Mill Valley film fest back to A-list lineup
Nothing is keeping the stars from attending the Mill Valley Film Festival this time. Amy Adams, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law and Danielle Deadwyler are all headed to Marin County.
The California Film Institute unveiled its full program on Sept. 11, giving festivalgoers a peek into the star-studded event scheduled for Oct. 3-13. Among the new additions, Adams is set to receive the MVFF Award at a closing night screening of Alamedaraised filmmaker Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch,” in which she stars as a woman whose maternal instincts begin to manifest in canine form.
As previously announced, Fiennes is expected to attend opening night for a screening of Edward Berger’s Vatican drama “Conclave”; Law is to be the subject of a tribute program, where he is expected to discuss his latest film, “Firebrand”; and a spotlight program is slated to feature Deadwyler and her new film, “The Piano Lesson,” an adaptation of August Wilson’s 1997 play.
The centerpiece film is “Better Man,” in which British pop star Robbie Williams is played by rising star Jonno Davies, who is scheduled to appear in person.
In all, the lineup boasts 129 films from 40 countries, including 77 premieres of various kinds.
Unlike last year, which was affected by the Hollywood strikes of the writers’ and actors’ guilds, and previous pandemic-affected years, there is nothing to hold back talent from attending this time.
“Nothing compares to the magic of watching films on the big screen, sparking conversations and connections that will resonate long after the festival concludes,” said Mark Fishkin, MVFF’s founder and director, in a statement. “Over these many years, I’ve heard from audience members how a single MVFF film has moved them. It doesn’t matter if it was joy or tears — for them the experience was palpable. Our hope is that you leave this year’s festival in a similar way.”
The Mind the Gap Award goes to Mumbaibased filmmaker Payal Kapadia, whose “All We Imagine as Light” won the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Mikey Madison (FX’s “Better Things”) is also the subject of a spotlight for her muchtalked-about turn in Sean Baker’s “Anora”; and Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofia Gascón, Adriana Paz and Edgar Ramírez are all expected to receive the ensemble cast award for the muchanticipated transgender Mexican crime drama “Emilia Pérez.”
But MVFF Director of Programming Zoë Elton also urged festivalgoers not to sleep on the stars and filmmakers of tomorrow.
“A noticeable trend at MVFF47 is the number of first-time feature filmmakers launching their works here, bringing fresh voices to our supportive audience,” Elton said in a statement. “Films like ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and ‘Eastern Western’ by Biliana and Marina Grozdanova offer personal insight through beautifully made narratives. As the industry evolves, festivals like ours play a vital role in supporting the next generation.”
As always, there’s plenty of Bay Area talent in the lineup as well, including veteran Berkeley documentarian Connie Fields’ look at autocratic Hungary in “Democracy Noir”; the World Premiere of D. Damian Panetta’s “Lost in
Time: Druid Heights,” about the former bohemian community near Mill Valley; Fairfax director Natalie Zimmerman’s environmental “Oceania: Journey to the Center”; Berkeley director Jalena Keane-Lee’s “Standing Above the Clouds,” about Native Hawaiian traditions clashing with plans for a huge telescope on sacred Mauna Kea land; and the world premiere
of Orinda filmmaker Julie Rubio’s “The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & the Art of Survival,” about the bisexual 20th century painter.
Early bird tickets and passes were on sale through Sept. 12. General admission tickets went on sale Wednesday, Sept. 18.