young people across boundaries of race and place. Put on those “Hi-Heel Sneakers,” “Hitch Hike” on over, and celebrate the greats!

—Zoë Elton

Saturday, Oct 4, 8:45 pm Sequoia 2 Friday, Oct 10, 3:00 pm Rafael 2

THE HOMESMAN

US CINEMA

US 2014 • 122 min

Director Tommy Lee Jones Producers

Luc Besson, Peter Brant, Brian Kennedy Screenwriters Wesley A. Oliver, Miles Hood Swarthout, Kieran Fitzgerald Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto Editor Roberto Silvi Cast Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, Meryl Streep, Hailee Steinfeld, James Spader Print Source Roadside Attractions

OPENING NIGHT FILM Tommy Lee Jones steers this unruly and fascinating antiWestern, a cross-country odyssey through the Nebraska Territory of the 1850s that brings classic scope and modern sensitivity to the complex history of frontier America. Two-time Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank stars as Mary Bee Cuddy, the prim yet forthright spinster who persuades Jones’s reprobate claim jumper to help her escort three deranged women to Iowa and the hospice of a minister’s wife. Their journey honors those destroyed by the unendurable extremes of pioneer life, and the film becomes—in a perversion John Ford would have appreciated—an Eastern, as the odd couple trudges away from the West’s broken promise. Adapted from Glendon Swarthout’s acclaimed novel and featuring colorful supporting performances from John Lithgow, Tim Blake Nelson, Meryl Streep, and James Spader, Jones’s second feature is by turns comic, ominous, and lyrical, traversing landscapes of desolate beauty, relentless danger, and lingering psychological damage at the ragged edges of civilization.

—Leah LoSchiavo

See page 32 for complete Opening Night Gala details and pricing.

Thursday, Oct 2, 6:45 pm Sequoia 1 Thursday, Oct 2, 7:00 pm Sequoia 2

HOPPITY GOES TO TOWN

(AKA MR. BUG GOES TO TOWN)

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

US 1941 • 78 min

Director/Screenwriter Dave Fleischer

Producer Max Fleischer Screenwriters

Dan Gordon, Ted Pierce, Isidore Sparber, Carl Meyer, Graham Place, Bob Wickersham, William Turner, Cal Howard Cinematographer Charles Schlettler Editors Willard Bowsky, Shamus Culhane, H.C. Ellison, Thomas Johnson, Graham Place, Stan Quackenbush, Dave Tendlar, Myron Waldman Cast Kenny Gardner, Gwen Williams, Jack Mercer, Ted Pierce, Carl Meyer, Stan Freed

The City of Mill Valley, Mill Valley Recreation, the Chamber of Commerce, and MVFF invite you to a free outdoor screening of a croony, swoony animation classic that’ll delight the young—and the young at heart! Bugville, a bustling insect community, sits at the edge of a city garden that’s threatened by foot traffic and construction. Good-hearted grasshopper Hoppity returns to Bugville to find Mr. Bumble and Honey, his lovely daughter—and Hoppity’s bee-loved—fearing for their community’s safety from big-shoed humans. They should worry more about C. Bagley Beetle and his droning henchmen, Swat the Fly and Smack the Mosquito. Beetle wants Honey for himself—and he doesn’t care who he has to squash to get her. Hoppity thinks he’s found a way to give the bugs a safe and beautiful home, but it’ll require trusting some “human ones” and foiling Beetle’s schemes. The whole family will enjoy the rich colors, buzzy animation, and swinging songs by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser.

—Roberta McNair

Preceeded by Mill Valley Redux, Tiffany Shlain and Devon McAllister’s homage to Rita Abrams’s 1970 hometown hit.

Friday, Oct 10, 7:45 pm Old Mill Park Free

HOW I CAME TO HATE MATH

(COMMENT J’AI DÉTESTÉ LES MATHS)

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

France 2013 • 103 min

Director/Screenwriter Olivier Peyon

Producers Laurence Petit, Carole Scotta, Bruno Nahon Screenwriter Amandine Escoffier Cinematographer Alexis Kavyrchine Editors Tina Baz, Fabrice Rouaud Print Source Doc & Film International

FOCUS: THE ART OF THE SCIENCES In English and French with English subtitles. It has given us personal computers, medical breakthroughs, and a man on the moon, yet mathematics still gets a bad rap, forever doomed to be the academic version of spinach. Enter French filmmaker Olivier Peyon ( Stolen Holiday ), who sets out to dispel the myth that math is only for brainiacs or less lyrical than poetry. Giving a forum to students and stockbrokers, Stanford and UC Berkeley professors and Fields Medal-winners, the filmmaker creates a 360-degree portrait of the ways math affects our everyday lives. “Mathematics is too often reduced to calculations,” one subject claims. “But it’s the largest manufacturer of concepts in the world.” Running the gamut from how France’s controversial “New Math” curriculum reflected the country’s spring-of-’68 revolution to the way applied mathematics played a part in the recent global financial crisis, this whimsical, free-form look at a subject many of us take for granted is anything but by-the-numbers.

—David Fear

Friday, Oct 10, 4:00 pm Lark

Saturday, Oct 11, 4:45 pm Rafael 2

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY

HOW I GOT OVER

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2014 • 87 min

Director/Producer Nicole Boxer

Producer Tim Rockwood Cinematographers Neil Barrett, M. Holden Warren

Editor Michelle M. Witten Print Source Fushia Films

“Can art save your life?” Nicole Boxer (14 Women , MVFF 2007) takes this question and turns it into an action statement in her must-see film that follows a group of women—all residents of the Washington, DC, recovery community N Street Village— as they prepare to turn their harrowing life stories into a theater piece. This they do, with a commitment and honesty that creates performances worthy of the Kennedy Center, where their premiere will be held. Guided by their dedicated, charismatic director, the women find inner strength working through layers of personal pain—a feat that is a testament to the power of art. In recounting their tales, they learn to become commanding, professional performers in control of their stories, no longer victims of their pasts. Though there’s plenty of heavy material here, there’s laughter, too, among this supportive, tight-knit group unafraid to poke fun at each other. And like the soaring rendition of the gospel tune that gives Boxer’s film its name, there’s a great deal of hope.

—Cheryl Eddy

Sunday, Oct 5, 7:45 pm Sequoia 2

Thursday, Oct 9, 2:45 pm Rafael 2 Saturday, Oct 11, 8:30 pm Rafael 3

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CENTER POINT SPONSORED BY EQUATOR COFFEE & TEAS

I CAN QUIT WHENEVER I WANT

(SMETTO QUANDO VOGLIO)

ICE POISON

(BING DU)

WORLD CINEMA WORLD CINEMA

Italy 2014 • 100 min

Director/Screenwriter Sydney Sibilia

Producers Domenico Procacci, Matteo Rovere Screenwriter Valerio Attanasio, Andrea Garello Cinematographer Vladan Radovic Editor Gianni Vezzosi Cast Edoardo Leo, Valerio Aprea, Pietro Sermonti, Paolo Calabresi, Libero De Rienzo Print Source 01 Distribution

FOCUS: HUMOR—IN THE JOCULAR VEIN

In Italian with English subtitles. Poor Professore Pietro can’t catch a break: His sketchy research funding sources fall through and even the wealthy students he tutors can’t be bothered to pay him for his services. All of his equally brilliant academic colleagues are scraping by at minimum-wage jobs, scamming gypsy card games, or applying for entry into local crime syndicates. After chasing down one of his delinquent students at a nightclub, he receives payment in the form of a cocktail laced with legal designer drugs. Pietro probes into the government loophole of this criminal endeavor and hatches a plan involving the unique talents of his scholarly band of post-doctoral brothers. What happens when a theoretical chemist, a macroeconomist, an anthropologist, a neurobiologist, and two Latinists walk into a bar? First-timer and director-towatch Sydney Sibilia assembles a witty, energetic script, nimbly executed by his charismatic cast, with nods to Breaking Bad and Trainspotting , yet spiked with its own signature blend of withering social satire and buongusto

—Leah LoSchiavo

Friday, Oct 3, 9:15 pm Sequoia 2

Sunday, Oct 5, 7:45 pm Rafael 2 Saturday, Oct 11, 5:30 pm Rafael 3

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE AND ITALY IN US

THE IMITATION GAME

WORLD CINEMA

US/UK 2014 • 113 min

Director Morten Tyldum Producers

Teddy Schwarzman, Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky Screenwriter Graham Moore Cinematographer Óscar Faura Editor William Goldenberg Cast Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, Allen Leech Print Source The Weinstein Company

FOCUS: THE ART OF THE SCIENCES

Benedict Cumberbatch’s magnificent incarnation of British mathematician Alan Turing is just one of the remarkable elements of director Morten Tydlum’s highly anticipated fourth feature. Based on Andrew Hodges’s biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma , The Imitation Game enacts an electrifying series of events centered around Turing’s intelligence work at Bletchley Park during World War II, as the Brits rushed to crack the top-secret German military communications code. “I think Alan Turing is hiding something,” say police as they attempt to investigate a robbery at Turing’s Manchester computing laboratory. Arriving too late, they find Professor Turing himself sweeping up cyanide, collecting bits of evidence, and mightily bothered by the intrusion. With poignant flashbacks to Turing’s formative years in Sherborne as a brilliant but outcast student, alongside stand-out performances from Keira Knightley, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, and Mark Strong, The Imitation Game is a splendid marriage of intrigue and character exploration of one of the 20th century’s most brilliant and enigmatic heroes.

—KD Davis

Saturday, Oct 4, 5:45 pm Sequoia 2 Monday, Oct 6, 4:00 pm Rafael 1

WITH SUPPORT FROM GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION

THE IMMORTALISTS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 80 min

Director/Producer/Cinematographer

David Alvarado Director/Producer Jason Sussberg Producer Kate McLean Editor

Annukka Lilja Print Source The Film Collaborative

FOCUS: THE ART OF THE SCIENCES

Benjamin Franklin may have written, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” but don’t try to convince American Bill Andrews and Brit Aubrey de Grey of that. These vanguards of the anti-aging movement may have conflicting theories about the mechanics of longevity, but their quests for a medical means to stave off death run along parallel tracks. And amidst the complicated issues of chromosome biology, nanobot technology, and the ethics of overpopulation, one question continually resurfaces: Are their efforts quixotic or prophetic? In Jason Sussberg and David Alvarado’s spellbinding film, we follow them from Oxford to Silicon Valley, to the Himalayas, and witness the rewards and setbacks of their singleminded pursuits. Surrounded by death and disease, financial hardship, and skepticism from their professional peers, Andrews and de Grey maintain an unwavering mantra: “Live forever…or die trying.”

—Sterling Hedgpeth

PRECEDED BY

ONE YEAR LEASE

US 2014 • 11 min

Director Brian Bolster

Ahhh, renting an apartment in New York City: Tiny, challenging spaces coupled with enormous rents. One Year Lease documents the travails of Brian, Thomas, and Casper as they endure a year-long sentence with Rita, the cat-loving landlady.

Friday, Oct 10, 6:15 pm Rafael 3 Saturday, Oct 11, 4:30 pm 142 Throckmorton

IMPERIAL DREAMS

US CINEMA

US 2014 • 87 min

Director/Screenwriter Malik Vitthal

Producers Katherine Fairfax Wright, Jonathan Schwartz, Andrea Sperling Screenwriter Ismet Prcic

Cinematographer Monika Lenczewska

Editor Suzanne Spangler Cast John Boyega, Rotimi Akinosho, Glenn Plummer, Keke Palmer, De’Aundre Bonds, Justin Coach, Ethan Coach Print

Source Katherine Fairfax Wright

An aspiring and gifted young writer, freshly returned to his Watts neighborhood after a two-year prison stint, dreams of better days for himself and his son in this unexpectedly hopeful depiction of inner-city life. There is no one to greet 21-year-old Bambi on the day he’s released, and his homecoming is tellingly grim: His alcoholic mother is passed out on the couch and his four-year-old, Day, plays alone in a corner. Against the odds and with criminal temptations all around—including ultimatums from his drug-dealing uncle—Bambi sets out to end this seemingly endless cycle of poverty and despair, only to butt up against incessant bureaucratic catch-22s. Writer-director Malik Vitthal forgoes gangsta-movie clichés in his tender and insightful feature debut. Its heart is the relationship between Bambi and Day, and its soul is the performance of John Boyega ( Attack the Block ), a rising star straight outta London but riveting in the slums of L.A.

—Leah LoSchiavo

Saturday, Oct 4, 5:30 pm Lark

Sunday, Oct 5, 2:00 pm Rafael 2

Wednesday, Oct 8, 11:30 am Rafael 2

IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGE THE GAP COLLEGE PREP

IN

ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE

(KRAFTIDIOTEN)

WORLD CINEMA

Norway/Sweden/Denmark 2014 • 116 min

Director Hans Petter Moland Director Hans Petter Moland Producers Finn Gjerdrum, Stein B. Kvae Screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson Cinematographer

Philip Øgaard Editor Jens Christian Fodstad Cast Stellan Skarsgård, Tobias Santelmann, Bruno Ganz, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen Print Source Paradox

FOCUS: HUMOR—IN THE JOCULAR VEIN

In Norwegian and Swedish with English subtitles. Nils Dickman (Stellan Skarsgård), a Swedish snowplow driver and pillar of his small-town Norwegian community, is a Scandinavian assimilation success story: Citizen of the Year, “but not so lucky with that name.” When tragedy strikes, Dickman is called to identify the body of his deceased son. But he isn’t buying the cause of death; he soon discovers his boy was an innocent casualty in a drug war between “The Count” (Tobias Santelmann) and a Serbian crime don ( Wings of Desire ’s Bruno Ganz). In a flash, this mild-mannered everyman starts plowing his way to the criminal responsible for the murder, one body at a time. Director Hans Petter Moland ( A Somewhat Gentle Man , MVFF 2010) gives us a Tarantino-esque landscape of vegan kingpins, closeted-homosexual henchmen, crooks with moviecharacter nicknames, a spaghetti-Western soundtrack, and some seriously black Scandinavian humor. It’s a stunning, snowfilled thriller reminding us that revenge is a dish best served cold.

—David Fear

Friday, Oct 10, 5:45 pm Rafael 2 Sunday, Oct 12, 2:45 pm Sequoia 2

IN PLAIN SIGHT

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US/India/Guana/Tibet 2013 • 57 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter/ Cinematographer/Editor Erica Jordan Print Source Pivotal Eye

Travelers routinely see Indian women carrying bricks or visit carpet-weaving “schools” for Egyptian children. These people work in plain sight, but how many realize that they could be among the 27 million-plus enslaved in the world today?

Humanitarian photographer Lisa Kristine makes it her mission to seek out and document global slavery. Director Erica Jordan follows Kristine as she negotiates her way into Sonagachi, the largest redlight district in Kolkata, India, and the subject of the Academy Award-winning Born Into Brothels (MVFF 2004). There, Kristine shoots portraits of the enslaved women while Jordan records their sessions with a hidden camera. The focus is on Kristine, but what expands its scope is her quest to keep her eyes wide open and document the world before her, in all its despair, beauty, and hope.

WORLD PREMIERE

—Frako Loden

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MAKE A STAND PRECEDED BY THE WAR PHOTOGRAPHERS

US 2013 • 28 min

Director Steven Kochones

Photojournalists who cover war zones recount their experiences revealing stories of sacrifice, courage, and the emotional toll they and their subjects endured.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH PEACE ACTION WEST

Saturday, Oct 4, 4:45 pm 142 Throckmorton

Thursday, Oct 9, 1:45 pm Sequoia 2

JACO

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2014 • 100 min

Directors Stephen Kijak, Paul Marchand

Producers John Battsek, Robert Trujillo

Cinematographer Roger de Giacomi

Editor Paul Marchand Cast Flea, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Geddy Lee, Bootsy Collins, Jaco Pastorius Print Source Passion Pictures

Special preview of a work in progress. There are few musicians who fundamentally change their instrument and fewer still who transcend their instrument altogether. Jaco Pastorius did both. His lyrical fretless bass style redefined the role of the bass in 1970s jazz music. Almost overnight, critics hailed Pastorius alongside visionaries like David Bowie, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, and Herbie Hancock. Driven by a desire to create the music he wanted to hear, Pastorius transformed himself from a poor, unknown Florida boy into an international sensation, all without any formal training. He led his fans toward the music inside him, refusing to be merely a sideman, and earned his nickname “the punk of jazz” by defiantly jumping off amplifiers and heaving his bass through the air during live performances. Now, more than 25 years since his untimely death, Jaco (produced by Metallica’s Robert Trujillo and illuminated by Flea, Joni Mitchell, Sting, and others) captures the story of his restless, indestructible spirit.

Monday, Oct 6, 6:00 pm Sequoia 1

Robert Trujillo will introduce the film as part of MVFF’s Metallica Artist in Residence screenings. See page 91.

Don’t miss the live music event, “A Musical Celebration of Jaco.” See page 93.

Tickets: $35 general | $30 CFI members

THE JUDGE

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 141 min

Director/Producer David Dobkin

Producers Susan Downey, David Gambino Screenwriters Nick Schenk, Bill Dubuque Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski Editor Mark Livolsi Cast Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Dax Shepard, Billy Bob Thornton Print Source Warner Bros.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures comes The Judge, which pairs two-time Oscar nominee Robert Downey, Jr., (Chaplin, Tropic Thunder ) and Oscar winner Robert Duvall (Tender Mercies ), starring together for the ﬁrst time on the big screen. The ﬁlm also stars Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, MVFF 2009) and Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade ), and is directed by David Dobkin. In The Judge, Downey stars as big-city defense attorney Hank Palmer, who returns to his childhood home where his estranged father, the town judge (Duvall), is suspected of murder. He sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before.

Friday, Oct 3, 6:30 pm Rafael 1 Monday, Oct 6, 4:00 pm Sequoia 2

LAGGIES

US 2014 • 100 min

Director Lynn Shelton Producers

Myles Nestel, Alix Madigan, Steve Golin, Rosalie Swedlin Screenwriter

Andrea Seigel Cinematographer Ben Kasulke Editor Nat Sanders Cast Keira Knightley, Sam Rockwell, Chloë Grace Moretz Print Source A24

FOCUS: HUMOR—IN THE JOCULAR VEIN When it comes to coming-of-age stories, Megan (Keira Knightley) is a seriously late bloomer. A poster child for late-20s aimlessness, she nevertheless unwittingly embarks on a spiritual journey, jump-started by an unwelcome marriage proposal and a run-in with carefree teenager Annika (Chloë Grace Moretz). And so begins Lynn Shelton’s very funny and perceptive exploration of what’s often lacking when you’re busy slacking. As Megan takes a weeklong respite from her life-too-ordinary with Annika and her goofy father (the always excellent Sam Rockwell), she faces tough questions amidst some playful escapism in this warm and winning character study. Leading a terrific cast, Knightley shines, proving her comedic instincts aren’t limited to period pictures, while Shelton shows great directorial confidence as she paints a skillful, hilarious contemporary portrait of how the road to self-discovery can often be the strange, scenic route.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Thursday, Oct 2, 7:30 pm Rafael 1

Opening Night tickets: $25 general | $20 CFI members

Friday, Oct 3, 3:00 pm Rafael 1

Regular price

LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN

US CINEMA

US 2014 • 104 min

Director/Screenwriter Frank Whaley

Producers Uri Singer, Fabio Golombek Cinematographer James Jones Editor Miran Miosic Cast Leighton Meester, Debra Messing, Billie Joe Armstrong, Julian Shatkin Print Source Paradigm

Eleanor (Leighton Meester), a workingclass 20-something from Oneida, is a bit down on her luck. After dumping her deadbeat musician boyfriend (Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong) by throwing his guitar out the window, she finds herself homeless, jobless, and friendless on the mean streets of Manhattan. In what may as well be an alternate universe, 12-year-old prodigy Reggie (brilliant newcomer Julian Shatkin) resides in an über-opulent Upper East Side mansion, heroically thwarting the efforts of his mother (Debra Messing) to normalize him. Seizing an opportunity, Eleanor becomes Reggie’s au pair and an unlikely friendship evolves over plates of tofu curry and lazy summer afternoons. Whaley’s film focuses on the peacefully ruminative hours these kindred spirits share, and whose relationship reaches across age, class, and social norms. Their shared musicality underscores this contemplative tale of two souls who find harmony in each other’s company.

US PREMIERE

—Leah LoSchiavo

Monday, Oct 6, 7:00 pm Rafael 1

Special screening; see page 65 for event details.

Wednesday, Oct 8, 4:15 pm Rafael 1

Thursday, Oct 9, 3:45 pm Rafael 3

Regular price

THE LITTLE HOUSE (CHIISAI OUCHI)

CINEMA

Japan 2014 • 136 min

Director Yoji Yamada Producers Hiroshi Fukasawa, Hiroyuki Saito Screenwriters Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu, based on the novel Chiisai ouchi , by Kyoko Nakajima Cinematographer Masashi Chikamori Editor Iwao Ishii Cast Takako Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Takataro Kataoka, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chieko Baisho Print Source Shochiku

In Japanese with English subtitles. While cleaning out the apartment of his deceased great aunt Taki, a young Japanese man finds her autobiography. He recalls sitting with his kindly, melancholy relative, helping her sort through various remembrances—how, in 1936, the young Taki (Haru Kuroki, who won the best actress award at the Berlin Film Festival for her performance) travels from the countryside to Tokyo, taking a job as a maid. She tends to a toy maker, his wife, and their polio-stricken son. Everything seems idyllic until rumors of war begin to circulate, and Taki ﬁnds herself caught up in the machinations of history. A veteran ﬁlmmaker responsible for the long-running Tora-san series, Yoji Yamada (Tokyo Family, MVFF 2013) delivers the sort of traditional shomin-geki (family drama) that Shochiku used to produce by the pound during Japanese cinema’s golden age. It’s a look back at a tempestuous period in the country’s notso-distant past that manages to be nostalgic and bittersweet in equal measure. —David Fear

Friday, Oct 3, 6:00 pm Rafael 3 Saturday, Oct 4, 11:00 am Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA

LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED

CINEMA

Spain 2013 • 108 min

Director/Screenwriter David Trueba Producer Fernando Trueba Cinematographer Daniel Vilar Editor Marta Velasco Cast Javier Cámara, Natalia de Molina, Francesc Colomer Print Source Outsider Pictures

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! In Spanish with English subtitles. In the mid-’60s, Antonio (the wonderful Javier Cámara) teaches English in a small Spanish school—by using Beatles lyrics. When he discovers that John Lennon is to film a movie (Richard Lester’s How I Won the War ) in Almería, he sets out to meet him. On the way, he picks up a couple of hitchhikers: Belén, a young woman who’s pregnant, and Juanja, a teenage runaway whose overbearing dad criticized his Beatles haircut one too many times. The perennially upbeat (though somewhat socially isolated) Antonio leads our motley trio down the long and winding road to the village near the fi lm set. Despite setbacks, Antonio remains undaunted. He manages to sneak into a screening of the movie’s dailies at the village cinema, catching a glimpse of his hero and inspiring him to continue his quest. David Trueba’s story of a nowhere man in search of his hero is a complete audience-pleaser: charming, whimsical—and a defi nite ticket to ride.

—Zoë Elton

Thursday, Oct 9, 8:00 pm Sequoia 1 Friday, Oct 10, 12:45 pm Rafael 1

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SPAIN

IN ASSOCIATION WITH LATINO COUNCIL AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

DOWN

LUCKY STIFF

US 2014 • 114 min

Director Jeff Preiss Producers Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, Mindy Goldberg Screenwriters Topper Lilien, Amy Albany Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt Editor Michael Saia Cast Elle Fanning, John Hawkes, Glenn Close, Flea, Peter Dinklage, Taryn Manning Print Source Oscilloscope

SPOTLIGHT: ELLE FANNING Young AmyJo is growing up in a vivid world full of music and love in 1970s Los Angeles. She adores her father, the gifted jazz pianist Joe Albany, and he clearly dotes on her. But he’s also an addict fighting his own demons, often sending Amy-Jo to stay with her grandmother. The sublime John Hawkes (MVFF 2012 Spotlight) embodies Joe’s charisma and flaws. Elle Fanning is a revelation as Amy-Jo, first as a 12-year-old with knowledge beyond her years, and, later, as a teenager swept up in her first romantic love just as her first true love, her father, re-enters her world. Glenn Close (MVFF 2011 Tributee) rounds out the spot-on casting, playing Amy-Jo’s grandmother and the rock of the family. Director Jeff Preiss knows jazz—he edited Let’s Get Lost , Bruce Weber’s influential documentary on Chet Baker, and was a longtime fan of Albany’s music—and his production choices immerse us in the ever-changing rhythms of the music and Amy-Jo’s story.

—Laura Henneman

Saturday, Oct 4, 7:00 pm Rafael 1

See page 37 for complete Spotlight event details and pricing.

Thursday, Oct 9, 2:15 pm Sequoia 1

Regular price.

MAGICIAN

US 2013 • 78 min

Director Christopher Ashley

Producers Victor Syrmis, J. Todd

Harris Screenwriter Lynn Ahrens

Cinematographer Gregory Gardiner

Editors Trudy Ship, Jeremiah O’Driscoll, Annette Davey Cast Dominic Marsh, Nikki M. James, Dennis Farina, Pamela Shaw, Jason Alexander

Print Source Light Iron

FOCUS: HUMOR—IN THE JOCULAR VEIN

A sad-sack London shoe salesman’s drab, kitchen-sink-drama existence bursts into a Technicolor musical when an uncle he never knew leaves him a fortune—on the condition that he fulfill the terms of the will during a fun-filled week in Monte Carlo. Meek Harry (Dominic Marsh) travels to Monaco, but he’s not alone. Annabel (Nikki M. James), a representative of the will’s alternate beneficiary; the dead man’s brash mistress Rita (Pamela Shaw); and her browbeaten brother Vinnie (Jason Alexander) all hope to claim the inheritance. An animated title sequence by Emily Hubley sets the retro mood of this effervescent, 1970s-set variation on Weekend at Bernie’s that blends screwball comedy, exuberant production numbers, tender romance, and cartoon fantasy— not to mention a quasi-Greek chorus of drag queens. Breezy, funny, and as glamorous as its Riviera setting, Lucky Stiff also stars Broadway’s Cheyenne Jackson as a charismatic nightclub emcee and the late Dennis Farina (in his final role) as Harry’s enigmatic new friend Luigi.

—Pam Grady

Wednesday, Oct 8, 8:15 pm Rafael 2 Friday, Oct 10, 11:30 am Sequoia 1

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN

MINUSCULE: VALLEY OF THE LOST ANTS (MINUSCULE: LA VALLÉE DES FOURMIS PERDUES)

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST US CINEMA

US 2014 • 116 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Jason Reitman Producer Helen Estabrook

Screenwriters Erin Cressida Wilson, based on work by Charles Kultgen Cinematographer Eric Steelberg Editor Dana E. Glauberman Cast Judy Greer, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Emma Thompson, Ansel Elgort Print Source Paramount Pictures

OPENING NIGHT FILM Men, Women & Children follows the story of a group of teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-images, and their love lives. The film attempts to stare down social issues such as video game culture, anorexia, infidelity, fame hunting, and the proliferation of illicit material on the internet. As each character and each relationship is tested, we are shown the variety of roads people choose—some tragic, some hopeful—and it becomes clear that no one is immune to this enormous social change that has come through our phones, our tablets, and our computers.

Thursday, Oct 2, 7:00 pm CCM

See page 33 for complete Opening Night Gala details and pricing.

MOMMY

WORLD CINEMA

Canada 2014 • 140 min

Director/Screenwriter/Producer/Editor

Xavier Dolan Producer Nancy Grant

Cinematographer André Turpin Cast

Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Suzanne Clément Print Source Roadside Attractions

In French and English with English subtitles. When Xavier Dolan won the Jury Prize at Cannes for Mommy, he told jury president Jane Campion that seeing The Piano as a teenager inspired him to write roles for women, “beautiful women with soul, will and strength, not victims.” With Anne Dorval in his film’s title role, he does just that. Dorval’s Die is a self-assured force of nature, as she navigates her relationship with her punchy, mercurial, out-of-control, ADHD-addled teenage son, Steve, who’s just returned from a special care facility. Antoine-Olivier Pilon’s Steve is a matching force, alternately provocative and seductive in his relationship with Die and with Kyla (Suzanne Clément), the mousy, introverted teacher-neighbor who becomes the third in this rambunctious ménage. Confident and completely original, Xavier Dolan’s fifth feature (at the ripe age of 25) confirms his exceptional talents. It’s an audacious, visually compelling film driven by extraordinary performances and his incredible artistry.

—Zoë Elton

Saturday, Oct 11, 1:30 pm Rafael 1 Sunday, Oct 12, 11:00 am Sequoia 2

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF QUÉBEC

MR. TURNER

NATURAL SCIENCES

(CIENCIAS NATURALES)

WORLD CINEMA WORLD CINEMA

UK 2014 • 149 min

Director/Screenwriter Mike Leigh

Producer Georgina Lowe

Cinematographer Dick Pope Editor Jon Gregory Cast Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Lesley Manville, Martin Savage Print

Source Sony Pictures Classics

Mr. Turner is a magnificent achievement, with Mike Leigh at his masterful best in this rich portrait of the great British artist, brilliantly embodied by Timothy Spall. Living with his father, J.M.W. Turner is a compelling figure, supremely confident in his extraordinary talents and success, a tetchy eccentric whose blustery, jowly sputterings bring “harrumph” to new heights. Resolutely single, he mostly subordinates the women in his life to his career, though in his later-life mistress (Marion Bailey) he finds a moving tenderness. Leigh’s brilliance also shines in small moments that add insightful texture and emotional richness to the landscape of his film. For instance, in a terse greeting (“Turner.” “Constable.”), we get a complete picture of the history of these famously feuding rivals of the Royal Academy. Filmed in a way that illuminates the artistry of its subject—and with cinematography that offers the possibility of seeing the world through new eyes— Mr. Turner is like a collaboration through time, each participant a genius in his own right.

—Zoë Elton

Friday, Oct 3, 5:45 pm Sequoia 2

Wednesday, Oct 8, 6:30 pm Sequoia 2

SPONSORED BY MAROEVICH, O’SHEA & COGHLAN INSURANCE, INC.

Argentina 2014 • 71 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Matías Lucchesi Screenwriter Gonzalo Salaya

Cinematographer Sebastian Ferrero

Editor Delfina Castagnino Cast Paula Hertzog, Paola Barrientos, Alvin Astorga, Arturo Goetz, Sergio Boris, Vanesa Wainber, Eugenia Alonso Print

Source Urban Distribution International

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! In Spanish with English subtitles. A strong-willed girl reaches a pivotal moment in her life when she overhears a small detail hinting at the identity of the father she’s never known and sets her mind on finding him. Writer-director Matías Lucchesi’s feature debut—winner of the Generation Kplus Grand Prix at this year’s Berlin Film Festival—sets 12-year-old Lila’s quest against a stunning landscape of frozen Argentine mountains and reticent adults who prefer that she stop asking questions and raising the past. In a compelling performance, Paula Hertzog ( The Prize , MVFF 2011) inhabits Lila with a quiet ferocity, capturing that familiar balance of preteen irritability and tender emotional yearning. As the quest shifts from a failed runaway attempt on horseback to a tense road trip in the company of a sympathetic teacher, Lila’s resolve remains unbroken. But, as on all journeys of self-discovery, the path takes some unexpected turns and ultimately leaves Lila with a hopeful new sense of direction.

—Deanna Quinones

Sunday, Oct 5, 7:30 pm 142 Throckmorton

Friday, Oct 10, 1:30 pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH LATINO COUNCIL AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

NUOC 2030

WORLD CINEMA

Vietnam 2014 • 98 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter NghiemMinh Nguyen Vo Producers Dang Tam Chanh, Nguyen The Thanh Producer/ Cinematographer Bao Nguyen Editor

Julie Béziau Cast Sao Quynh Hoa, Giang Quy Binh, Thi Thach Kim Long, They Hoang Tran Minh Duc, Thanh Hoang Phi Print Source Premium Films

In Vietnamese with English subtitles. Scientists say that the earth is experiencing a global-warming hiatus due to the oceans’ ability to absorb heat. But warming will resume in 2030, so we should heed the warnings of Nuoc 2030 ( Water 2030 ), a ravishingly beautiful film that blends elements of romance, murder mystery, and vengeance tale to dramatize the Mekong Delta’s impending environmental nightmare. In a near-future southern Vietnam, where rising waters have displaced 80 percent of the people, and vegetables are scarce, the remaining citizens live on houseboats and catch what fish are left. The secretive Dai Thanh Corporation operates a floating farm nearby, using desalination and solar power and—it’s rumored—methods more ominous. When her husband is found dead, young widow Sao gets a job at the farm so she can find his killer. The dramatic human consequences of climate change are given a sensuous and lyrically elegant treatment by Nghiem-Minh, a Vietnamese American who was a physicist before embarking on his filmmaking career. US PREMIERE

—Frako Loden

Thursday, Oct 9, 6:45 pm Rafael 3 Friday, Oct 10, 9:00 pm Sequoia 1

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA

THE PATENT WARS ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL

(SUR LE CHEMIN DE L’ECOLE)

WORLD CINEMA

France 2013 • 77 min

Director/Screenwriter Pascal Plisson

Producer Barthelemy Fougea

Screenwriter Marie-Claude Javoy

Cinematographer Simon Watel Editors

Sylvie Lager, Sarah Anderson Print

Source Distrib Films

In Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, and Swahili with English subtitles. Many classic films, such as The 400 Blows and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, celebrate the Western concept of— and the glee kids find in—playing hooky. Pascal Plisson’s 2014 César winner, par contre , extols the true value and worth of getting, and getting to, an education. Epically structured and stunningly shot in Kenya, Patagonia, Morocco, and the Bay of Bengal, the film follows the perilous journeys of four children on their ways to school: Jackson crosses the savannah on foot, avoiding dangerous elephants; Carlito rides on horseback across lonely plains and rushing rivers; Zahira treks over treacherous Atlas Mountain passes; Samuel, in his antediluvian wheelchair, is pushed by his brothers over sand dunes and through swamps. While the breathtaking cinematography reveals the splendor of their homelands, and the dangers of these voyages keep you on the edge of your seat, at the heart of this unforgettable film is the children’s resilience and their unstoppable yearning to learn and improve their lives.

—Laura Costantino

Sunday, Oct 5, 11:30 am Rafael 1 Monday, Oct 6, 9:00 pm Rafael 2

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY

PATRICK’S DAY

WORLD CINEMA

Ireland 2014 • 97 min

Director/Screenwriter Terry McMahon

Producer Tim Palmer Cinematographer Michael Lavelle Editor Emer Reynolds Cast Moe Dunford, Kerry Fox, Philip Jackson, Catherine Walker Print Source Ignition Film

Superior performances from leads Moe Dunford, Kerry Fox ( Friends , MVFF 1993, Fanny and Elvis , MVFF 1999), and Catherine Walker infuse Terry McMahon’s second feature with a keen empathy for all facets of an off-kilter love triangle. Patrick and Maura, his mother, celebrate his 26th birthday in their annual ritual, an outing to the St. Paddy’s Day parade. After the two get separated in the holiday melee, Patrick’s chance encounter with Karen, a flight attendant who’s made an irrevocable decision about her life, takes off over a slow dissolve of drinks, laughs, and hotel room keys. The guileless Patrick is not only a virgin, but also a schizophrenic, and their one-night interlude—for him, anyway—becomes an epic love affair that his controlling mother will do anything to derail. Ultimately, everyone grapples with their own demons in Terry McMahon’s powerful exploration of the need for love and the desire for control.

—Leah LoSchiavo

Sunday, Oct 5, 8:00 pm Sequoia 1

Tuesday, Oct 7, 8:00 pm Rafael 2

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE IRISH FILM FESTIVAL

PLASTIC MAN: THE ARTFUL LIFE OF JERRY ROSS BARRISH

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

Director/Cinematographer William Farley Producer Janis Plotkin

Screenwriter Adam Keker Editor Richard Levien Print Source Janis Plotkin

Jerry Ross Barrish’s tale is one of metamorphoses: First an activist bail bondsman in 1960s San Francisco, then an indie filmmaker, he now shapes society’s detritus into figures alive with feeling. “Don’t perish in jail—Call Barrish for bail!”was a mantra for the student activists and civil rights protesters whose release would be secured by the successful young bondsman-with-a-conscience, but his life would change dramatically while walking on a beach. Seeing images in the plastic that had washed up, he began fashioning hundreds of sculptures from it, leading critics to hail Barrish as a junk-artist magician. His story—teeming with prizefighters, gangsters, and other larger-than-life characters ranging from Willie Brown to Wim Wenders—is captured in this brilliantly photographed documentary. Plastic Man probes success, 20thcentury art, dyslexia, and the struggle to find oneself through the lens of Barrish’s own Jewish-working-class past, and ends with a monumental art commission. WORLD PREMIERE

—Tim Sika

PRECEDED BY BRICOLAGE

US 2013 • 5 min

Director Michael Schwartz

Artist and best-selling author Keri Smith (Wreck This Journal ) poses the question: “How can we care about something if we don’t notice it?” And then she invites the camera to explore the world she creates for her readers.

Sunday, Oct 5, 2:30 pm Sequoia 1

Wednesday, Oct 8, 5:30 pm Rafael 2

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE

RACING TO ZERO: IN PURSUIT OF ZERO WASTE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2014 • 59 min

Director/Cinematographer Christopher Beaver Producer Diana Fuller Editors

Maureen Gosling, Kyung Lee Print Source Trash 24

For 20 years, San Francisco’s Department of the Environment has been working toward zero waste and now recycles, composts, and reuses 80 percent of its garbage—but the race to eradicate trash continues, and this rousing ﬁlm exhorts us to join in. Follow along as the city’s food scraps are taken to Sonoma County farms, where they are composted into the rich soil that grows the crops that feed us all. Find out how glass bottle recycling stays local and forms a closed-loop cycle by addressing garbage at its source. Zero-waste experts show how far we’ve come in managing our resources, from medications and electronics to clothing and building materials. Even turning rubbish into art, these innovators zero in on new possibilities for greater sustainability. WORLD PREMIERE —Carol Harada

IN ASSOCIATION WITH BIONEERS

PRECEDED BY THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS: FROM ITHACA TO THE AMAZON US/Estonia/India/Indonesia/Peru/Russia/ South Africa 2014 • 27 min

Directors John Antonelli, Tom Dusenbery, Will Parrinello Narration Robert Redford

These environmental heroes put themselves in harm’s way building strong grassroots support in the face of intimidating adversaries.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE

Saturday, Oct 4, 2:00 pm Rafael 2

Monday, Oct 6, 7:30 pm 142 Throckmorton

Wednesday, Oct 8, 2:30 pm Rafael 2

SOLEILS

WORLD CINEMA

France/Burkina Faso 2014 • 96 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Olivier Delahaye Director Dani Kouyaté Cinematographer Dominique Colin Editor Linda Attab Cast Binda Ngazolo, Nina Mélo, Barbara Hendricks (voice), Serge Avedikian, Issaka Sawadogo, Ildevert Medah Print Source Odelion

In French with English subtitles. Part road trip through time, part heroine’s journey through memory, Soleils is a beautifully rendered meditation on the wisdom of Africa, as a young woman is initiated into the roots and legacy of her heritage. Dokamisa has lost her memory and her dreams; her grandfather summons his trusted friend Sotigui (the charismatic Binda Ngazolo) to save her. Embarking on an epic journey from the 13th-century Mandingo Empire to now, they encounter iconic thinkers—Voltaire, Hegel, Suﬁ mystic Tierno Bokar, Mandela—and their disparate viewpoints on the continent. Afro-European collaborators Dani Kouyaté (Sia, the Dream of the Python , MVFF 2001) and Olivier Delahaye’s magical-realist mystery tour is a wise, inventive, witty journey that turns the tables on historically Eurocentric “explorer” stories. It’s a long walk to freedom, but with Sotigui as our guide and griot, and Dokamisa embodying our hope in the future, we are in great hands. As a special treat, “A Long Walk to Freedom,” the music video of Barbara Hendricks’s inspiring rendition of a gospel song specially written for Soleils , will precede the screening. US PREMIERE —Zoë Elton

Saturday, Oct 11, 5:00 pm Sequoia 2 Sunday, Oct 12, 5:15 pm Rafael 2

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE INSTITUT FRANÇAIS, THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO, AND THE FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

SOUL OF A BANQUET

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2014 • 78 min

Director/Producer Wayne Wang

Producer Jonathan Bing Producer/ Cinematographer/Editor Richard Wong

Cast Cecilia Chiang, Alice Waters Print Source Oscilloscope

SPECIAL SCREENING From director Wayne Wang comes this mesmerizing, moving homage to Cecilia Chiang, the celebrity chef who changed the face of Chinese food and culture in the Bay Area. In 1961, Chiang opened San Francisco’s world-famous Mandarin Restaurant, and a culinary star was born. Her unlikely journey from Beijing to San Francisco is brought to life as Wang (Chan Is Missing , The Joy Luck Club ) goes beyond the secret spices and confidential kitchen talk to delve deep into the soul of this amazing, worldly woman. Centered around an absorbing, emotional interview with Chiang herself and sprinkled with colorful insights from Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl, Soul of a Banquet brings to the table a unique San Francisco success story while illuminating the reality of an immigrant finding a new home. Foodies and fans of Bay Area culture will find plenty to enjoy in this poignant celebration of life, family, and the perfect preparation of “beggar’s chicken.”

—Brendan Peterson

Sunday, Oct 5, 5:00 pm Rafael 1

Special screening honoring Wayne Wang and Cecilia Chiang. See page 43 for complete event details and pricing.

Tuesday, Oct 7, 2:15 pm Sequoia 1 Regular price.

STAR WARS: EPISODE V— THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

US CINEMA

US 1980 • 127 min

Director Irvin Kershner Producers James Bloom, Gary Kurtz, George Lucas, Robert Watts Screenwriters Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, story by George Lucas Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky Editor Paul Hirsch Cast Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams Print Source Lucasfilm Ltd.

As we count down to Episode VII , dust off your lightsaber, channel your inner Jedi, and come join us at MVFF’s favorite family night out as we celebrate Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen—as it was meant to be seen!

“It is a dark time for the Rebellion.” More than three decades later, these words still ring with delicious, ominous anticipation, promising exactly what they did when we first read them: the best sequel of all time to the most revolutionary sci-fi film in history, George Lucas’s Star Wars . Han and Leia kiss! Luke and Leia kiss! Yoda is wise! Boba Fett is cool! R2 fixes the hyperdrive! Luke discovers that Darth Vader—wait! Everyone raise your still-attached hand: Who hasn’t seen it? Okay, okay, no spoilers. This special screening of Empire is meant for people of all ages and friends from all galaxies.

—Jeff Campbell

Monday, Oct 6, 5:00 pm CCM Monday, Oct 6, 8:30 pm CCM

Tickets: $15 general | $14 CFI members | $10 children

Join us for a Festival Star Wars tradition. Costume parade! Prizes! Special guests! See page 79 for details.

SPONSORED BY GHILOTTI CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

STATES OF GRACE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2014 • 75 min

Directors/Producers Helen S. Cohen, Mark Lipman Cinematographer Mark Lipman Editor Kenji Yamamoto Print Source Open Studio Productions LLC

The profound transformation of a Bay Area family fuels this stirring, heartfelt story of resilience and the power of second chances. For Dr. Grace Dammann, a pioneering San Francisco AIDS specialist, a routine drive across the Golden Gate Bridge turned tragic when she was in a head-on collision. After a 48-day-long coma and nine surgeries, Grace was left with a body that would never be the same. Surrounded by doctors, family, and friends, Grace returned home to Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in Muir Beach, where she and her partner Fu Schroeder pieced together a new life with their daughter, Sabrina. Poetic, beautifully shot, and emotionally charged, this documentary combines interviews and up-close-and-personal footage to capture the complex family dynamics created when rules and relationships are turned upside down. Helen Cohen and Mark Lipman delicately document the pain and power of one woman’s ﬁ ght to reinvent herself while illuminating the fragility and splendor of family connections and life on earth. WORLD PREMIERE

—Brendan Peterson

PRECEDED BY

IN MEMORY: A LOVE POEM FROM A SON TO HIS MOTHER

US 2014 • 7 min

Director Sean Mirkovich

An intimate and expressionistic look at the effects Alzheimer’s disease has on people, whether they have the disease or are a caregiver to someone who has it.

Sunday, Oct 5, 5:15 pm Sequoia 1

Tuesday, Oct 7, 2:00 pm Rafael 1

Thursday, Oct 9, 11:30 am Sequoia 1

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO ZEN CENTER, MARIN INTERFAITH COUNCIL AND SPEAK TO ME

STOCKHOLM

WORLD CINEMA

Spain 2013 • 90 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Rodrigo Sorogoyen Producers Borja Soler, Maria Jesús del Amo, Eduardo Villanueva, Alberto del Campo Screenwriter Isabel Peña Cinematographer Álex de Pablo Editor Alberto del Campo Cast Aura Garrido, Javier Pereira Print Source Outsider Pictures

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! In Spanish with English subtitles. Moonlit Madrid is the backdrop to this confident, genre-defying film, which starts with that most recognizable of movie tropes: Boy and girl meet cute at a friend’s party. Zeroing in on the charismatic Él and the moody Ella, director–co-writer Rodrigo Sorogoyen slowly chips away at expectations as we follow the couple on a meandering stroll through the city. Trading their thoughts about love, secrets, and desire, Él and Ella cautiously peel back the layers of artifice and reveal their true selves. But is that what they’re really doing? Lest anyone expect a Spanish version of dialogue-driven Before Sunrise , Sorogoyen has surprises in store for his characters— and his audience—as the pervasive melancholy of the first act contorts into menace and confusion in the second. Notable for its stylish minimalism, engrossing performances, and the cult status it has achieved in its native country, Stockholm takes us hostage and doesn’t let go. US PREMIERE —Atissa Manshouri

Thursday, Oct 9, 6:00 pm Rafael 2 Saturday, Oct 11, 5:30 pm Lark

WITH SUPPORT FROM SPAIN ARTS & CULTURE AND THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SPAIN IN SAN FRANCISCO

IN ASSOCIATION WITH LATINO COUNCIL, AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SUMMER ‘82: WHEN ZAPPA CAME TO SICILY

THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA

(KAGUYA-HIME NO MONOGATARI)

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

VALLEY OF THE DOCS WORLD CINEMA WORLD CINEMA

Italy (Sicily) 2013 • 80 min

Director Salvo Cuccia Producers Eleonora Cordaro, Abra&Cadabra, Zappa Family Trust Screenwriters Salvo Cuccia, Sarah Kass Cinematographers Clarissa Cappellani, Jim Iacona Editor Benni Atria Cast Frank Zappa, Gail Zappa, Diva Zappa, Moon Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, Massimo Bassoli, Steve Vai Print Source Abra&Cadabra

In English and Italian with English subtitles. July 14, 1982, was a tumultuous day in Palermo. Not only was the Sicilian city in the throes of a mafia war, the ecstasy of the Feast of Santa Rosalita, and the mania of soccer’s World Cup, but Frank Zappa had just arrived for his final European performance. As 20,000 fans gathered in a stadium to witness their hero in the fl esh, filmmaker Salvo Cuccia—then a 20-year-old Zappa zealot—was en route to the concert. Little did he or Zappa know that this show was to prove a pivotal event for them both. Cuccia’s lovingly assembled film is a celebration of Zappa’s mind-boggling talent and a multigenerational family saga that delves deep into The Man from Utopia’s Italian ancestry. With a Zappaesque blend of electrifying concert footage, Super-8 home movies, colorful claymation, and candid interviews with Frank’s widow, their children, and longtime friend and irrepressible nose-picker Massimo Bassoli, Cuccia champions the rock-‘n’-roll satirist as an enduring icon of freaky freedom.

—Steven Jenkins

PRECEDED BY ORIGINS

U.S. 2014 • 9 min

Director Will Parrinello

Wavy Gravy, Ram Dass, Jackson Browne, and others explore the origins of the Seva Foundation.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEVA FOUNDATION

Sunday, Oct 5, 4:45 pm Sequoia 2 Tuesday, Oct 7, 4:45 pm Rafael 1

Japan 2013 • 137 min

Director/Screenwriter Isao Takahata

Producers Yoshiaki Nishimura, Seiichiro

Ujiie Screenwriter Riko Sakaguchi

Cinematographer Keisuke Nakamura

Cast Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata, Print Source GKids

In Japanese with English subtitles. The revered Studio Ghibli retells one of the oldest of Japanese legends. An elderly bamboo cutter discovers a tiny child growing out of a shining bamboo shoot. He carries her home, even as she begins to magically grow in his hand, and, along with his wife, adopts her. When another bamboo shoot starts gushing with gold and silks, the woodsman becomes convinced their beautiful “Princess” daughter is destined for a grander existence and uproots the family to an opulent life in the city. But her background is more magical than even the princess herself suspects. In a stunning style that is at once evocative of the woodblock prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige and the broad brushstrokes of animators John and Faith Hubley, director Isao Takahata—in his last film before retirement—paints a perfectly elliptical ending of love and loss.

—John Morrison

Sunday, Oct 5, 1:00 pm Lark

Thursday, Oct 9, 11:00 am Rafael 2

SPONSORED BY COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER OF MARIN

UK/US 2014 • 123 min

Director James Marsh Producers Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce

Producer/Screenwriter Anthony McCarten Cinematographer Benoît Delhomme Editor Jinx Godfrey Cast Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis Print Source Focus Features

SPOTLIGHT: EDDIE REDMAYNE FOCUS: THE ART OF THE SCIENCES The young Stephen Hawking’s (Eddie Redmayne) future looks limitless, his brilliant mind ensuring his success as a cosmologist, while his relationship with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) promises a fulfilling personal life—then tragedy strikes when he is diagnosed at age 21 with a motor neuron disease. A romantic drama, as well as a biopic of one of the towering minds of our time, this adaptation of Jane Hawking’s memoir, Traveling to Inﬁ nity: My Life with Stephen , charts Hawking’s progression from awkward youth with an intimidating intellect to a fighter who refuses to surrender after he is given two years to live. His illness inspires him to embark on his career-defining study of the nature of time, and, in defiance of the death sentence handed him, he marries Jane. Redmayne ( My Week with Marilyn , MVFF 2011) gives one of the finest performances of his career, fully inhabiting the character and undergoing a startling physical transformation in a touching tale of love and science.

—Pam Grady

Thursday, Oct 9, 7:00 pm Rafael 1

See page 53 for complete Spotlight event details and pricing.

TIMBUKTU

WORLD CINEMA

France/Mauritania 2014 • 97 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter

Abderrahmane Sissako Screenwriter Kessen Tall Cinematographer Sofian El Fani Editor Nadia Ben Rachid Cast Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara, Hichem Yacoubi, Kettly Noël Print Source Cohen Media Group

In Arabic, Bambara, French, English, Songhay and Tamasheq with English subtitles. A cri de coeur from Timbuktu to here, director–co-writer Sissako’s vibrant, graceful fi lm depicts a community and family fraying and fracturing—though also fi nding moments of joy and fun—under forced occupation. Set during the jihadist takeover of northern Mali in 2012, the story focuses on the mild-mannered herdsman Kidane, who runs afoul of the rebels when his beloved cow, affectionately named “GPS,” goes astray. But everyone suffers as standard village modes of restitution and punishment clash with the stricter edicts and gun-crazy bullying of the jihadis. While Timbuktu has the piercing tragedy of Kidane and his loving family at its heart, there is humor and ingenuity in its portrait of other villagers’ small rebellions: a fi shmonger’s refusal to wear gloves, a trio singing forbidden music, young men playing soccer with an imaginary ball. Forced to shoot in neighboring Mauritania due to unsafe conditions in Mali, Sissako ( Bamako ; Life on Earth , MVFF 1998) remains deeply committed to portraying the plight and fortitude of his people with a kaleidoscopic and singularly humane vision.

—Rod Armstrong

Sunday, Oct 5, 1:45 pm Rafael 1 Monday, Oct 6, 3:00 pm Sequoia 1

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO, THE FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY, AND THE INSTITUT FRANÇAIS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

LA TIRISIA

(PERPETUAL SADNESS)

WORLD CINEMA

Mexico 2014 • 111 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter/ Cinematographer Jorge Pérez Solano

Producer César Gutiérrez Miranda

Editor Francisco X. Rivera Cast Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Adriana Paz, Noé Hernández, Gabriela Carto, Mercedes Hernández, Alfredo Herrera Print

Source Media Luna New Films

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! In Spanish with English subtitles. Spare and poetic, this visually arresting feature depicts two women concerned about their impending childbirths, while also presenting a complex and fi nely detailed portrait of a rural town in southwestern Mexico. Both Cheba and Ángeles are right to be confl icted about their pregnancies, and the reasons why unspool very carefully in the course of the fi lm. Above all, though, director Jorge Pérez Solano is interested in a holistic, bordering on mythological, portrayal of a community where cacti loom like sentinels, women hang their children’s umbilical cords from trees, and opportunistic politicians don’t even bother to get out of the car when cruising through on campaign stops. The Spanish-language title refers to a sadness of the soul, refl ected particularly by its two main characters but also by the generally oppressive nature of being poor and forgotten. Magnifi cently shot by César Gutiérrez Miranda, La Tirisia features a passel of memorable characters trying to grope their way out of despondency and into something—anything—better.

US PREMIERE

—Rod Armstrong

Saturday, Oct 11, 7:45 pm Rafael 2 Sunday, Oct 12, 2:30 pm 142 Throckmorton

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF MEXICO

IN ASSOCIATION WITH LATINO COUNCIL AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

TU DORS NICOLE

WORLD CINEMA

Canada 2014 • 93 min

Director/Screenwriter Stéphane Lafleur

Producers Luc Dery, Kim McCraw Cinematographer Sara Mishara Editor Sophie Leblond Cast Julianne Côté, Catherine St-Laurent, Marc-André Grondin, Francis La Haye, Simon Larouche, Godefroy Reding Print

Source Seville International

In French with English subtitles. Twenty-twoyear-old Nicole is having trouble sleeping, even before her brother moves his groupe de rock-‘n’-roll into the living room. It’s a sweltering summer and she is still living at home, while her peers pass her by on the path to adulthood. Even Nicole’s 10-year-old charge Martin seems her philosophical senior, with his delightfully bizarre baritone disquisitions on life and declarations of his love—“Do what you want, I will wait for you!” Nicole isn’t sure what she wants, but, when push comes to shove, is spurred into action and makes her own defiant statement. Julianne Côté is exquisite as the amiable, aimless Nicole, capturing that moment when a young person realizes coming of age can be a bit of a comedown. Writer-director Stéphane Lafleur’s spot-on script, excellent use of music, and velvety black and white textures contribute to a cheerfully dreamlike, understated film that, as its title hints, is destined to be a sleeper hit. —Laura Henneman

PRECEDED BY MADAM ARMANDE

Canada 2014 • 2 min

Directors Laurence Christen, Frédérique Dallaire, Catherine Picard, Alexandra Thibault

In French with English subtitles. A poetic essay on dance, gallantry, and Alzheimer’s.

Friday, Oct 10, 3:45 pm Rafael 1 Saturday, Oct 11, 8:45 pm Sequoia 1

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF QUÉBEC AND SPEAK TO ME

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (DEUX JOURS, UNE NUIT)

WORLD CINEMA

Belgium/France/Italy 2014 • 95 min

Directors/Producers/Screenwriters

Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Producer Denis Freyd Cinematographer

Alain Marcoen Editor Marie-Hélène

Dozo Cast Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Pili Groyne, Simon Caudry, Catherine Salée, Baptiste Sornin, Alain Eloy Print Source Sundance Selects

In Arabic and French with English subtitles. Marion Cotillard gives a transcendent performance in this heart-wrenching drama of the working class from Belgium’s Dardenne brothers. Following an absence from work due to a mental breakdown, Sandra returns to a small solar-panel factory, only to discover that her job has been eliminated and a substantial bonus promised to the remaining employees. Her husband Manu (Fabrizio Rongione) offers emotional sustenance, but Sandra worries that his modest job alone won’t support their two children. The only chance she has to salvage her position is to spend a weekend tracking down enough coworkers willing to vote her back—and give up their bonuses. Fighting despair and popping too many antidepressants, Sandra embarks on this seemingly impossible two-day quest, with every encounter implicitly revealing the vulnerability of workers on the fringes of today’s economy. Cotillard’s brave and unglamorous portrayal perfectly complements the Dardennes’ realism in a story filled with human compassion and lifted by little spiritual triumphs. —Richard Peterson

Saturday, Oct 11, 5:45 pm Sequoia 1 Sunday, Oct 12, 2:00 pm Rafael 1

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY

UNCERTAIN TERMS

THE WEDDING CONTRACT: A BALINESE LOVE STORY

VALLEY OF THE DOCS US CINEMA

US 2014 • 71 min

Director/Screenwriter Nathan Silver

Producer/Screenwriter Chloe Domont

Producers Josh Mandel, Richard Peete

Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor

Cody Stokes Cast David Dahlbom, India Menuez, Cindy Silver, Tallie Medel, Hannah Gross, Gina Piersanti, Caitlin Mehner, Adinah Dancyger, Casey Drogin, Nathan Silver Print Source Konec

A quiet rebellion is simmering at Aunt Carla’s home for pregnant teens. His marriage disintegrating, handsome Robbie flees Brooklyn and an unfaithful wife for his aunt’s wooded upstate retreat. There he does odd jobs, ignores his wife’s phone calls, shares ill-advised cigarettes, and stirs up longing in—and intense rivalry among—the wayward girls. Stripping down a typically salacious subject, director Nathan Silver exposes the far more intimate complexities of human attraction, while deft camerawork and naturalistic performances capture the tangled dynamics of this once peaceful refuge. In the midst of all the fervor, Silver’s own mother provides the earthy, pragmatic center of the film as Aunt Carla, in a part inspired by her real-life experiences. Confidently traversing its rocky terrain, Uncertain Terms embraces life’s imperfect variety and emboldens the heart to find its home.

—Leah LoSchiavo

PRECEDED BY SURE THING

US 2014 • 12 min

Director Deborah Reinisch

When a guy approaches a girl and makes an overture, her response sets the encounter off in a different direction—time and time again—in this loopy, looping experiment in first impressions.

Friday, Oct 3, 9:15 pm Rafael 2 Sunday, Oct 5, 11:45 am Sequoia 1 Monday, Oct 6, 12:15 pm Sequoia 1

Indonesia/US 2013 • 92 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter/ Cinematographer/Editor David Dawkins

Producers D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus Print Source David Dawkins

In English and Balinese with English subtitles. A rollicking, cross-cultural Romeoand-Juliet story without the tragedy, The Wedding Contract chronicles filmmaker David Dawkins’s decades-long love affair with his Balinese wife—and the life and customs of Bali itself. Dawkins has been living in a Balinese village for several years. His neighbors affectionately refer to him by their word for “drifting,” since that’s how they regard his footloose existence. After a two-year romance with Mariyati, from a neighboring town, he finally appears ready to commit. But when his efforts to win her father’s approval are rejected, Dawkins’s own village rallies around him with an elaborate plan to allow the couple to marry without parental consent. The scheme—part of a centuries-old tradition—includes a written “contract of love,” religious conversion, and a kidnapping that is as intricately choreographed as a legong danced by Balinese girls. WORLD PREMIERE

—Margarita Landazuri

Thursday, Oct 9, 5:00 pm Sequoia 1 Friday, Oct 10, 12:15 pm Rafael 2

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

US/New Zealand 2014 • 86 min

Directors/Screenwriters Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi Producers Emanuel Michael, Chelsea Winstanley, Taika Waititi Cinematographers Richard Bluck, D.J. Stipsen Editors Tom Eagles, Yana Gorskaya, Jonathan WoodfordRobinson Cast Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stuart Rutherford Print Source Unison Films

FOCUS: HUMOR—IN THE JOCULAR VEIN In a much lighter vein then any run-ofthe-mill, fly-by-night zom-com bromance, What We Do in the Shadows liberally and literally raises the stakes of the vamp-camp genre, featuring an irresistibly toothsome cast, including co-directors–co-stars Jemaine Clement ( Flight of the Conchords ) and Taika Waititi ( Boy ) as a coupla wild and crazy dead guys who join dark forces to fight for the right to, well, party vampire-style in the tony clubs of Wellington, New Zealand. But eternal life is not all fun and games: The four flatmates must negotiate their night-to-night routines, like house tidying (i.e., squabbling over the dreaded chore wheel) and troubles with modern technology, ex-girlfriends, and overly cheery police inspectors. You are guaranteed to go batty for this must-see, soon-to-be “occult classic” in the style of Christopher Guest. It will leave you thirsty for more. Bloody good fun!

—KD Davis

Tuesday, Oct 7, 7:45 pm Rafael 1 Thursday, Oct 9, 4:00 pm Rafael 1

WHIPLASH

WILD

US 2014 • 106 min

Director/Screenwriter Damien

Chazelle Producers Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak Cinematographer Sharone Meir

Editor Tom Cross Cast Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

Two strong wills collide when a conservatory student who dreams of becoming the next Buddy Rich comes to the attention of a despotic teacher who longs to discover and develop a future jazz legend. Bleeding fingers from nonstop practice pay off for 19-year-old drummer Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) when feared and revered instructor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) invites him to join his prestigious jazz ensemble. Neyman quickly becomes Fletcher’s star pupil, which makes him a bigger target for the verbal and physical abuse that Fletcher heaps on all of his students. Teller and Simmons are dazzling combatants in this film born of experience: Writer-director Damien Chazelle ( Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench , MVFF 2009) was a drum student in a conservatory. The brilliance of this feature—winner of both the grand jury and audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival—is that the filmmaker focuses equally on teacher and student. Andrew is as arrogant and intransigent and devoted to achieving perfection as his new mentor, setting the stage for conflict in this gripping, jazz-infused drama.

—Pam Grady

Tuesday, Oct 7, 7:00 pm CCM

Lars Ulrich will introduce the film and interview Damien Chazelle as part of MVFF’s Metallica Artist in Residence screenings. See page 91.

Tickets: $35 general | $30 CFI members

US 2014 • 120 min

Director Jean-Marc Vallée Producers Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea Screenwriters Nick Hornby, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed Cinematographer Yves Bélanger Editor Martin Pensa Cast Reese Witherspoon, Gaby Hoffmann, Laura Dern, Michael Huisman Print Source Fox Searchlight Pictures

CLOSING NIGHT FILM/LAURA DERN

TRIBUTE A grieving woman alone in the wilderness with ill-fitting boots and one enormous backpack: not an ideal way to begin a solo 1,100-mile journey. But that’s just how Cheryl Strayed set off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail and how her harrowing, triumphant story begins on screen. Reese Witherspoon portrays Strayed, who, after the death of her mother (a radiant Laura Dern), spent years struggling with depression and self-destructive behavior. Walking alone allows her no distractions, no way to avoid her memories; she walks not to escape her past but to accept it, and to heal herself through extreme exertion, solitude, and self-reliance. Witherspoon optioned the film rights to Strayed’s best-selling memoir before the book was published, and her dedication shows in her remarkable performance, captured in Jean-Marc Vallée’s ( Dallas Buyers Club, MVFF 2013) insightful direction.

—Laura Henneman

PRECEDED BY LAVA

US 2014 • 7 min

Director James Ford Murphy

From Disney’s Pixar, Lava is a musical love story taking place over millions of years.

Sunday, Oct 12, 5:00 pm Rafael 1 Sunday, Oct 12, 5:00 pm Sequoia 1

See page 85 for complete Closing Night Gala details and pricing.

A WOLF AT THE DOOR

(O LOBO ATRAS DA PORTA)

WORLD CINEMA

Brazil 2013 • 100 min

Director/Screenwriter Fernando Coimbra Producers Sonia Hamburger, Caio Gullane, Fabiano Gullane, Rodrigo Castellar Cinematographer Lula Carvalho Editors Karen Akerman, Ricardo Cutz Cast Leandra Leal, Milhem Cortaz, Fabiula Nascimento, Juliano Cazarré, Paulo Tiefenthaler Print Source Outsider Pictures

FOCUS: ¡VIVA EL CINE! In Portuguese with English subtitles. Brilliantly structured, Fernando Coimbra’s slow burn of a psychological thriller questions human nature and the nature of truth. When a child goes missing, police must sift through the testimonies of the mother, the father, and a young woman, each of whose stories is at odds with the others’. This compelling exploration of the motivations behind unfathomable acts is all the more powerful for its basis in real-life events that shocked Brazil in the 1960s. Though the story is updated to current-day Rio de Janeiro, Coimbra’s city will be unfamiliar to moviegoers and telenovela aﬁ cionados accustomed to Rio’s picture-postcard coastline and towering labyrinths of favelas . Unrelentingly gray skies, crumbling concrete, and nondescript suburbs sprawling at the foot of the hilltop Nossa Senhora da Penha sanctuary are given noirish treatment by cinematographer Lula Carvalho. Claustrophobic closeups and sinister textures registered on 16mm supply the visual dread for an outcome that remains incomprehensible.

—Shari Kizirian

Saturday, Oct 4, 11:00 am Sequoia 1

Sunday, Oct 5, 4:30 pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF BRAZIL, LATINO COUNCIL, AND HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

A WOMAN AS A FRIEND

(UNA DONNA PER AMICA)

WORLD CINEMA

Italy 2014 • 90 min

Director/Screenwriter Giovanni

Veronesi Producer Domenico Procacci

Screenwriter Ugo Chiti Cinematographer

Arnaldo Catinari Editor Giogiò

Franchini Cast Fabio De Luigi, Laetitia Casta Print Source Warner Bros.

FOCUS: HUMOR—IN THE JOCULAR VEIN

In Italian with English subtitles. Claudia, (gorgeous Laetitia Casta, memorable in Arbitrage ), and Francesco (top Italian comedian Fabio De Luigi) are best friends. She is a hypersensitive veterinarian; he is a passionate and unconventional lawyer specializing in lost causes. They laugh, hang out, and enjoy the slow-paced life in sunny Salento, along the Adriatic shore. In this paradisiacal setting, the friends play out their carefree relationship until Claudia meets drop-dead gorgeous Giovanni and decides to marry him in three days. When reality hits, she seeks comfort again from Francesco, who has ﬁ nally embarked on a romance of his own. At this point, four hearts are at stake. Whose will survive? Director Giovanni Veronesi, a master of the Italian romantic comedy ( Manual of Love ), deftly depicts a common theme with uncommon levity and very genuine sensitivity. Viva l’amore! NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Laura Costantino

Saturday, Oct 4, 8:15 pm Lark Wednesday, Oct 8, 1:00 pm Sequoia 2 Thursday, Oct 9, 11:00 am Sequoia 2

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE AND ITALY IN US

YALOM’S CURE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

Switzerland 2014 • 77 min

Director/Screenwriter Sabine Gisiger Producer Philip Delaquis

Cinematographer Helena Vanières

Editor Barbara Weber Print Source Das Kollektir fur audiovisuelle

FOCUS: THE ART OF THE SCIENCES

Author, existentialist, and popular scholar Irvin D. Yalom is one of the most influential living psychotherapists; his work has been described as mind- and life-altering. For him, a straightforward documentary quite simply would not do. So director Sabine Gisiger (Guru, MVFF 2010) defies the classic cinebiography, skimming over career milestones, and instead allowing the dulcet tones of Dr. Yalom to guide us. As he ponders Freud, expounds personal and universal philosophies, and poses questions, we are brought along on an existential journey through the many layers of the human mind. Yalom shares 50 years of professional insights and the wisdom gained through a life well lived. Interviews with Yalom’s grown children and wife Marilyn Yalom, also a renowned scholar, are intertwined with his reflections, and Gisiger’s interludes of placid landscapes and serene instrumentals provide space for reflection between heady philosophical threads. The result is a voyage of self-exploration for subject and viewer alike. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Alexis Whitham

PRECEDED BY GLOBE TROT

US 2013 • 4 min

Director Mitchell Rose

Fifty-four filmmakers shoot two seconds of movement by choreographer Bebe Miller. Tuesday, Oct 7, 5:00 pm Rafael 2 Wednesday, Oct 8, 9:00 pm Sequoia 1

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SWITZERLAND

THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI

US CINEMA

US 2014 • 94 min

Director/Screenwriter Kerem Sanga

Producers Seth Caplan, Daniel Leiner, Ross Putman, David Hunter, Chris Colbert, Ben Ross Cinematographer Ricardo Diaz Editor Ryan Brown Cast Ryan Malgarini, Haley Lu Richardson, Joshua Malina, James LeGros, Melora Walters, Osric Chau Print Source Midnight Kiss Inc.

A little bit of Juno for all the young dudes, The Young Kieslowski tackles teenage pregnancy from the viewpoint of the unexpectedly expecting father. When Brian meets Leslie at his first college kegger, their loopy instant connection drifts on into the wee hours of the morning and, awkwardly and sweetly, into bed. They emerge to find themselves in emotional foreign territory and stumbling headlong into the land of early adulthood. These two now ex-virgins—one a physics nerd, the other a Bible-thumper—must navigate this new world of indecision, mistrust, acceptance, and despondence, all underscored by youthful, unwavering hope. Writer-director Kerem Sanga hits a seriocomic stride in his nimble second feature, drawing endearing performances from his two young leads (Ryan Malgarini and Haley Lu Richardson), bolstered by indie film stalwarts James Le Gros and Melora Walters. Though blindsided by fecundity, these kids are gonna be all right.

—Leah LoSchiavo

Saturday, Oct 4, 8:15 pm Rafael 2

Sunday, Oct 5, 1:45 pm Sequoia 2 Friday, Oct 10, 12:00 pm Sequoia 2

YOUTH REEL

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

100 min

From all over the world these stellar youthproduced shorts have wended their ways to us, from the northern reaches of Marin County and out to the East Bay, in from the southern sunshine of Los Angeles and the out-east of Illinois and Virginia, blowing down from Nova Scotia and British Columbia, swimming in from the salmon fisheries of Sweden and the big-pond island of Great Britain. Every year in July, jurors aged 13–18 spend two weeks training for, then officiating, our young curators program. With the gentlest adult guidance, this year’s jurors—Justine Marler, Lachlin Lipscomb, Clayton Allen, Sophie Keaney, Ravi Joshi-Wander, Cole Lederer, and Aaron Davis—sifted through 140 films to come up with these 20. This is the most diverse youth reel we’ve ever presented and has many gems that even a seasoned pro could be proud of. We thank YoungCuts of Montréal for their participation. Ages 13+ —John Morrison

Saturday, Oct 11, 3:00 pm Lark

WITH SUPPORT FROM YOUNGCUTS, MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC

ZAKIR HUSSAIN: SESSIONS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2014 • 140 min

Directors/Producers Anisa Qureshi, Taylor Phillips Producers Antonia Minnecola, Zakir Hussain Cinematographers Alrik Bursell, John Espey, Scott Snell Cinematographer/ Editor Jake Richmond Editor George Rosenfeld Cast Zakir Hussain, Steve Smith, Eric Harland, Giovanni Hidalgo, Ganesh Rajagopala, with host Randall Kline Print Source Route 66 Pictures

Tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain is a Bay Area treasure, creating mesmerizing and thrilling improvisations with the world’s best musicians. In this electrifying concert film made during his 2013 residency at the SFJAZZ Center, Indian classical superstars, jazz percussion greats, and the likes of banjo genius Béla Fleck and double bassist Edgar Meyer joined him onstage. Hussain brings the infectious spirit of play to all his rhythmic and melodic collaborations. His easy leadership while performing with Indian classical rising stars, sitar player Niladri Kumar, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, and bansuri flutist Rakesh Chaurasia, sets the tone for a vibrant show. And Hussain still plays with an open and lively curiosity, evident in his call and response with jazz drummers Steve Smith, Eric Harland, and Giovanni Hidalgo. His father, the late, great tabla master Alla Rakha, advised, “Just try to be a good student.” And, as we are carried along on this creative journey, we can do just that. It is the next best thing to experiencing Zakir and friends live.

—Carol Harada

Wednesday, Oct 8, 8:30 pm 142 Throckmorton

Sunday, Oct 12, 5:30 pm 142 Throckmorton

Zakir Hussain and friends will present the Oct 8 screening.

ADDED FILM & THANKS

ST. VINCENT

US CINEMA

US 2014 • 103 min

Director/Screenwriter/Producer Theodore Melﬁ Cinematographer Theodore Melﬁ

Editors Theodore Melﬁ, John Lindley, Peter Teschner, Sarah Flack Cast Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O’Dowd, Terrence Howard, Jaeden Lieberher Print Source The Weinstein Company

The beloved Bill Murray stars as a decidedly unlovable grouch who’s charged with looking after the precocious kid next door in this darkly comedic and surprisingly sweet film. Vincent, Vin to his friends (which he doesn’t have), is the anti-role model: a drinking, smoking, mess of a man living in Brooklyn with an equally ill-tempered cat. Babysitting, to Vin, means bringing 12-year-old Oliver along on his daily routine: the racetrack, the dive bar, nothing is off-limits. Oliver, immune to Vin’s objectionable qualities, finds these afternoons informative and enjoyable, especially compared to the indignities of middle-school gym class. Vin is more than he seems, and Oliver will make the world see him differently. Newcomer Jaeden Lieberher makes a wonderful odd-couple match for Murray, who plays the depths of his character as skillfully as his caustic exterior. And a word to the wise: Be sure to stay for the credits.

—Laura Henneman

Friday, Oct 10, 5:30 pm Sequoia 2 Sunday, Oct 12, 8:30 pm Rafael 1

MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SCREENING COMMITTEE

Aaron Hanson

Abas Zadfar

Abigail Farrell

Anna Cosentine

Benjamin Thornton

Berta McDonnell

Carlos Rodriguez

Carmen Rozestraten

Cathy Summa-Wolfe

Dale Sophiea

Erin Wiegand

Eva Reale

Frako Loden

Francesca Prada

Frank Chan

Jackie Cormier

Jennifer Hammett

Jesse Spencer

Joanne Parsont

Jodie NewDelman

John Antonelli

John Petrovsky

Judy Terra

Kathleen O’Hara

Katy Tiemann

Kei Sato

Ken O’Neill

Kenji Yamamoto

Lisa McLaughlin

Marilyn Mulford

Mary Scott

Michael Wolfe

Nancy Kelly

Nicole Lajeunesse

Oli Weiss

Radica Ostojic-Portello

Ralph Berets

Samuel Fisk

Sandy Handsher

Shaaron Murphy

Starr Shulman

Suzanne Engelberg

Teresa Concepcion

Tora Chung

Tracy Montri

Ty Blair

Venus Oriane

Wendy Slick

Will Kalmon

Photo by Shundo David Haye

Photo by Steph Wenderski

Photo by Floria Brody

Explore the Latest in Electric Transportation!

Charge Across Town™

MOBILITY

October 6 –10, 2014

San Francisco·Palo Alto·Mill Valley

October 9 & 10, 1pm - 6pm, Mill Valley in the Sunnyside Parking Lot at the corner of Miller and Sunnyside Avenues

· Free Test Drives of Electric Vehicles

· EV Charging – Including Solar Charging Options

· Multi-modal Transportation Solutions

In partnership with Mill Valley Film Festival 37

Bauer’s takes you anywhere you want to go.

Our worry-free wedding packages are the most complete and well-prepared bridal service possible for your special day, perfect to the smallest detail.

Wine Country Tours and Tour Busses

Enjoy the breathtaking scenery of California wine country, as our professional chauffeurs lead you on an unforgettable adventure to Napa, Sonoma or the Livermore Valley and beyond.

Special Event Transportation

Conventions, ski trips, sporting events and concerts – our eco-friendly fleet accommodates and delights any size group, corporate or private.

Airport Shuttle Service

Our professionals understand today’s heightened security environment and can assist you in successfully navigating the rules for greeting, white-zoning and courtyard pick-ups.

iCars® – On Demand Car Service

No more long waits or no shows, drivers who won’t take a credit cards and inability to order in advance. Book your ride now, or in advance from your cell phone or computer, and your professional iCars® chauffeur will get you home safely.

Every month, we let readers know why Marin is the place to be.

But we’re more than a monthly magazine! Watch for special pullout publications inserted into our regular editions like Marin Summer: The Ultimate Guide to Events and Activities in our June issue, and now, inside our October issue, grab your copy of MVFF: The Ultimate Guide to the 37th Mill Valley Film Festival.

RAFAEL 1

SEQUOIA 1

SEQUOIA 2

ACTIVE CINEMA NATURE HIKE

Saturday, Oct 4

Meet at Tennessee Valley trailhead parking lot (free)

ACTIVE CINEMA HIKE 10:15 AM

RAFAEL 1

RAFAEL 2

RAFAEL 3

SEQUOIA 1

SEQUOIA 2

FESTIVAL AT-A-GLANCE

7:00

5@5 SHAKIN’ SHAKIN’ SHAKES 9:30 PM CATCH ME DADDY 6:15 PM UNCERTAIN TERMS 9:15 PM

STORY 5:30 PM FINDING THE GOLD WITHIN 8:00 PM MR. TURNER 5:45 PM I CAN QUIT WHENEVER I WANT 9:15 PM QUE CARAMBA ES LA VIDA 6:00 PM CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA 8:45 PM LAGGIES 3:00 PM THE JUDGE 6:30 PM DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN 10:00 PM THE LITTLE HOUSE 6:00 PM

5@5 ONE TIME ONE NIGHT 5:00 PM ALLOT (A LONG LIST OF THINGS) 7:30 PM

THE 3D SIDESHOW 11:00 AM

VARIETY: BOXTROLLS 1:15 PM STATE OF THE INDUSTRY 11:00 AM

WOLF AT THE DOOR 11:00 AM

MINUSCULE: VALLEY OF LOST ANTS 12:00 PM THE LITTLE HOUSE 11:00 AM 316 1:30 PM QUE CARAMBA ES LA VIDA 1:15 PM RACING TO ZERO: IN PURSUIT OF ZERO WASTE 2:00 PM INVISIBLE PEAK 3:30 PM

GARDENERS OF EDEN 2:00 PM HIDE AND SEEK 3:00 PM ‘71 2:45 PM IN PLAIN SIGHT 4:45 PM DYING TO KNOW: RAM DASS & LEARY 4:00 PM COWBOYS 5:00 PM THE PATENT WARS 5:15 PM 3 STILL STANDING 5:00 PM THE IMITATION GAME 5:45 PM IMPERIAL DREAMS 5:30 PM LOW DOWN 7:00 PM THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI 8:15 PM

FINDING THE GOLD WITHIN 8:00 PM

DIPLOMACY 8:00 PM THE HI DE HO SHOW 8:45 PM A WOMAN AS A FRIEND 8:15 PM 3 STILL STANDING ON STAGE 8:00 PM

FESTIVAL AT-A-GLANCE

RAFAEL 1

RAFAEL 2

RAFAEL 3

SEQUOIA 1

SEQUOIA 2

ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL 11:30 AM

5@5 THIS BIRD’S GONNA FLY 11:00 AM

2 RAFAEL 3

RAFAEL 1

RAFAEL 2

RAFAEL 3

SEQUOIA 1

SEQUOIA 2

TIMBUKTU 1:45 PM

IMPERIAL DREAMS 2:00 PM

TED HOPE 1:00 PM

UNCERTAIN TERMS 11:45 AM

THE BOY AND THE WORLD 11:00 AM

SOUL OF A BANQUET 5:00 PM

GARDENERS OF EDEN 4:45 PM

DOCUMENTARY STORYTELLING 3:30 PM

PLASTIC MAN... JERRY ROSS BARRISH 2:30 PM

THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI 1:45 PM

ROBIN WILLIAMS 1:00 PM

THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA 1:00 PM

ICE POISON 6:00 PM

STATES OF GRACE 5:15 PM

SUMMER ‘82... ZAPPA CAME TO SICILY 4:45 PM

THE ART OF LIFE 4:00 PM A WOLF AT THE DOOR 4:30 PM

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK... 8:00 PM

I CAN QUIT WHENEVER I WANT 7:45 PM

ALLOT (A LONG LIST OF THINGS) 8:30 PM

PATRICK’S DAY 8:00 PM

HOW I GOT OVER 7:45 PM NATURAL SCIENCES 7:30 PM

CHARLIE’S COUNTRY 7:45 PM

UNCERTAIN TERMS 12:15 PM

CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA 1:00 PM 5@5 ROUND AND ROUND 1:30 PM HIDE AND SEEK 3:30 PM

TIMBUKTU 3:00 PM THE IMITATION GAME 4:00 PM THE JUDGE 4:00 PM THE ART OF LIFE 6:15 PM JACO 6:00 PM

THE PATENT WARS 6:30 PM

LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN 7:00 PM ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL 9:00 PM CATCH ME DADDY 9:00 PM

GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM 7:30 PM

RACING TO ZERO: PURSUIT OF ZERO WASTE 7:30 PM

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK 5:00 PM FAMILY SHOW

5@5 ONE TIME ONE NIGHT 9:15 PM THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK 8:30 PM FAN SHOW

CINEMA 6PM 5PM 4PM 3PM 2PM 1PM 12PM 11AM 7PM 8PM 9PM 10PM11PM STATES OF GRACE 2:00 PM

SUMMER ‘82... ZAPPA CAME TO SICILY 4:45 PM FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK... 2:30 PM SOUL OF A BANQUET 2:15 PM

DYING TO KNOW: RAM DASS & LEARY 1:45 PM

5@5 SHAKIN’ SHAKIN’ SHAKES 4:45 PM YALOM’S CURE 5:00 PM

GARDENERS OF EDEN 11:45 AM COWBOYS 5:30 PM ’71 11:15 AM

5@5 LA PISTOLA Y EL CORAZON 9:00 PM 316 5:00 PM

DIOR AND I 8:00 PM

FORCE MAJEURE 7:30 PM

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS 7:45 PM PATRICK’S DAY 8:00 PM WHIPLASH 7:00 PM

RAFAEL 1

RAFAEL 2

RAFAEL 3

SEQUOIA 1

IMPERIAL DREAMS 11:30 AM

FESTIVAL AT-A-GLANCE

SEQUOIA 2 THROCK CINEMA 6PM 5PM 4PM 3PM 2PM 1PM 12PM 11AM 7PM 8PM 9PM 10PM11PM

3 STILL STANDING 1:30 PM

RACING TO ZERO: PURSUIT OF ZERO WASTE 2:30 PM

DIPLOMACY 3:30 PM

CHARLIE’S COUNTRY 12:00 PM

WOMAN AS A FRIEND 1:00 PM

LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN 4:15 PM LAMB 3:00 PM

5@5 THAT TRAIN WON’T STOP 3:45 PM

BLACK AND WHITE 7:30 PM

PLASTIC MAN... JERRY ROSS BARRISH 5:30 PM

GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM 6:00 PM

RAFAEL 1

RAFAEL 2

RAFAEL 3

SEQUOIA 1

THE` 100-YEAROLD MAN WHO... DISAPPEARED 12:45 PM

THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA 11:00 AM STATES OF GRACE 11:30 AM

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS 4:00 PM

LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN 4:00 PM

MR. TURNER 6:30 PM

THE FUTURE STARTS HERE 6:00 PM

1000 RUPEE NOTE 6:00 PM

9 6PM 5PM 4PM 3PM 2PM 1PM

SEQUOIA 2 CINEMA

RAFAEL 2

5@5 ROUND AND ROUND 9:15 PM

LUCKY STIFF 8:15 PM YALOM’S CURE 9:00 PM

THE` 100-YEAROLD MAN WHO... DISAPPEARED 5:45 PM ZAKIR HUSSAIN: SESSIONS 8:30 PM

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING 7:00 PM

HOW I GOT OVER 2:45 PM LOW DOWN 2:15 PM IN PLAIN SIGHT 1:45 PM NUOC 2030 6:45 PM STOCKHOLM 6:00 PM WEDDING CONTRACT... 5:00 PM 5@5 LA PISTOLA Y EL CORAZON 4:30 PM

10,000 KM (LONG DISTANCE) 8:45 PM LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED 8:00 PM

A WOMAN AS A FRIEND 11:00 AM THE ART OF AMAZING 7:00 PM

5@5 A MATTER OF TIME 9:30 PM

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY 7:00 PM

LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED 12:45 PM THE WEDDING CONTRACT... 12:15 PM

DYING TO KNOW: RAM DASS & LEARY 11:45 AM

LUCKY STIFF 11:30 AM

HOW I CAME TO HATE MATH 4:00 PM TU DORS NICOLE 3:45 PM THE HI DE HO SHOW 3:00 PM THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN... 2:45 PM 3 STILL STANDING 2:15 PM THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI 12:00 PM BELOVED SISTERS 7:00 PM MAGICIAN 7:00 PM IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE 5:45 PM THE IMMORTALISTS 6:15 PM CAPTURING GRACE 6:00 PM TBA 2:45 PM A BRIDGE TO A BORDER 9:00 PM

NATURAL SCIENCES 1:30 PM

5@5 THAT TRAIN WON’T STOP 9:30 PM NUOC 2030 9:00 PM ST. VINCENT 5:30 PM FOXCATCHER 8:30 PM

HOPPITY GOES TO TOWN 7:45 PM

FESTIVAL AT-A-GLANCE

RAFAEL 1

RAFAEL 2

RAFAEL 3

SEQUOIA 1

SEQUOIA 2

MINUSCULE... LOST ANTS 11:00 AM

VARIETY: LEGO MOVIE 11:00 AM

CAPTURING GRACE 1:45 PM

ACTIVE CINEMA TOOLKIT 12:30 PM

ICE POISON 11:45 AM

QUE CARAMBA ES LA VIDA 11:00 AM

5@5 A MATTER OF TIME 1:30 PM

HOW I CAME TO HATE MATH 4:45 PM STOCKHOLM 5:30 PM A BRIDGE TO A BORDER 2:45 PM

YOUTH REEL 3:00 PM

RAFAEL 1

RAFAEL 2

RAFAEL 3

SEQUOIA 1

SEQUOIA 2

THROCK

LARK

BOX OFFICES

SAN RAFAEL

THE BOY AND THE WORLD 11:15 AM 10,000 KM (LONG DISTANCE) 2:45 PM

BELOVED SISTERS 12:00 PM THE LAMB 11:30 AM

3D SLIDESHOW 11:00 AM

IMMORTALISTS 4:30 PM

TIRISIA 2:30 PM MOMMY 11:00 AM DIOR AND I 2:00 PM F R E E 2:30 PM TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT 2:00 PM TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT 5:45 PM MOMMY 1:30 PM

MARIE’S STORY 8:30 PM

5@5 THIS BIRD’S GONNA FLY 12:00 PM AFTER THE FALL 8:00 PM

MAGICIAN 11:00 AM

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

THE FALL 2:00 PM

HUSSAIN: SESSIONS 5:30 PM

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

Menus, reviews, online ordering, cheap gas, room reservations and maps, all in one app.

YP, the even-more-powerful Yellow Pages.

Your event is special, perhaps once-ina-lifetime special. Bartenders Unlimited makes it easy for you to enjoy the occasion with an extensive array of beverage packages and signature cocktails designed to enhance any celebration, served with exemplary professionalism. Perfect for Weddings, Corporate Functions, Social Mixers, Fundraisers, Reunions, and Special Events, Bartenders Unlimited is California’s preeminent beverage caterer. Contact Bartenders Unlimited today at 415 454-3731.

culture film food & wine silicon valley

BE INDEPENDENT WITH YOUR FILM. RELY ON US FOR THE REST OF YOUR PLANS.

Yelp's got the on the best local businesses in San Francisco and

Yelp's got the reel deal on the best local businesses in San Francisco and beyond.

Please join us at the 2014

WildCare Environmental Award Celebration

Honoring the Redford Center

Wednesday, November 12th at Cavallo Point, Sausalito

Jamie Redford will be accepting the award on behalf of the Redford Center.

This WildCare Environmental Award recognizes leaders in the fields of animal welfare, conservation and the environment whose work aligns with WildCare’s mission. For tickets, visit wildcarebayarea.org/WEA

Live Well with Wildlife

Presenting Sponsor Supporting Sponsors

balboa cafe

IN MEMORIAM

Robin Williams

1951—2014

While the world will remember Robin Williams for his films—Dead Poets Society; Aladdin; Good Morning, Vietnam; Mrs. Doubtfire; Good Will Hunting—and the range of characters that could only have been rendered by the eclectic sensibilities of Robin; Marin County will remember local sightings of a beloved neighbor. On his bike. At the coffee shop. With his wife at a local restaurant. Showing up at 142 Throckmorton Theatre to test new material for a stand-up show. Hanging out with Mort Sahl. For the MVFF 1988 trailer, he created a one-man, six-character show, playing five filmmakers being interviewed by campy critic Lex Leed. It’s classic Williams: hilarious, irreverent, and from the heart. For his 1999 Tribute at the Festival, he chose as the evening’s feature The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam’s 1991 film in which Williams’s character helps someone who’s reached rock bottom, but also needs help himself. At another MVFF Tribute, to Jonathan Winters, Williams showed up as a surprise to his mentor-idol and joined him onstage. The evening took off into an hour-long, breathtaking, nonstop repartee between the duo. What is obvious from the work and the talents he shared with us is that he was a man of unusual brilliance, generosity, humility, and compassion. He was able to tap a deep intelligence and wily creativity in a rapid-fire moment, as no one else could. We’re grateful to have had him amongst us, and we’re saddened at his loss. Please join us at Robin Williams: A Celebration (page 97)

Saul Zaentz

1921—2014

The legacy of Saul Zaentz, in film and music, resonates with a sensibility that reflects the man. In films frequently adapted from novels and plays that had hit the zeitgeist—One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, The English Patient—both an intellectual curiosity and a commitment to quality are notable through-lines. He was a supporter and regular attendee of MVFF and the Smith Rafael Film Center—support that included agreeing to be guest host for a MVFF party at the Cannes Film Festival, held on a yacht owned by a generous board member. Zaentz could not have been more gracious, removing his shoes at the dock along with everyone else, then holding court for hours. Somewhere between a barefoot guru and Santa Claus, he was equally attentive and generous with actress Mira Sorvino as he was with a first-time feature maker, and with a film distributor (and jazz devotee) whose usual professionalism melted into complete Zaentz fandom. In film as in music, Zaentz produced works that will endure as classics. He was a man of his time, and a producer for the ages.

CFI & MVFF STAFF

MARK FISHKIN

MVFF Founder-Director

ZOE ELTON

Director of Programming

JENNIE-MARIE ADLER

Membership Manager

AVA AMUNDSEN

Transportation Coordinator

ALIA ANDERSON-MAY

Rafael Theater Staff

ALEXIS ARDITO

Rafael Theater Staff

BEN ARMINGTON

Box Ofﬁ ce Manager

DOREEN AVIV

Membership Associate

LAINY BAGWELL

Line Captain

ASHLEY BAKER

Shift Manager

LIANA BENDER

Director of Development

BEAU BLANCHARD

Corporate Development Manager

MARTY BRENNEIS

Consultant

JILL BROOKE

House Manager

SEAN BROWN

Line Captain

AMBER BRYANT

Box Ofﬁ ce

COURTNEY BUFFINGTON

Digital Media Maven

MEGAN BUTLER

Programming Intern

DIMITRI CAMSAT

Box Ofﬁ ce

PATTY CARLSON

CFI Director of Finance & Operations

DON CHAN

Guest Services Manager

MATT CHANDLER

Venue Manager

CONNIE CHANG

Finance Manager

STEPHANIE CLARKE

Festival Publicist

KELLY CLEMENT

Documentary Programmer

TIFFANY COLLINS

Box Ofﬁ ce

ANNA COSENTINE

Filmmaker Liaison

GRIFFIN COUILLARD Projectionist

KAREN (KD) DAVIS

Senior Programmer

JEN DICICCO

Assistant Venue Manager

ALEX DIXON

Box Ofﬁ ce

JASPER DUPONT Venue Manager

MICHAEL EDWARDS Projectionist

CLAUDIA FINKLE

Festival Receptionist

SARAH FLORES

Box Ofﬁ ce

KIYOKO FOOT Filmmaker Lounge Coordinator

MEREDITH FORD Box Ofﬁ ce

YVONNE FOX

Special Events Manager

CLARA FRANCO Festival Publicist

NICK FRIEDMAN

Box Ofﬁ ce

TIM FROSS

Assistant Manager, Smith Rafael Film Center

MAUREEN GALLIANI

Executive Assistant, Mark Fishkin

GREG GARTHE Logistics Assistant

CHRIS GLOSECKI Operations Intern

BONNIE GRINI Volunteer Assistant

DAVID GUTIEREZ Driver

CHASE HARRIS Projectionist

JOHN HASSEN Rafael Theater Staff

RYAN HASTIE Projectionist

STERLING HEDGPETH Programming Manager

PAUL HEGARTY Logistics Manager

DAVID HELENE Line Captain

LAURA HENNEMAN Programming Associate

PHILIP HOFFMAN-HARRIS Shift Manager

KATY HOGAN

Major Gifts & Foundations Manager

TIM ISOM House Manager

VINCE JOHNSON Festival Publicist

JORDAN JONES Projectionist

CARRIE KAUFMAN Special Events Manager

NICOLE KERR Marketing Coordinator

ERIN KLENOW Box Ofﬁ ce

JAKE KORDICK Rafael Theater Staff

JOSIE KOVASH House Manager

LALITHA KRISTIPATI Box Ofﬁ ce

KAREN LARSEN Festival Publicist

BRIAN LEHMAN Graphic Designer

BARBIE LEUNG House Manager

LEAH LOSCHIAVO Programming Associate

DONNA MARTIN House Manager

PETER MATHENY-SCHUSTER Projectionist

WILSON MCCOURTNEY House Manager

NORMAN MELLO IT & Operations Manager

JOHN MORRISON Director of Education

LORIN MURPHY Projectionist

HAYLEY NENADAL Festival Operations Manager

JODIE NEWDELMAN CFI Education Liaison

MELANIE NICHOLS Education Coordinator

DOMINIQUE O’NEIL Operations Assistant

Photo: © Marcy Guiragossian

Box Ofﬁ ce

JAMIE OZIMEK

Development Associate

NICOLE PETERS

Special Events Manager

RICHARD PETERSON Director of Programming, Smith Rafael Film Center

DEREK PETRILLO

Line Captain

ALY PIERCE

Operations Coordinator

MICHELLE PLASCENCIA

Venue Manager

JANIS PLOTKIN

Senior Programmer

NATACHA POPE

Events Assistant

MARIELL RAHMANI

Special Events Manager

BRITTNEY RÉAUME

Filmmaker Liaison

Rafael Theater Staff

HAYLEY RICCI

Rafael Theater Staff

PATRICK RICHARDSON

Rafael Theater Staff

SAMUEL RIPPEE-MILLARD

Rafael Theater Staff

LISIE ROSENBERG Marketing Assistant

KYLE RUSSELL

Rafael Theater Staff

KEVIN SCHAUB

Publications Manager

ISABELLA SCHLOSS

Rafael Theater Staff

ASHLEY SCHUMACHER Filmmaker Lounge Coordinator

MAX SEIJAS

Rafael Theater Staff

HANNAH SHUMAN

Box Ofﬁ ce

Rafael Theater Staff

ASHLEY SOARES Filmmaker Liaison

SHELLEY SPICER Director of Marketing & Publicity

JASMINE SPRINGER Programming Intern

RICK STERN Driver

ANDREW STONE Projectionist

LYDIA SVIATOSLAVSKY

Rafael Theater Staff

MARINA TAVARES CFI Education Intern

TIM TAYLOR Projectionist

ERICA TENNYSON Venue Manager

ED TILTON Driver

Programming Intern

BETTY TWEEDY Box Ofﬁ ce Manager

IRIS URBAN Theater Operations Manager

MITCH VAUGHN Box Ofﬁ ce Manager

BERNADETTE WATTS Box Ofﬁ ce

MARCY WEISS House Manager

KATE WILCOX

Volunteer Coordinator

LAUREN WILMOTT

Rafael Theater Staff

SHERM YEE Driver

JEROMY ZAJONC MVFF Director of Operations

DAN ZASTROW

Technical Director

Photo:

Marcy

Guiragossian

GUITAR BASS KEYBOARD

Dynamic speakers Inspiring conversations Delicious and elegant receptions in the company of remarkable women

VOCALS

DRUMS

Join us for our 2014/2015 season of inspiration, education and fun!

Tara Sophia Mohr | Author of "Playing Big" and groundbreaking expert on women’s leadership and the implementation of practical skills to make real change in oneself and the world.

Ken Cook | Co-founder of Environmental Working Group, creator of the online consumer database Skin Deep and successful lobbyist considered one of the most influential 20th Century leaders and change-makers in the world.

Jim Steyer | Founder of Common Sense Media, author of several books including "Talking Back to Facebook" and "The Other Parent" and one of the most respected experts on issues related to children's media and education in the U.S.

Iris Krasnow | Journalism & Women's Studies Professor at American University, expert in the field of“female generational angst" and best-selling author of several books including "Sex After..." and ”The Secret Lives of Wives." Tickets

Also join us for our more intimate Lunch & Learn Series focusing on Health & Wellness and Inspiring Local Leaders.

11:30-1:30pm at Piatti Restaurant

And check out our online Media Library with audio/video of past presentations

PRINTED MATERIAL

MVFF37 Seasonal Branding

PUBLICATIONS

Design & Print Production

Digital Media Maven

Production, Digital Prepress

Publications Manager

CREATIVE CREDITS

Turner DuckWorth

Brian Lehman

Courtney Bufﬁngton

Giraffex, Inc. ~ Richard Repas, Kenneth Lockerbie

Kevin Schaub

FESTIVAL PUBLICITY & ADVERTISING

Agency Larsen Associates

Principal Karen Larsen

Publicist

Vince Johnson

Agency Hamilton Ink

Principal

Publicist

Stephanie Clarke

Clara Franco Weis

Advertisements Winifred MacLeod

MVFF37 THEATRICAL TRAILER CREDITS

A Tanaka Pictures/Illumina Studios Production

Director

David H. Tanaka

Producers Lisa E. Cooke, Spencer Nilsen, David H. Tanaka

Executive Producers

Director of Photography

Zoë Elton, Mark Fishkin, Shelley Spicer

Gary Yost

Unit Production Manager Lisa E. Cooke

Music Composer

Visual Effects Supervisors

Editor

Assistant Editors

Camera Assistant/Gaffer

Spencer Nilsen

Jamie Clay, Mike Macklin

David H. Tanaka

Mitchell Tanaka, Joseph Zamjahn

Joseph Zamjahn

Pre-Production Coordinator Jeromy Zajonc

Production Assistants

Brittany Barnes, Lisa N. Cooke, Tyler Cooke, Kenny Hoitt, Mark Spencer, Mitchell Tanaka, Darren Wong

Additional Post-Production Services Mark Spencer

Movie Couple (cast)

Horse Wrangler

Motion Control Services

Digital Timelapse Software

Post-processing Software

SPECIAL THANKS

Marty Brenneis

Carol Fluhman

Jenny Rogers

Jim Welte

Ron Alan Cohen, Katy Boyd

Victoria Mosser

eMotimo ~ Brian Burling, Logan Steinfeld

LRTimelapse

RE:Vision Effects, Inc., Digital Anarchy

32Ten Studios

Clear Center of Health

City of Mill Valley

Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce

Betsy Abendroth

Nicolette Aizenberg

Ioan Allen

Alisha Alvarez

José Miguel Álvarez

Ibargüengoitia

Maya Annand

John Antonelli

Ed Arentz

Chris Aronson

Doreen Aviv

Krissy Bailey

Jerry Barrish

Peter Belsito

Sheila Benson

Albert Berger

Dan Berger

Andrea Bertolini

Tim Bird

Denis Bisson

Linda Blackaby

Judy Bloch

David Bonbright

Bruno Bossio

Elizabeth Brambilla

Ann Brebner

David Brown

Desiree Buford

Meghann Burns

Harry Burton

Megan Butler

CFI Advisory Board

CFI Board of Directors

CFI Emeritus Board

CFI Founding Board

CFI Volunteers and Interns

Ellen Sebastian Chang

Chicago Film Festival

Laurence Christen

Dina Ciraulo

Gary Cohen

Howard Cohen

Rebeca Conget

Krystal Contreras

Reyna Cowan

Peter Coyote

Graziella Danieli

Danish Film Institute

Eric D’Arboloff

Ninfa Dawson

Michelle Devereaux

Tom di Maria

David Donnenﬁeld

Morgan Donovan

Dot

Deborah Doyle

Alexa Dvorson

Larry Eilenberg

Amir Esfandiari

David Fenkel

Finnish Film Foundation

Lorrie and Lola Fishkin

Nancy Fishman

Karen Folger Jacobs

Michael Fox

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Diana Fuller

Sid Ganis

Patty Garbarino

Daven Gee

Ali Ghiorse

John Goddard

Rafael Jesus Gonzalez

Brie Greenberg

Robin Gurland

Lynne Hale

Muriel and Murray

Hammond

Jerry Harrison

JoAnn Hastings

Bob Hawk

Karen Ho

Brook Holston

Melissa Howden

Mary Hrize

Marcus Hu

Grace Hughes

John Hulls

Julie Huntsinger

Len Ianenelli

Icelandic Film Centre

IMCINE

IRIB

Ernie Johnston

Lauren Johnston

Jin Woo Joo

Véronique Joo Aisenberg

Kathleen O’Hara

Deborah Kaufman

Aaron Kayce

Ralph Kaywin

Nancy Kelly

Bill Kinder

Vivian Kleiman

Jan Klingelhofer

Rose Kuo

Anne-Marie Kurstein

Liz Lagno

Claudia Landsberger

Sydney Levine

Caroline Libresco

Erin Lim

Meredith Lipsky

Ken Lockerbie

Hannah Loué

Erin Lowrey

Monique Luddy

Tom Luddy

Becky MacDonald

Christa Maerker

Magnolia Pictures

Marion Masone

Kate McEdwards

Niall McKay

Kelda McKinney

Annie McRoberts

Jeanine Meerapfel

Menemsha Entertainment

Lucy Mercer

Metallica

Gary Meyer

Steve Michelson

Mill Valley Merchants

Amy Miller

Cornelius Moore

Josh Moore

Clare Morris

Russell Nelson

New York Film Festival

Michael Newman

Stephanie Northen

Norwegian Film Institute

Lori Ocamb

Yuko Ohmori

Mike Olcese

Emiko Omori

Marilyn Ortiz

Kris Otis

Gary Palmucci

Will Parinello

Brandon Peters

Marie Pierre Macia

Natasha Pietruschka

Mimi Plauché

Margaret Poindexter

Polish Film Institute, Aleksandra Biernacka

David Pollick

Tom Prassis

Sue Priolo

Elaine Proctor-Bonbright

Marcus Pun

Richard Repas

Chris Robbins

Daniella Robinson

Annie Roney

Renate Rose

Jay Rosenblatt

Peter Rothen

Gerlind Rothen

Gary Rubin

John Sanborn

Martin Schwartz

Seattle International Film Festival

Steve Seid

Katayoon Shahabi

Tiffany Shlain

Martin Shore

Osnat Shurer

MT Silvia

Toril Simonsen

Wendy Slick

Fiske Smith

Visual Effects Society

Emily Steidl

Jennifer Stott

Strand Releasing

Vickie Strate

Isabelle Sugimoto

Chip Sullivan

Chelsey Summey

Laura Swanbeck

Swedish Film Institute

Sweetwater Music Hall

Lisa Taback

David Tanaka

Danielle Taormina-Keenan

Telluride Film Festival

Blake and Bev Thorman

Kyle Thorpe

Francois Truffart

Katalin Vajda

Gustavo Vazquez

Delﬁ n Vigil

Allison Villasenor

Julie Walker

The Weinstein Company

Ryan Werner

Amber Wessel

Chris Wiggum

Kenji Yamamoto

Ron Yerxa

Cecilia Zamora

Sue Zemel

Ilona Ziok

Denise Zmekho

NEW FREE FERRY SHUTTLE

along Sir Francis Drake Blvd between Fairfax and the Larkspur F erry Terminal , weekday commute hours from 6:35 am - 8:20 am and 4:05 pm - 6:55 pm

Clear Channel Media + Entertainment proudly supports the 37th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival

PRINT SOURCES

’71

Roadside Attractions roadsideattractions.com

10,000 KM (LONG DISTANCE)

Visit Films visitﬁlms.com

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED

Studio Canal studiocanalﬁlms.com

1000 RUPEE NOTE

Inﬁnitum Productions

Shrihar Sathe ssathe@gmail.com inﬁnitum-productions.com

Xanadu Entertainment, Inc.

Cynthia Pepper cpepperdance@aol.com cynthiapepper.com

3 STILL STANDING

Beanﬁeld Productions

RobertCampos rc.beanﬁeld@gmail.com beanﬁeldproductions.com

316

Noori Pictures

Katayoon Shahabi katysh.01@gmail.com nooripictures.com

3D SIDESHOW

Robert Bloomberg rgb3d@comcast.net

ADJUST-A-DREAM

Ambrosia Pictures ambrosiapictures.com

AFTER THE FALL Phase 4 Films phase4ﬁlms.com

THE AFTERMATH OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE PUBLIC TOILET AT KILOMETER 375 Omar El Zohairy elzohairyo@yahoo.com

AHCO ON THE ROAD

Soyeon Kim soyeon@yellowshed.com

AHH...SAN FRANCISCO

Barrett Edmonds barrettedmonds@gmail.com

ALLOT (A LONG LIST OF THINGS)

John Sanborn sanborn707@aol.com

AMERICAN GLADIATORS

Lara Gallagher lara.jean.gal@gmail.com

ART IS THE TREE OF LIFE

Simply Sories LLC

Christine Weicher ceweicher@aol.com

BELLA

Centro de Capacitación Cinematográﬁca A.C. Maricarmen Merino maricarmenmm@yahoo.com elccc.com.mx/sitio

BELOVED SISTERS

Music Box Films musicboxﬁlms.com

BLACK AND WHITE

IM Global imglobalﬁlm.com

THE BOY AND THE WORLD GKids

Dave Jestaedt dave@gkids.com gkids.tv/ﬁlms

BRICOLAGE

Lucky Treehouse

Mike Schwartz

michael@luckytreehouse.com thewinterofthedance.com

A BRIDGE TO A BORDER

Citizen Cinema

Rob Nilsson rnilsson@robnilsson.com robnilsson.com

CAPTURING GRACE

Kikim Media

David Iverson dwiverson@gmail.com

CATCH ME DADDY

Altitude Film Sales altitudeﬁlment.com

CHARLIE’S COUNTRY

Visit FIlms visitﬁlms.com

THE CLEAN UP

Jesse Allen allenjesse@mac.com

CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA IFC Films ifcﬁlms.com

CONFUSION THROUGH SAND

Ornana ﬁlms

Danny Madden ornanaﬁlms@gmail.com ornana.com

COUNTING THE DEAD

Catherine Axley catharine.axley@gmail.com

COWBOYS

KABINET kabinet.hr

DEMOLITION: TROLL

Art Curved Straight, LLC

Megan McHugh megan@artcurvedstraight.com artcurvedstraight.com

DIPLOMACY

Zeitgeist Films Ltd. zeitgeistﬁlms.com

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Melissa Finell melissamakesmovies@gmail.com

DOWNTON BY LAMPLIGHT

Matthew Callahan Media Duane Moles cattlehands@gmail.com

DYING TO KNOW: RAM DASS & TIMOTHY LEARY

CNS Communications, LLC

Gay Dillingham gayd@cnsc.com

THE ENCHANTED LAGOON

Centro de Capacitación Cinematográﬁca A.C. Pablo Perez Lombardini pablo_perez_lombardini@hotmail.com elccc.com.mx/sitio

ENFILADE

War On Convention Films

David Coyle waronconventionﬁlms@outlook.com

FATHER

OpusBou Patricio Plaza info@opusbou.com.ar opusbou.com.ar

FEMTO-MANAGEMENT: A MICROMENTARY

Rael Enteen renteen@reputation.com reputation.com

FINDING THE GOLD WITHIN

Karinaﬁlms

Karina Epperlein karina@karinaﬁlms.us karinaﬁlms.us

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK: THE STORY OF RODRIGO Y GABRIELA

Sentido Común Eduardo Montes sentido.com.mx

FORCE MAJEURE

Magnolia Pictures magpictures.com

FOXCATCHER

Sony Pictures Classics sonypictures.com

F R E E

Suzanne LaFetra suzlafetra@yahoo.com freethedocumentary.com

FREESTYLE

Lexi Lefkowitz lexiconicﬁlm@gmail.com silvacine.com

FROM THE GROUND TO THE CLOUD ZDFILMS

Denise Zmekhol denise@zdﬁlms.com zdﬁlms.com

FUTURE HERO

Streetlight Films

Ramin Serry ramins@aol.com streelightﬁlms.tv

THE FUTURE STARTS HERE AOL, Inc. moxieinstitute.org

THE GALLANT CAPTAIN

The Lampshade Collective

Katrina Mathers ﬁlms@lampshadecollective.com thegallantcaptain.com

GARDENERS OF EDEN Village Beat villagebeat.org

GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE

AMSALEM Music Box Films musicboxﬁlms.com

GLOBE TROT

Mitchell Rose MitchellRose@mac.com mitchellrose.com

GNOSIS

Tamara Hahn Tammy@tamaramastudios.com

HIDE AND SEEK

Daniel Metz

danielcmetz@gmail.com

HIGHER SKY

Eric Cheng ct44king@gmail.com

THE HOMESMAN Roadside Attractions roadsideattractions.com

HOW I CAME TO HATE MATH

Doc and Film International

Hannah Horner h.horner@docandﬁlm.com docandﬁlm.com

HOW I GOT OVER Fuchsia Film Nicole Boxer nicboxer@mac.com higodoc.com

HULA HOOP

Tess Martin tessmartin@hotmail.com

HUMOR

Tal Zegreba Tal.Zagreba@gmail.com

I CAN QUIT WHENEVER I WANT

Federica Ceraolo cinema@fandango.it fandango.it

ICE POISON

Flash Forward Entertainment patrick@ffe.com.tw

THE IMITATION GAME

The Weinstein Company weinsteinco.com

THE IMMORTALISTS

The Film Collaborative Jeffrey Winter jeffrey@theﬁlmcollaborative.org theﬁlmcollaborative.org

IMPERIAL DREAMS

Katherine Fairfax Wright katy.f.wright@gmail.com

IN MEMORY: A LOVE POEM FROM A SON TO HIS MOTHER

Twisted Willow Productions

Sean Mirkovich TwistedWillowProductions@gmail.com TwistedWillowProductions.com

IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE

Paradox

Linda Løvås Angyal linda@paradox.no paradox.no

IN PLAIN SIGHT

Pivotal Eye

Erica Jordan erica@pivotaleye.com pivotaleye.com

IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT Erich-Peter Steiner erpesteiner@hotmail.com

THE INVISIBLE PEAK

Gary Yost gary@yostopia.com

JACO

jacotheﬁlm.com

JOURNEY TO CAPE VERDE José Miguel Ribeiro jmiguelribeiro@yahoo.com

THE JUDGE Warner Bros. warnerbros.com

KIRK

Searchlight Films searchlightﬁlms.org

LAMI

Aoki Studio

Christophe Defaye aokistudio.com

LAGGIES

A24

info@a24ﬁlms.com a24ﬁlms.com

THE LAMB

The Institute

Tugce Tamer tugcetamer@icloud.com theinstituteforthereadjustmentofclocks.com

PRINT SOURCES

LAVA

Pixar Animation Studios

Krissy Bailey kbailey@pixar.com pixar.com

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF TOMMY CHAOS AND STACEY DANGER

Michael Lukk Litwak litwak57@gmail.com

LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN Paradigm Ben Weiss bweiss@paradigmagency.com paradigmagency.com

THE LITTLE HOUSE

Shochiku Chiaki Omori omori@shochiku.co.jp shochiku.com

LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED Outsider Pictures outsiderpictures.com

LLAMA DRAMA

Francesco Siddi francesco@caminandes.com

LOW DOWN

Oscilloscope Laboratories oscilloscope.net/ﬁlms

LUCKY STIFF

Light Iron

Derek Eby derek.eby@lightiron.com lightiron.com

MAD GOD: PART 1

Phil Tippett tippett.com

MADAM ARMANDE

Laurence Christian laure.christen@gmail.com

MAGICIAN Cohen Media Group cohenmedia.net

THE MAN WHO LOVED TO WHISTLE SAF Cakovec

Jasminka Ljubic saf@ck.t-com.hr safcakovec.com

MARIE’S STORY Film Movement ﬁlmmovement.com

THE MASTER’S VOICE: CAVEIRAO

Autour de Minuit Productions Nicolas Schmerkin info@autourdeminuit.com

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN

Paramount Pictures paramount.com

METAL MAN: THE STORY OF VICTOR RIES

Chayes Productions

Bill Chayes billchayes@gotsky.com chayesproductions.com

MINUSCULE: VALLEY OF THE LOST ANTS

Futurikon

Fazia Madouni fmadouni@hotmail.com futurikon.com

MIRIAM’S KITE

OÜ NUkuﬁlm

Maret Reissman nukufilm@nukufilm.ee nukufilm.ee

MOMMY

Roadside Attractions roadsideattractions.com

MR. TURNER

Sony Pictures Classics sonypictures.com

NATURAL SCIENCES

Urban Distribution International Arnaud Bélangeon-Bouaziz arnaud@urbandistrib.com urbandistrib.com

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS: FROM ITHACA TO THE AMAZON

Mill Valley Film Group

John Antonelli mvfg@aol.com mvfg.com

NEW WORLD

Oliver Sin hello@oliversin.com oliversin.com

NI-NI

Carlos Garza carlos.rabalam@gmail.com

NUOC 2030

Premium Films

Kasia Karwan kasia.karwan@premium-ﬁlms.com premium-ﬁlms.com

ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL

Distrib Films

Clemence Taillandier clemence.taillandier@gmail.com distribﬁlms/us.com

ONE YEAR LEASE

Exit 36 Productions, LLC

Brian Bolster briansbolster@icloud.com exit36productions.com

ORIGINS

Mill Valley Film Group

Will Parrinello willmvfg@gmail.com mvfg.com

THE ORPHAN AND THE POLAR BEAR

Taqqut Productions

Jessie Hale neil@inhabitmedia.com taqqut.com

Breakwater Studios

Emily Bon ben@breakwaterstudios.com breakwaterstudios.com

THE PAGE TURNERS

Kayser&Co. Joe Kayser joe@kayserandco.com kayserandco.com

THE PATENT WARS

Filmkantine UG

Katrin Springer info@ﬁlmkantine.de ﬁlmkantine.de

PATRICK’S DAY

Ignition Film

Tim Palmer info@ignitionﬁlm.com ignitionﬁlm.com

PLASTIC MAN: THE ARTFUL LIFE OF JERRY ROSS BARRISH

Janis Plotkin jplotkin@aol.com

QUE CARAMBA ES LA VIDA Flying Moon Filmproduktion GmbH Helge Albers helge@ﬂyingmoon.com ﬂyingmoon.com/en

RABBIT AND DEER

Peter Vacz vaczpeter@gmail.com

THE RABBIT WHISPERER

Kayser&Co. Joe Kayser joe@kayserandco.com kayserandco.com

RACING TO ZERO: IN PURSUIT OF ZERO WASTE Trash 24

Diana Fuller trash24.org

RIDING MY WAY BACK Purposeful Productions, Inc. Robin Fryday robinfryday@gmail.com robinfryday.com

THE RIGHT TO LOVE

A Atalanta

Branislav Srdic nfo@aatalanta.si aatalanta.si

SIREN

Chris Luckhardt chris@willowoodﬁlms.com

SIX

Wrongway Pictures

Ella Nuortila ella.nuortila@gmail.com six-shortmovie.com

SOLEILS

Odelion

Olivier Delahaye odelionﬁlms.soleils@gmail.com

SOUL OF A BANQUET Oscilloscope Laboratories oscilloscope.net/ﬁlms

STAR WARS: EPISODE V—THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK LucasFilm, Ltd.

STATES OF GRACE

Open Studio Productions LLC

Helen Cohen helen@openstudioproductions.com openstudioproductions.com

STOCKHOLM

Outsider Pictures outsiderpictures.us

SUMMER ‘82: WHEN ZAPPA CAME TO SICILY

Abra&Cadabra

Eleonora Cordaro abra.cadabra@hotmail.it

PRINT SOURCES

SWIMMING: MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

Video Storytellers

Jim Sugar jimsugar@aol.com

THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA

GKids

Dave Jestaedt dave@gkids.com gkids.tv/ﬁlms

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Focus Features focusfeatures.com

TIMBUKTU

Cohen Media Group cohenmedia.net

TIN CAN

School-Studio “SHAR”

Anna Ostalskaya ta.ki@bk.ru sharstudio.com

LA TIRISIA (PERPETUAL SADNESS)

Media Luna New Films

Carolina Jessula festival@medialuna.biz medialuna.biz

TRIBUTE

B-Side Pictures

Neil Evans neil@b-sidepictures.com

TU DORS NICOLE

Seville International

Ruby Rondina RRondina@ﬁlmsseville.com

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

Sundance Selects ifcﬁlms.com

UNCERTAIN TERMS

Konec

Nathan Silver nathan@konecﬁlms.com konecﬁlms.com

THE WAR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Arclight Productions

Joe Russo joe@arclightprods.com arclightprods.com

WEDDING CONTRACT: A BALINESE

LOVE STORY

David Dawkins dwd.dawkins@gmail.com

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

Unison Films

Emanuel Michael emanuelmichael@unisonﬁlms.com unisonﬁlms.com

WHIPLASH

Sony Pictures Classics sonypictures.com

WILD

Fox Searchlight Pictures foxsearchlight.com

A WOLF AT THE DOOR

Outsider Pictures outsiderpictures.com

A WOMAN AS A FRIEND

Warner Bros. Federica Ceraolo cinema@fandango.it warnerbros.com

WURST independent Carlo Vogele carlovogele@gmail.com

YALOM’S CURE

Das Kollektir fur audiovisuelle Sabine Gisiger youn@autlookﬁlms.com daskollektiv.ch

THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI

Midnight Kiss Inc.

Seth Caplan seth.caplan@enspire.com

ZAKIR HUSSAIN: SESSIONS

Route 66 Pictures

Anisa Qureshi veranisa@gmail.com momentrecords.com

BUNDABERG.COM

Marin is the wealthiest county in California. Yet nearly a quarter of our older adults are living in poverty.

They need rides, meals, classes, community. That’s where Whistlestop comes in.

We’re the largest Marin organization serving older adults. For sixty years, we’ve been helping people age with grace, dignity, and independence.

We offer 6 to 8 classes a day, five days a week. We serve over 7,400 meals each month. We provide more than 30,000 rides each year.

Won’t you help with a monthly gift? Just $10 a month buys fifteen homebound seniors a good meal and a friendly visit.

Help us take care of our own at AgingInMarin.com

IN MARIN, WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN.

FILMS BY COUNTRY

*Denotes country of interest

Argentina

Father

Llama Drama

Moving Still

Natural Sciences

Australia

Charlie’s Country

Enﬁlade

The Gallant Captain

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily*

Austria

Beloved Sisters

In the Still of the Night

Belgium

Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants

Two Days, One Night

Brazil

The Boy and the World

The Master’s Voice: Caveirao

A Wolf at the Door

Burkina Faso

Soleils

Cambodia

Origins*

Canada

Criterion

It Is What It Is The Last Leaf

Madam Armande

Mommy

The Orphan and the Polar Bear

The Patent Wars*

Siren

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily*

Tu Dors Nicole

China

Soul of a Banquet*

Croatia

Cowboys

The Man Who Loved to Whistle

Denmark

Force Majeure

In Order of Disappearance

Egypt

The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375

Estonia

Miriam’s Kite

The New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon*

Finland

Demolition: Troll*

France

Clouds of Sils Maria

Diary of a Fridge

Diplomacy

Father

Force Majeure

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

How I Came to Hate Math

The Infernal Cauldron

LaMi

LaMi: Do and Re

LaMi: Ti

Marie’s Story

The Master’s Voice: Caveirao

Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants On the Way to School

Soleils

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily*

Timbuktu

Two Days, One Night

Germany

Beloved Sisters

Clouds of Sils Maria

Diplomacy*

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

The Lamb*

Metal Man: The Story of Victor Ries*

The Patent Wars

Que Caramba Es la Vida

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily*

Guana

In Plain Sight

Hungary

Rabbit and Deer

India

1000 Rupee Note

The Immortalists* In Plain Sight

The New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon* On the Way to School*

Origins*

The Patent Wars*

Zakir Hussain: Sessions*

Indonesia

The New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon*

The Wedding Contract: A Balinese Love Story

Iran

316

Ireland

Patrick’s Day

Israel

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Humor

Metal Man: The Story of Victor Ries*

Italy

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly I Can Quit Whenever I Want

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily*

Two Days, One Night

A Woman as a Friend

Japan

The Little House

Tale of Princess Kaguya

Kenya

Gardeners of Eden

On the Way to School*

Luxembourg

Wurst

Mali

Timbuktu*

Mauritania

Timbuktu

Mexico

Bella

The Clean Up*

The Enchanted Lagoon

For Those About to Rock: The Story of Rodrigo y Gabriela

Que Caramba Es la Vida

La Tirisia (Perpetual Sadness)

Morocco

On the Way to School*

Myanmar

Ice Poison

Nepal

Origins*

New Zealand

What We Do in the Shadows

Norway

Demolition: Troll*

Force Majeure

In Order of Disappearance

Patagonia

On the Way to School*

Peru

The New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon*

Portugal

Journey to Cape Verde

Russia

Llama Drama

New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon*

Tin Can

FILMS BY COUNTRY

Sicily

(Italy)

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily

Slovenia

The Right to Love

South Africa

The New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon*

The War Photographers*

South Korea

Ahco on the Road

Enﬁlade*

Spain

10,000 KM (Long Distance)

Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed

The Patent Wars*

Stockholm

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily*

Sweden

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared Demolition: Troll*

Force Majeure

In Order of Disappearance

Smoked Salmon

Switzerland

Clouds of Sils Maria Demolition: Troll*

The Patent Wars*

Yalom’s Cure

Taiwan

Ice Poison

Tanzania

From the Ground to the Cloud Origins*

Tibet

In Plain Sight

Turkey

The Lamb

UK ‘71

Catch Me Daddy

Hide and Seek

The Imitation Game

The Immortalists*

Mr. Turner

New World

Out of the Box

The Patent Wars*

The Theory of Everything

3 Still Standing

Adjust-a-Dream

After the Fall

Ahco on the Road

Ahh...San Francisco

All Is Not Lost

All the Flavors

ALLoT (A Long List of Things)

American Gladiators

Art Is the Tree of Life

Black and White

Bricolage

Bridge to a Border

Capturing Grace

Casting a Stone

Chris

The Clean Up

Clouds of Sils Maria

Confusion Through Sand

Counting the Dead

Demolition: Troll

Disaster Preparedness

Downton By Lamplight

Dracula vs. Frankenstein

Dwight Howard Johnson: Want Me Close

Dying to Know:

Ram Dass & Timothy Leary

Feast

Femto-Management: A Micromentary

Finding the Gold Within

The Fly

For Those About to Rock:

The Story of Rodrigo y Gabriela

Foxcatcher

F R E E

Freestyle

Frogs & Friends

From the Ground to the Cloud

Future Hero

The Future Starts Here

Gardeners of Eden

A Geek Like Me

Get a Horse!

Globe Trot

Gnosis

The Good, the Bad, and the Hipster

Higher Sky

Homeschool Prom

Hoppity Goes to Town (a.k.a. Mr. Bug Goes to Town)

How I Got Over

Hula Hoop

The Imitation Game

The Immortalists

Imperial Dreams

In Memory: A Love Poem from a Son to His Mother

In Plain Sight

Insomnia

The Invisible Peak

Jaco

The Judge

Kirk

Laggies

Lava

The Life and Death of Tommy Chaos and Stacey Danger

Like Sunday, Like Rain

The Longest Daycare

Low Down

Lucky Stiff

Mad God: Part 1

Magician

Men, Women & Children

Metal Man: The Story of Victor Ries

Monster

Ms. Montgomery

The New Environmentalists:

From Ithaca to the Amazon

Ni-Ni

One Night in Hell

One Year Lease

Open The Door

Origins

The Ox

The Page Turners

Pieces of the Fair

Plastic Man:

The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish

Pulling

The Rabbit Whisperer

Racing to Zero: In Pursuit of Zero Waste

Riding My Way Back

Safety Last (excerpt)

St. Vincent

Six

Soul of a Banquet

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back

States of Grace

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily*

Sure Thing

Swimming: Mind, Body, Spirit

The Theory of Everything

Timeless Solutions

Tribute

Uncertain Terms

Unhappily Ever After

The War Photographers

The Wedding Contract: A Balinese Love Story

Wet

What We Do in the Shadows

Whiplash

White Knuckles

Wild

The Young Kieslowski

Zakir Hussain: Sessions

Vietnam

NUOC 2030

FILMS BY FILMMAKER

Abreu, Alê

The Boy and the World

Adamson, Al

Dracula vs. Frankenstein

Affron, Si

Dwight Howard Johnson: Want Me Close

Allen, Jesse

The Clean Up

Alvarado, David

The Immortalists

Améris, Jean-Pierre Marie’s Story

Antonelli, John

The New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon

Ashley, Christopher Lucky Stiff

Assayas, Olivier

Clouds of Sils Maria

Ataman, Kutlug

The Lamb

Axley, Catharine

Counting the Dead

Base, Graeme

The Gallant Captain

Beaver, Christopher

Racing to Zero: In Pursuit of Zero Waste

Binder, Mike

Black and White.

Bloom, Emma

Open the Door

Bloomberg, Robert

Frogs & Friends

Boller, Jeff

A Geek Like Me

Bolster, Brian

One Year Lease

Boxer, Nicole

How I Got Over

Breedlove, Mark Timeless Solutions

Callahan, Matthew C.

Downton By Lamplight

Campos, Robert A.

3 Still Standing

Carlisle, Trey Open the Door

Chayes, Bill Metal Man: The Story of Victor Ries

Chazelle, Damien Whiplash.

Cheng, Eric

Higher Sky

Christen, Laurence Madam Armande

Christoffel, Gwyneth

The Last Leaf

Christopher, Neil

The Orphan and the Polar Bear

.111

.113

136

106

120

.119

136

104

108

136

Ciacedo, Santiago Moving Still

Clark, Alex

Siren

Clement, Jemaine What We Do in the Shadows

Coates, Joanna Hide and Seek

Cohen, Helen S. States of Grace

Coimbra, Fernando A Wolf at the Door

Collier, David F R E E

Costin, Lewis

Enﬁlade.

Coyle, David

Enﬁlade.

Cuccia, Salvo

Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily

Dallaire, Frédérique

Madam Armande

Dardenne, Jean-Pierre

Two Days, One Night

Dardenne, Luc

Two Days, One Night

Dawkins, David

The Wedding Contract: A Balinese Love Story

De Heer, Rolf

Charlie’s Country

Defaye, Christophe

LaMi

Defaye, Olivier

LaMi

Delahaye, Olivier Soleils

Demange, Yann ’71

Derobe, Josephine

Diary of a Fridge

Dillingham, Gay

Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary . .114

Dobkin, David

The Judge

Dolan, Xavier Mommy

Dong, Lukas

Smoked Salmon

Dörrie, Doris

Que Caramba Es la Vida

Dusenbery, Tom

The New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon

Edmonds, Barrett

Ahh...San Francisco

El Zohairy, Omar

The Aftermath of the Inauguration of

Elkabetz, Ronit

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Elkabetz, Shlomi

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Epperlein, Karina

Finding the Gold Within

Farley, William

Plastic Man: The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish

Farmer, Tiffany

Casting a Stone

Finell, Melissa

Disaster Preparedness

Fleischer, Dave

Hoppity Goes to Town

Franco, Alejandro

For Those About to Rock: The Story of Rodrigo y Gabriela

Fryday, Robin

Riding My Way Back

Fuller, Diana Racing to Zero: In Pursuit of Zero Waste

Gallagher, Lara American Gladiators

Giraud, Hélène

Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants.

Gisiger, Sabine Yalom’s Cure

Goddard, John

The Hi De Ho Show

Goelz, Amy

Ms. Montgomery

Grasso, Santiago ‘Bou’

Father

Haghani, Payman 316

Hahn, Tamara

Hall, James One Night

Herngren, Felix

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared

Hickey, Melissa Ni-Ni

Hoinoski, William Wet

Inglis, Hugo Out of

Inglis, Ollie Out of the Box

Iverson, David Capturing Grace

James, Ashley Kirk

Jameson, Jason

One Night in Hell

Jerky, Frank

Six

Jones, Tommy Lee

The Homesman

Jordan, Erica

In Plain Sight

Kateman, Hana

Insomnia

Kayser, Joe

The Page Turners

The Rabbit Whisperer

Keen, Nick

Dwight Howard Johnson: Want Me Close

Kershner, Irvin

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back

Kijak, Stephen

Jaco.

Kim, Soyeon Ahco on the Road

Kiseleva, Tatiana

Tin Can

Klein, Saar

After the Fall

Kleppe, Sebastian

Homeschool Prom

Kochones, Steven

The War Photographers

Kouyaté, Dani Soleils

LaCounte, Mathieu

Swimming: Mind, Body, Spirit

LaFetra, Suzanne

F R E E

Laﬂ eur, Stéphane

Tu Dors Nicole

Lasky, Natasha

The Fly

The Good, the Bad, and the Hipster . .

Lee, Johnny

Unhappily Ever After

Lefkowitz, Lexi

Freestyle.

Leigh, Mike

Mr. Turner

Leone, Sergio

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Lipman, Mark

States of Grace

Litwak, Michael Lukk

The Life and Death of Tommy Chaos and Stacey Danger

LoCicero, Donna

3 Still Standing

Lombardini, Pablo Pérez

The Enchanted Lagoon

Lucchesi, Matías

Natural Sciences

MacMillan, Lauren

Get a Horse

Madden, Danny Confusion Through Sand

Marchand, Paul

Jaco.

Marcondes, Guilherme

The Master’s Voice: Caveirao.

Marques-Marcet, Carlos

10,000 KM (Long Distance)

Marsh, James

The Theory of Everything

Martin, Tess

Hula Hoop

Mathers, Katrina

The Gallant Captain

McHugh, Megan

Demolition: Troll

McMahon, Terry

Patrick’s Day.

Melﬁ, Theodore

St. Vincent

Melies, Georges

The Infernal Cauldron

Merino, Maricarmen

Bella

Miller, Bennett

Foxcatcher

Mirkovich, Sean

121

129

.115

132

136

104

126

.117

130

105

In Memory: A Love Poem from a Son to His Mother.

Moland, Hans Petter

In Order of Disappearance

Mršic, Tomislav

Cowboys.

Murphy, James Ford

Lava

Nguyen Vo, Nghiem-Minh

NUOC 2030

Nilsson, Rob

A Bridge to a Border

Osborne, Patrick

Feast

Oschin, Zachary

Chris

Östlund, Ruben

Force Majeure

Palmer, Dora

Open the Door

Parrinello, Will

The New Environmentalists: From Ithaca to the Amazon

Origins

Peck, Austin

Gardeners

Pepper, Cynthia

Peyon, Olivier How

Phillips, Taylor

Zakir Hussain: Sessions

Picard, Catherine Madam Armande

Plisson, Pascal

On the Way to School

Preiss, Jeff

Low

Prinzler, Hannah Leonie

The Patent Wars

Proudfoot, Ben

The Ox

Quinn, Geoffrey

Art Is the Tree of Life

Qureshi, Anisa

Zakir Hussain: Sessions

Reinisch, Deborah

Sure Thing

Reitman, Jason Men,

Ribeiro, José Miguel

Journey to Cape Verde.

Robbin, Andrew

Pulling

Rose, Mitchell

Globe Trot

Rosenbaum, Peter Riding My Way Back

Salcido, John Tribute

Sanborn, John ALLoT (A Long List of Things)

Sanga, Kerem

The Young Kieslowski

Sathe, Shrihari

1000 Rupee Note

Saunders, Matthew Monster

Schlöndorff, Volker

Diplomacy

Schwartz, Michael

Bricolage

Serry, Ramin

Future Hero

Servin, Soﬁa

Shea, Harrison

Shelton, Lynn

Laggies

Shin, Tiffany

Unhappily Ever After

Shlain, Tiffany

The Future Starts Here

Sibilia, Sydney

I Can Quit Whenever I Want

Sie, Trish

White Knuckles

FILMS BY FILMMAKER

Silver, Nathan

Uncertain Terms

Silverman, David

The Longest Daycare

Sin, Oliver

New World

Sissako, Abderrahmane

Timbuktu

Solano, Jorge Pérez

La Tirisia (Perpetual Sadness)

Sorogoyen, Rodrigo

Stockholm

Steiner, Erich

In the Still of the Night

Stevantoni, Michael

It Is What It Is

Sugar, Jim

Swimming: Mind, Body, Spirit

Sullivan-Marcus, Oona

All the Flavors

Sussberg, Jason

The Immortalists

Sweeney, Martin

Femto-Management: A Micromentary

Szabo, Thomas

Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants.

Takahata, Isao

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Tcheng, Frédéric

Dior and I

Thibault, Alexandra

Madam Armande

Tippett, Phil

Mad God: Part 1

Trueba, David

Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed

Tyldum, Morten

The Imitation Game

Unt, Riho

Miriam’s Kite

Vácz, Péter

Rabbit and Deer

Vallée, Jean-Marc

Wild

Vandenberg, Anneliese

Gardeners of Eden

Vazquez, Pablo

Llama Drama

Venezia, Bob

Pieces of The Fair

Veronesi, Giovanni

A Woman as a Friend

Vitthal, Malik

Imperial Dreams

Vogel, Dylan

Criterion

Vogele, Carlo Wurst

Waititi, Taika

What We Do in

Wang, Wayne Soul of a Banquet

Weicher, Christine

Art

Whaley, Frank

Like Sunday, Like Rain

Wolfe, Daniel

Catch Me

Workman, Chuck

Magician

Wysocki, Jonathan Adjust-a-Dream

Yamada, Yoji The Little House

Gary

Zagreba, Tal Humor

Zemljic, Barbara The

13 Bernard .

142 Throckmorton Theatre

A Party Center

According to Hoyle

Acqua Hotel

Alain Pinel Realtors

Alice @ 97.3 KLLC

American Society of the University of Haifa

Anthony Leite, DDS

Balboa Cafe

Bartenders Unlimited

Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation

Baynetwork

Bellam Self Storage & Boxes

Best Western Plus Corte Madera Inn

Big Jim’s BBQ

Blink Inc.

Bohemian

Bon Air Center

Book Passage

Buildergirl Design & Construction

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

Buzz Photo Booths

Carol Peek

Cavallo Point

Celebrity Cruises

Chambers + Chambers

Charge Across Town

Classical KDFC

Clear Channel Media & Entertainment

Coldwell Banker

Comcast

Comforts

Community Media Center of Marin

Covered Marin

Delicious! Catering

Delta Air Lines

Deutsch Inc.

Dolby Laboratories

Dorallen Davis

East Bay Express

Eileen Fisher

EO Products

Fabrizio Ristorante

Farmshop

Find Festival Jobs

Focus Features

Fort Docs

Frame Crafters Gallery

Frantoio Ristorante & Olive Oil Co.

Frogs Hot Tubs

Georgette Osserman

Ghilotti Construction Co.

Giraffex Graphic Design

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District

176

184

155

41, 46, 47

174

166

162

158

145

141

162

166

190

102

186

138

ADVERTISER

The Grateful Dog, Doggy PlayCare & Wellness Center.

Guideboat Co. .

Guitar Center Studios .

Helen Baldovinos-Morgan Stanley

ICG Magazine

Il Davide Cucina Italiana

Il Fornaio

The Image Flow .

Intel Clubhouse

Jackson Square Partners

Judy’s Breadsticks/Lovesticks

KGO 810

KQED

KRCB

Lagunitas Brewing Company

Lifefactory

Linda Rosso

The Lodge at Tiburon

Lucasﬁlm Ltd.

Maple Lawn Events

Marin Airporter

Marin Art & Garden Center

Marin Community Foundation

Marin County Film Resource Ofﬁce

Marin French Cheese Company

Marin Health and Human Services

Mill Valley Inn

140

167

178

148

102

156

143

162

139

.cover 3

172

178

Waters Edge

Marin Independent Journal

Marin Magazine

Marin Sanitary Service

Marin Suites Hotel

Marin Theatre Company

Maroevich, O’Shea & Coghlan Insurance, Inc.

Michael Hensley Party Rentals

Mill Valley Flowers

Mill Valley Library Foundation and the Friends

Montecito Shopping Center

Mountain Home Inn

MovieMaker Magazine

MUBI

MW General Contracting, Inc.

My Mapbook .

Nordstrom

NorthBay biz Magazine

Nutiva

Ongaro & Sons

Paciﬁc Sun

Pearl’s Phat Burgers

Piazza D’Angelo Ristorante

Pig in a Pickle

175

166

170

.cover 2

.cover 4

140

184

138

164

184

. 98

190

142

163

175

186

FILM and PROGRAM INDEX

5@5 A Matter of Time .........................................104

5@5 La Pistola y El Corazón ................................104

5@5 One Time, One Night .................................104

5@5 Round and Round ........................................105

5@5 Shakin' Shakin' Shakes ................................105

5@5 That Train Won't Stop Here ........................105

5@5 This Bird's Gonna Fly ..................................106

13 ...........................................................................106

10,000 KM (Long Distance) .................................107

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared................107

1000 Rupee Note.................................................107

3 Still Standing .....................................................108

3 Still Standing - On Stage ...................................97 316 .........................................................................108

The 3D Sideshow .................................................106 ‘71 ..........................................................................108

Adjust-a-Dream ...................................................105

After the Fall ........................................................109

The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375 ..............105 Ahco on the Road ................................................105

Ahh...San Francisco .............................................104

All Is Not Lost ......................................................106

All the Flavors .......................................................136

ALLoT (A Long List of Things) ............................109

American Gladiators ...........................................104

Art Is the Tree of Life...........................................109

The Art of Amazing 4K Showcase ......................106

The Art of Life ......................................................109

Bella ......................................................................104

Beloved Sisters .....................................................110

Black and White ....................................................110

The Boy and the World ........................................110

Bricolage ...............................................................128

A Bridge to a Border ............................................111

Capturing Grace ...................................................111

Casting a Stone ....................................................136

Catch Me Daddy...................................................111

Charlie's Country ..................................................112

Chris .......................................................................136

The Clean Up .......................................................104

Clouds of Sils Maria..............................................112

Confusion Through Sand....................................105

Counting the Dead .............................................104

Cowboys ................................................................112

Criterion ................................................................136

Demolition: Troll ..................................................104

Diary of a Fridge ..................................................106

Dior and I ...............................................................113

Diplomacy .............................................................113

Disaster Preparedness ........................................104

Downton By Lamplight .......................................104

Dracula vs. Frankenstein ......................................113

Dwight Howard Johnson: Want Me Close .........136

Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary ......114

The Enchanted Lagoon ......................................104

Enﬁlade .................................................................105

Father ...................................................................105

Feast .....................................................................106

Femto-Management: A Micromentary .............105

Finding the Gold Within ......................................114

The Fly ...................................................................136

For Those About to Rock:

The Story of Rodrigo y Gabriela......................114

Force Majeure .......................................................115

Foxcatcher.............................................................115

F R E E ....................................................................115

Freestyle ...............................................................104

Frogs & Friends ...................................................106

From the Ground to the Cloud ...........................116

Future Hero ..........................................................105

The Future Starts Here ........................................116

The Gallant Captain ............................................106

Gardeners of Eden ...............................................116

A Geek Like Me ...................................................106

Get a Horse!.........................................................106

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem ....................116 Globe Trot .............................................................135

Gnosis ...................................................................105

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ........................117

The Good, the Bad, and the Hipster ..................136

The Hi De Ho Show ..............................................117

Hide and Seek ......................................................117

Higher Sky ............................................................105

Homeschool Prom ................................................136

The Homesman ....................................................118

Hoppity Goes to Town .........................................118

How I Came to Hate Math ...................................118

How I Got Over .....................................................119

Hula Hoop ............................................................106

Humor ...................................................................105

I Can Quit Whenever I Want................................119

Ice Poison ..............................................................119

The Imitation Game .............................................120

The Immortalists...................................................120

Imperial Dreams ...................................................120

In Memory: A Love Poem from a Son to His Mother ...................................................130

In Order of Disappearance..................................121

In Plain Sight .........................................................121

In the Still of the Night ........................................104

The Infernal Cauldron .........................................106

Insight: Ted Hope ..................................................93

Insomnia ................................................................136

The Invisible Peak .................................................101

It Is What It Is ........................................................136

Jaco........................................................................121

Journey to Cape Verde .......................................105

The Judge .............................................................122

Kirk ........................................................................109

Laggies ..................................................................122

The Lamb ..............................................................122

LaMi ......................................................................106

The Last Leaf .........................................................136

Lava .......................................................................134

The Life and Death of Tommy Chaos and Stacey Danger ..........................................105

Like Sunday, Like Rain ..........................................123

The Little House ...................................................123

Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed...........................123

Llama Drama ........................................................106

The Longest Daycare ..........................................106

Low Down ..............................................................124

Lucky Stiff ..............................................................124

Mad God: Part 1 ..................................................105

Madam Armande..................................................132

Magician ................................................................124

The Man Who Loved to Whistle ........................106 Marie's Story .........................................................125

The Master's Voice: Caveirao .............................104

Men, Women & Children .....................................125

Metal Man: The Story of Victor Ries ..................109

Minuscule:

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF RESHAPING CALIFORNIA

GENERAL ENGINEERING CONTRACTOR SERVICES SINCE 1914

Founder James Ghilotti had a personal philosophy that has served the company well to this day. “Do good work, be responsible, and take care of the community and the people who work for you.” Owners and managing partners Dick Ghilotti, Brian Ongaro, and Willie Ghilotti continue to live by the words of their grandfather and great grandfather.

GCC has been recognized for its engineering expertise, dependability, community involvement and high quality projects that stand the test of time. The Ghilotti family will continue to live by their grandfather’s words as they plan for their second 100 years. GCC’s 100th anniversary is dedicated to the late Dino R. Ghilotti, son of Richard and Nancy Ghilotti.

GCC’s expertise is seen throughout Northern California, from Sonoma Raceway to George Lucas’ Big Rock Ranch, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and the new Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa.

TOTAL SITE PREPARATION GRADING AND EXCAVATING PAVING • STORM DRAIN

WATER AND SEWER LINES

EQUIPMENT RENTAL • SOIL STABILIZATION

SITE AND STRUCTURE CONCRETE

UNDERGROUND

CSLB #644515

To the Mill Valley Film Festival, Congratulations on 37 years of sharing the power of storytelling through film.

MVFF37 Program 2014

C ALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE PRESENTS FORNIA INSTITUT

VA L L E Y

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

WELCOME TO THE 37TH MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL!

FROM LA TO SF IN LESS TIME THAN LA TO LA.

CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE Board of Directors

Argo Slumdog Millionaire

The Artist

The King’s Speech

12 Years a Slave

[Tonight’s feature]

MAJOR SPONSORS

CHRISTOPHER B. and JEANNIE MEG SMITH

SPONSORS

THE CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES 2014 SPONSORS

SILVER CIRCLE SPONSORS

FESTIVAL CIRCLE SPONSORS

MAJOR MEDIA SPONSORS

THE CALIFORNIA FILM INS TITUTE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES 2014 SPONSORS

SP E CIAL SUP PORT

H OT EL SPON SORS

FE STIVAL E VE NT SPON SORS

SPONSORS

THE CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES 2014 SPONSORS

CREATIVE SPONSORS

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SPONSORS

PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS

IN-KIND DONORS

THANK YOU

FAST PASS | MVFF

F O CUS¡VIVA EL CINE!

WE’RE PROUD TO SUPPORT

& MILL VALLEY the

FILM FESTIVAL

BRAVO!

NOURISHMENT, SHELTER AND COMPANIONSHIP, STORIES ARE THE THING WE NEED MOST IN THE WORLD.”

SONNEN PORSCHE

VENUES

TICKETS / FEST GUIDELINES

THEATER RULES & Helpful Notes

ARRIVE EARLY

RESERVED SEATS

RUSH TICKETS FOR SOLD-OUT SHOWS

OPENING NIGHT

THE HOMESMAN

OPENING NIGHT GALA FOLLOWS

OPENING

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN

SPECIAL GUESTS: JASON REITMAN and ANSEL ELGORT

ELLE FANNING

LOW DOWN

PROGRAM and PARTY

SWEET and LOW DOWN Portrait of an Artist at 16

SCREENING ROOM

Alain Pinel Realtors

WAYNE WANG and CECILIA CHIANG

SOUL OF A BANQUET

PROGRAM and PARTY

WAYNE WANG and CECILIA CHIANG

AT THE TABLE WITH SOUL OF A BANQUET

WAYNE WANG and CECILIA CHIANG

BLACK AND WHITE

SPECIAL GUEST: MIKE BINDER

PROGRAM and PARTY

YOU ARE PART OF A GREATER COMMUNITY.

PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE MVFF

EDDIE REDMAYNE

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

JENNIFER COSLETT MACCREADY

PROGRAM and PARTY

ABOUT TIME: EDDIE REDMAYNE

CHUCK WORKMAN

MAGICIAN

PROGRAM and PARTY

Chuck Workman, Master of Montage

MORE THAN MEETS the EYE Chuck Workman, Master of Montage

SPECIAL SCREENING and PARTY

LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN

SPECIAL GUESTS: FRANK WHALEY LEIGHTON MEESTER