2019 Mendocino Film Festival Program Book

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Welcome!

We are delighted to present our Fourteenth Annual Mendocino Film Festival program, featuring 13 films fresh from Sundance, three films from SXSW, two California premieres, and an array of award-winning independent and international films, all in this unforgettable destination.

Claudia Puig MENDOCINO

FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Claudia Puig is the president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and a critic on

NPR’s Film Week. She also teaches a college class on Diversity in the Media and is in demand as a moderator and speaker on film-related panels. In addition, Claudia has a film consulting business specializing in cultural consulting. Previously, she was USA Today’s film critic for 15 years. She also hosted The Screening Room video series and conducted live interviews on the red carpet at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Independent Spirit Awards. Before that, she was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times for 11 years. She has been a speechwriter and diversity consultant for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Claudia has covered the Sundance, Toronto and Cannes film festivals, and has been a juror at dozens of film festivals around the world from Ashland to Zurich. A native Spanish speaker, Claudia has a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA and an M.A. in Communications Management from USC. She was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times as one of the 14 film critics making media more inclusive and is the winner of the Roger Ebert Award for Excellence in Film Criticism from the African-American Critics Association. A passionate film curator, Claudia has chosen an eclectic line-up of diverse, acclaimed, and award-winning new films.

Pat Ferrero is a documentary filmmaker whose films have screened at Sundance, San Francisco, New York, and London International Film Festivals as well as on PBS. She has curated exhibits, was commissioned to make films for the Smithsonian, Carnegie Museum in Pittsburg, Oakland Museum, SF Zen Center and SFMOMA. She taught in an InterArts program for a decade and then 20 years in the Cinema program, in film production, at SF State University before moving to the Mendocino Coast 14 years ago. Pat has been active in helping the Mendocino Film Festival grow from year one and was the fulltime Program Director for six years. She keeps her hand in with a sidebar called “Pat’s Picks.” We are delighted to screen these outstanding films that she handpicked for this year’s program: Satan and Adam, The Silence of Others, and The Shore Line Project.

Cast Your Vote!

audience choice award

Each year, The Mendocino Film Festival invites you, our discerning audience, to determine the Audience Choice Award recipient. The award will be given to the highest-rated feature-length documentary or narrative film. Be sure to fill out the special ballots distributed at each screening. The winner will be announced on our website. Made possible by the generous support of North Coast Brewing Company.

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F E ST I VA L J U RO R S

Sarah Adamson is the weekly film critic for the syndicated radio show Hollywood 360 Radio Network that includes over 90 radio news/talk stations. She’s a member of the Chicago and Broadcast Film Critics Associations, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, an approved Rotten Tomatoes critic, and a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards in LA. Her film reviews and articles also appear in magazines and online. Sarah has taught film criticism and served on numerous film juries. Greg Braxton is an entertainment writer and editor in the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. He is approaching his 40th anniversary at the publication. He has been part of three Pulitzer Prize winning teams, including being a lead reporter of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for its coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. In addition to covering filmmakers, producers and actors, he has written extensively about minority representation in television and film. Vanessa Erazo has always been a big film fan. Growing up bilingual in California, she eventually discovered the rich variety of Latino films but noticed they were hard to find. The search for these movies led her to work for Latino film festivals in San Francisco, New York, and Mexico City. She was the Documentary Programmer at the New York International Latino Film Festival and is now the Editor of Remezcla’s film and television coverage and Co-Founder of Cinelandia, an online guide to Latino movies playing across the U.S. Erik Jambor co-founded Birmingham, Alabama's Sidewalk Film Festival in 1999, serving as director for eight years and growing the event into one of TIME magazine's "Film Festivals For the Rest of Us." He produced the inaugural Birmingham SHOUT in 2006, the first LGBTQ film festival in Alabama. Erik ran the 2007 BendFilm Festival in Bend, Oregon, and served as Executive Director of Indie Memphis from 2008-2014. He returned to Bend in 2016 to focus on the creative side of film festival work as BendFilm's Head of Festival Programming. Regina Meister has an M.F.A. in fiction and has taught both creative and academic writing at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology, San Diego State University, the University of California Riverside, and Mt. San Antonio Community College. She is the Associate Director of Writing Support at Pepperdine/GSEP and has provided numerous writing workshops throughout the years. She was the recipient of the Santa Barbara Arts Foundation Award in fiction in 2000 and is currently working on a novel. Shannon Goodwin Mitchell is returning to MFF after a successful stint as a juror in 2018! She has worked in film publicity for eighteen years, and launched many film campaigns for studios, filmmakers, and festivals. She is currently in her twelfth year with the Telluride Film Festival, serving as Senior Vice President of Public Relations. Prior to that she handled national publicity for the San Francisco Film Festival. Before moving to the Bay Area she worked for Block-Korenbrot Public Relations in Los Angeles for six years.

CONTENTS 3 5 6-9 11 12 13 15 17 18–19 20–23 25 27 28 29 30 31–57 58 59 60 61 62–63

Welcome Festival Jurors Festival Sponsors Tickets Info Special Thanks & Hospitality Partners Festival Members Letter from the Program Director Special Events Opening Night Celebration Festival Partners Spotlight Programs Friday Night Silents Short Films Program Reel Mendo Distinguished Selections Feature Programs Community & Media Partners Production Credits Classic Film Series Festival HQ & Map Festival Schedule

T H E 1 4 TH A N N U A L MENDOCINO FILM F E S T I VA L AT A GLANCE • 54 Films • 50 Screenings • 16 Countries Represented • 2 California Premieres • 13 Sundance 2019 Selections • 3 SXSW 2019 Selections

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PRESENTING SPONSORS

Mary and Mike Schuh PREMIER SPONSORS

MAJOR SPONSORS

Diana Coryat & Ashok Khosla

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TICKETS

PURCHASING TICKETS IN ADVANCE ONLINE

May 1 – June 2, 2019 MendocinoFilmFestival.org/tickets

IN PERSON & BY PHONE

Thursday – Saturday May 2 – May 25, 12 – 4pm Mendocino FIlm Festival Office 45062 Ukiah Street, Mendocino (707) 937-0171

DURING FESTIVAL WEEK Thursday-Sunday May 30 - June 2, 9am - 5pm Festival Headquarters 45101 Ukiah St., Mendocino

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and local checks are accepted for advance sales. ($25 fee for returned checks.) Cash only at the door.

PROCESSING FEE

Processing fee is $1.54 per ticket (web and phone orders only).

PURCHASING TICKETS ON DAY OF SHOW

SOLD OUT? TICKETS AT THE DOOR

At the door one hour before showtime, and at each event during the Festival. One hour before showtime tickets are not available online or at Festival Headquarters, only available at the door. (Subject to availability; cash only at the door.)

Even if advance tickets are no longer available, tickets will be offered at the door when the number of open seats is determined. A rush line for waiting-list tickets may start anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour prior to a given screening. Subject to availability; $12 at the door (cash only).

FILM TICKET PRICES

Regular Screenings Advance Purchase $11 Regular Screenings at the Door $12

SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM TICKET PRICES Friday Night Silents Festival Tent, Friday, May 31, 8:00pm $35. Screening includes live performances paired with silent films. See page 27 for more details. A Tuba to Cuba Crown Hall, Friday, May 31, 8:00pm $25. Screening includes a performance by Mama Grows Funk. See page 25 for more details. Amazing Grace Crown Hall, Saturday, June 1, 8:00pm $25. Screening includes a performance by Zida Borcich & Ira Rosenberg. See page 25 for more details. Children’s Program: The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales Matheson, Saturday, June 1, 10:00am $5 youth (18 and under), $10 adult. See page 25 for more details. A Bread Factory Parts 1 & 2 Matheson, Sunday, June 2, 12:30pm & 3:00pm $18, discount price when Parts 1 & 2 purchased together. Discount not available at the door. See page 35 and 37 for more details.

PAYMENT OPTIONS Cash only at the door.

THE FINE PRINT • Ticket orders are accepted and processed on a first-come, first-served basis. All sales are final. • No refunds, exchanges or substitutions. • Tickets cannot be replaced if lost, stolen, forgotten, or destroyed. • All persons, regardless of age, must have a ticket. • Ticket holders must arrive 20 minutes prior to showtime to be guaranteed a seat. Applies to all ticket and VIP Pass holders. • All events subject to change. On rare occasions, for reasons beyond our control, screenings must be canceled. If a screening is canceled, tickets must be returned to the Festival Headquarters the same day to exchange for another screening or for a refund.

We happily provide services for disabled people. Please contact the Festival Office at (707) 937-0171 for information on access and accommodation. Buy your tickets early! We expect many sold-out shows. Be sure to check our website for updates: www.MendocinoFilmFestival.org

Connect with us: @MendoFilmFest | #MendoFilm 11


Special Thanks Each year, the Festival depends on the support of an ever-growing circle of people. To all who are listed here and to those of you who joined us after the program went to print, we are sincerely grateful to you all.

Community

Hospitality Partners

Since the beginning, local inns, B&Bs, hotels, and individuals have offered our Festival guests the Serena Acker gracious hospitality that is so characteristic of the Mendocino Film Festival. To all of you, we extend Bill and Linda Bjerre our heartfelt thanks; your support makes the Festival possible year after year. Billy Bjerre, Jr. Jamie Buckner INNS & HOTELS IN MENDOCINO PRIVATE HOMES Bob Bushansky Albion River Inn Tess Albin-Smith & Doug Albin Chris Calder Alegria Inn Patricia & Ken Black DeeLynn Carpenter Agate Cove Mary-Ellen Campbell Joy La Claire Andiron Seaside Inn & Cabins Lisa Christgua John and Linda Compisi The Blue Door Group Darlene Clay Julia Kendrick Conway Brewery Gulch Inn Barry Cusick Sharon Davis Cottages at Little River Cove Cheryl Dennett Marc and Cally Dym Headlands Inn Mike & Ruth Dell’ara Tobin Hahn Heritage House Resort George and Mary Ann Dreaper Lisa Hannon Hill House Inn Pat Dunbar Elaine and Eric Hillesland Inn at Buckhorn Cove Jill & Jim Eldridge Tom Honer Inn at Schoolhouse Creek Buzz and Pam Graham Will and Carolyn Jackson Joshua Grindle Inn Claire Ellis & Chuck Greenberg Rush Jones Little River Inn Tina & Jeremy Isenberg Margie Kamb MacCallum House Inn Bill & Gwen Jacobson Joan and Paul Katzeff Mendocino Grove Cathy and Jerry Karabensch Mike and Eula Lenihan Mendocino Hotel Eula and Mike Lenihan Leigh Anne Lindsey The Sea Gull Inn Sue McKinney Mel and Sue McKinney Stanford Inn By the Sea Daphne & Rich Mejia Steve McLaughlin Sweetwater Spa and Inn Margaret Paul Michele & Tim Mullins Nancy Puder Bill Mulvihill INNS & HOTELS IN FORT BRAGG Barb Rice and Grant Miller Noyo Center for Marine Science Volunteers Beachcomber Motel & Spa Andria Richey & Joseph Dalton John Osborne Harbor Lite Lodge Judy and Jim Tarbell Marie Parisi The Holiday Inn Express Elly Vanderbosch William Patterson Noyo Harbor Inn Van Philips The Seabird Lodge Mark Ruedrich George Russell Joe Seta Donna Schuler We are deeply grateful to our many festival members for their Joan and Jeff Stanford support. It is through the contributions of our members that we are able to continue to bring Judy Steele filmmakers and their stories to our community. Dolly and David Steffen Festival Members receive special insider opportunities and benefits including: Sally Stewart • Invitations to special events throughout the year Susan Strange • Early notification of film selections The Estate of Martha Wagner Alice Woelfle • Opportunity to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public Bob Woelfel • Priority Access (Producer level & above) Kira Wojack • VIP Access to all films and special events (Producer level & above) Steve Worthen • Invitations to special filmmaker events (Executive Producer & above)

Plus: All Members receive invitations to our Opening Night Party and Sneak Peek Screening, available exclusively to Festival Members and Sponsors. 12

Visit MendocinoFilmFestival.org to become a member today!


Special Thanks to our wonderful Festival Members PRESENTING Mary and Mike Schuh ______________ STARRING ROLE Pamela & Tom Hudson Sharon & Jerry McMillan Joan & Jeff Stanford Jim & Judy Tarbell EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Linda & Fedele Bauccio Carin Berolzheimer & Mark Farver John Cornacchia Giovanna-Maria DeSimone & David Goldfarb Kathryn & Steve Fields John & Kathryn Hughes Dr. Randy McBride Dr. & Mrs. Richard Louis Miller Dr. Don Paglia Joan Selchau Barry & Gayle Tyerman Sylvia Walker & Ann Walker DIRECTOR Luna Armstrong Barrett & Steve Beasley Peter & Lisa Burtis Peter & Lynn Chevalier Sallie & Tom Costello Michelle & Jim Deering Pat Dunbar Claire Ellis & Chuck Greenberg Roger Gilbert, MD Jean & Otto Graham Lynda & Fred Grill Jacquie Hoffman & Anya Maruscha Cathy & Jerry Karabensh Tom & Julie Kilty Jason Kirkman & Carol Kawase Micki Klearman & Joe Iacocca Leigh Anne Lindsay Virginia & Jim Lyons Carla Markmann & Wayne Gassner Kenneth & Barbara Matheson Jim & Arlene Moorehead Alida Morzenti Fred Provencher & James Thomas Terry & Desiree Ramos Susan & Mike Sandys Alison Teeman & Michael Yovino-Young Linda & Windflower Shear Townley Maria Vargas & Tony DiTirro Marsha Woodbury

PRODUCER Tracy Barrett & Claire Lachance Barry Cusick Hugh Dignon Deborah Fulmor Stacy Houdek Tina & Jeremy Isenberg Marni Kelleher Rod Kelleher Suzanne Lewis Julie Masterson Cheri Osborne & Peter Taylor Ginny Rorby Virginia Taylor Helen & David Troxel Teddy Winslow Nancy & Philip Wolkin Mark & Deena Zarlin CINEMATOGRAPHER Peter Sidell Barbara Barkovich Micky Becker & Pam Gaffney Richard & Tina Biddle Catherine & Terry Booth Karen & Leonardo Bowers Harriet Bye & Silver Mangini Meg Courtney & Bob Bushansky Cecile Currier Gary Greenfield David & Janna Hill Bill & Gwen Jacobson Nancy & Charles Jenkins Linda & John Judd Kay Lanier & Robert Gardner Susan Larkin & Jim Ehlers Robert & Susan Morris Bronwyn & Robert Rhoades Andria Richey & Joe Dalton Jeff & Karen Stubbs Sabine & Jim Swallow Susan Tubbesing & Sarah Nathe Norma Watkins & Les Cizek Sally & Lee Welty Diana Wiedemann & Rebecca Johnson

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Ray Alarcon Steven Antler Ronald Ball Barbara & John Birchard Donn & Carole Chambers Claudia Dheming Paula Doran Anne Eaton-Kemp David Felthousen Pat Ferrero Alinka Flaminia Celeste Flasher Doris Hammer Bob Jetton Michael Jolliffe Deirdre Lamb Diane Larson Kathryn Leaman Debra Lennox Julian Levy Jean Mann Shelley Martin Valerie Miller Lisa Orselli Judy Parker Margaret Paul Tom Pepper Nancy Reynolds Carolina Robb Pamela Rudd Charlotte Saunders Larry Sawyer Susan Seymour Carolyn Shirck Jed Steele Judy Summers Jackie Wollenberg Orah Young Ann Zollinger

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Letter from the Program Director: On celebrating and strengthening community through film Film is a spectacularly communal art form. And film festivals take this celebration of community seriously—some would even say reverently. So it is with near-missionary zeal that we proudly present this year’s film program. We are deeply appreciative of the artistic vision of our filmmakers and thrilled to be presenting this impressive slate to Mendocino audiences. Through film we recognize our common global existence and better understand and empathize with others as we begin to see the depth of their experiences, as well as the obstacles they may face – whether literal walls or psychological and cultural barriers. Great films illuminate and elucidate, and, in the process, encourage compassion. In the best cases, they can transform us. Amazing Grace

Afghan Cycles

Kifaru

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

It’s been said that films are in “conversation” with one another. What a thrilling discussion could be had among such artistic participants as Amazing Grace, with its transcendent gospel music powered by the late, great Aretha Franklin, and Afghan Cycles’ determined young Afghani women breaking with tradition. Knocking down barriers decades before and a world away were their forebears in Maiden, the real-life story of an all-female sailing crew competing in the prestigious Whitbread Round the World Race. Be inspired by the valiant souls in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez working to protect the world’s most endangered sea mammal in Sea of Shadows, as well as the actions of a few dedicated caretakers in Kenya who seek to a stave off the extinction of the white rhinoceros in Kifaru. Join a Chinese-American family who throws a wedding celebration to honor their beloved dying grandmother in the bittersweet comedy The Farewell. What a fascinating conversation might take place between the brilliant novelist in Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am and the Italian operatic tenor from Pavarotti. And oh, to have their colloquy moderated by the eponymous legendary newsman of Mike Wallace is Here. Our lineup for the 14th Annual Mendocino Film Festival is a varied and expansive collection of films, attesting to the wonderfully diverse breadth of the human experience. We are proud to announce that half of the films in this year’s program are made by women or people of color. We hope you will enjoy our cinematic offerings and join the conversation, whether in our filmmaker Q&As, at our discussion panels, or around town, as we come together for another year over our shared love of film.

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SPECIAL EVENTS

Kick-Off Party

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 5-7pm, HERITAGE HOUSE RESORT SPONSORS, VIP MEMBERS, AND INVITED GUESTS Sponsors and VIP Members kick-off the festivities a day early and enjoy hors-d'oeuvres prepared by the Heritage House Inn Chef Fredy Diaz and wine poured by Seebass Winery. Music provided by the Dorian May Trio. For more information on invitations, call (707) 937-0171. Proudly sponsored and hosted by the Heritage House Inn.

A Tribute to Our Members

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 7:00pm, FESTIVAL TENT MEMBERS, SPONSORS, AND INVITED GUESTS Be the first to screen the Short Films Program: Friend or Foe at this special Members’ event, as we raise a glass to the people who make the Mendocino Film Festival possible. Enjoy fine wine from Scharffenberger Cellars at this sneak preview for our most dedicated Festival supporters. See page 12 for more details on the Festival Membership program. Proudly sponsored by Kemgas.

Opening Night Celebration and Chef Showcase

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 5-7pm, HILL HOUSE INN MEMBERS, SPONSORS AND INVITED GUESTS Celebrate the opening night of the 14th Annual Mendocino Film Festival at this exclusive Member and Sponsor event. Enjoy small bites prepared by our top local chefs, locally produced world-class wine, creative cocktails, craft spirits, and beer, accompanied by the Dorian May Quartet. See page 18 for more details. Proudly sponsored by Pamela Hudson Real Estate.

Filmmaker Party

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 5-7pm, NOYO HARBOR INN, FORT BRAGG FILMMAKERS AND SPECIAL GUESTS Enjoy this exclusive filmmaker event in the charming setting of the Noyo Harbor Inn, overlooking the harbor and mouth of the Noyo River in Fort Bragg. Creative appetizers by Fabrice Dubuc served with some of the very best wines in Mendocino: Goldeneye, Domaine Anderson, Fathers and Daughters Cellars, Panthea Winery, and Navarro Vineyards. Shuttle service provided by Sport Chrysler Jeep Dodge. For more information on invitations, call (707) 937-0171. Catered, hosted and proudly sponsored by Noyo Harbor Inn.

Filmmaker Lounge

MAY 30 - JUNE 2, 9am-5pm, FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS Stop by the Filmmaker Lounge, upstairs at Festival Headquarters, to chat with filmmakers and special guests between films, and admire local artworks by Spencer Brewer and Esther Siegel. Also on display, a photography print by Donald McCullough featured on this year’s film festival program book cover. Head down to the Prentice Gallery on Main Street in Mendocino and purchase a raffle ticket to take this stunning framed print home with you. Proudly sponsored by Mendo Sotheby's International Realty.

Mendo After Dark

FRIDAY, MAY 31 - SUNDAY, JUNE 2 ALL DAY - LAST CALL After the last screening of the day, head over to Dick’s Place or Patterson’s Pub for more revelry and some local flavor. Or, continue your film festival experience with a visit to the Smithwood tasting room on Main Street, for a special bubbly treat and high end 1920’s inspired lingerie by Farr West, the designer featured in the hit HBO show Boardwalk Empire. In Fort Bragg, drop in at the Golden West Saloon, Piaci’s Pub, or the North Coast Brewing Company Tap Room. Socialize at these unofficial after-parties and chat about the day’s screenings as we continue the celebration until closing time.

Wrap Party

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 7:00pm, FESTIVAL TENT MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS, & INVITED GUESTS Following Reel Mendo, enjoy one last hurrah with the festival crew and partake in music, dancing, refreshments, and camaraderie as we celebrate the conclusion to another wonderful festival and present this year’s Audience Choice Award. The party just got better with paella by Karina’s Catering! Proudly sponsored by Community First Credit Union.

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OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION Friday Night Silents Returns!

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PAMELA HUDSON REAL ESTATE

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM | HILL HOUSE INN EXCLUSIVE MENDOCINO FILM FESTIVAL MEMBER AND SPONSOR EVENT

Produced by Sonya Houston and Mendocino Weddings Celebrate Opening Night and the return of the Friday Night Silents at this elegant Festival reception. Rendezvous with friends, meet this year’s filmmakers and special guests, and discuss all the films you cannot wait to see during the festival weekend. The reception is spread over both floors of the famous Hill House Inn, immortalized in the TV series Murder She Wrote, starring Dame Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher. Upon entry, guests will be greeted with a glass of Roederer Estate sparkling wine and the cool rhythms of cabaret jazz by the Dorian May Quartet. Make your way upstairs and visit the Pamela Hudson Speakeasy Lounge to grab a vintage cocktail specially made from the finest liquor we could smuggle in, or venture further to enjoy a craft beer by North Coast Brewing Company and a taste of delightful Mendocino County wines. Keep your steady with delectable finger-foods from our local, world-class chefs. When you’ve had your fill of mingling, food and drink, head across the street to the Festival Tent and usher in this year’s film festival with a very special evening of Friday Night Silents, featuring a selection of silent film shorts and live musical accompaniment by our local, widely recognized musicians Alex De Grassi, Ralph Humphrey, DJ Tony De La Torre, and Sunny Cordell and Karl Schoen. For more details on the Friday Night Silents, please see page 27.

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SPOTLIGHT PROGRAMS

The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales

Mama Grows Funk

Zida Borcich

GET DOWN ON THE DANCE FLOOR WITH MAMA GROWS FUNK A Tuba to Cuba FRIDAY, MAY 31, 8:00pm, CROWN HALL, $25 Proudly sponsored by North Coast Brewing Company Get ready to get down on the dance floor with Mama Grows Funk after the screening of A Tuba to Cuba. Mama Grows Funk is Pilar Duran, Rob Marcello, Ui Wesley, Gabriel Yañez, and Paul Schulman. With a refreshing mix of both seasoned veterans and budding upstarts, Mama Grows Funk brings a potent mix of funk, R&B, Latin, and soul influences aimed at uplifting spirits, getting feet to move and making bootys shake. See page 57 for film details.

SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 10:00am, MATHESON $5 CHILDREN, $10 ADULTS Proudly sponsored by Sean Leland State Farm Children of all ages are invited to Saturday Morning Cartoons at Matheson, featuring The Big Bad Bad Fox and Other Tales. The film is three stories in one rousing animated feature: a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays the stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus. Adapted from the acclaimed graphic novel by Benjamin Renner. Rated G. As part of the Children’s Program, Sean Leland State Farm is sponsoring a raffle at the screening. Visit Sean Leland State Farm or the Mendocino Film Festival office to pick up an entry form for your chance to win. See page 37 for film details.

AN EVENING WITH ZIDA BORCICH & IRA ROSENBERG Amazing Grace SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 8:00pm, CROWN HALL, $25 Proudly sponsored by Dick’s Place and Whispering Pines Aretha Franklin had the voice of a generation, and we are pleased to honor her memory with a screening of the lost Sydney Pollack film, the breathtaking Amazing Grace, followed by a live musical performance by IZ Jazz: vocalist Zida Borcich and jazz pianist Ira Rosenberg will perform an eclectic set of music across time in a bow to the legacy of the unforgettable Queen of Soul. See page 33 for film details.

WOMEN’S FILMMAKER PANEL: Where Are We Post #timesup? SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 9:00am, FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS AT ODD FELLOWS HALL—OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Steps have been made, but leaps are needed. We still have a substantial way to go for gender equity in filmmaking, as in most fields. What is the current landscape like for women filmmakers? Has the #timesup movement moved the needle? We ask some of the amazing women filmmakers attending the festival for their views and personal experiences. Discussion topics will include: A comparison on opportunities in the worlds of documentary and narrative films, shorts vs. full length features, independent film vs. mainstream Hollywood. Are newer media and the streaming services any more women-friendly than traditional media? How do women filmmakers break on through to the other side?

DIVERSITY IN FILM PANEL: Life After Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 9:00am, FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS AT ODD FELLOWS HALL—OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Recent studies suggest diversity in TV and film is so bad, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite should probably be changed to #HollywoodSoWhite. So what is happening post Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians? There remains an "epidemic of invisibility" for most minorities, and problems with hiring and representation for people of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, the disabled and those over 55. Experts are calling it an inclusion crisis. We will talk to a diverse group of filmmakers and those who delve into these topics in their films and explore the issue from many perspectives.

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SPOTLIGHT PROGRAMS

FRIDAY NIGHT SILENTS RETURNS! Friday, May 31st, 8:00pm, Festival Tent, $35

Live Cinema in Mendocino, co-produced by Alex Fields and George Russell, and performed by local musicians: DJ Tony de la Torre, Sunny Cordell and Karl Schoen, Alex De Grassi, and Ralph Humphrey. This program is made possible by the generosity of Farr West.

THE PROGRAM DJ Tony de la Torre plays: The Red Spectre 1907. Directed by Segundo de Chamon and Ferdinand Zecca. The Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway 1898/1906. Produced by Edison Company/ Miles Brothers. Canned Thrills (at Coney Island) 1928. Produced by Grantland Rice. Sunny Cordell, tenor saxophone, and Karl Schoen, tenor and baritone saxophones, and flute, play: Forgotten Sweeties 1927. Directed by James Parrott. Written by and Starring Charley Chase. With Anita Garvin. ~ INTERMISSION ~ Alex De Grassi, guitar, plays: The Immigrant 1917. Written and Directed by and Starring Charlie Chaplin. With Edna Purviance. Ralph Humphrey, percussion, plays: Cops 1922. Written and Directed by Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline. Starring Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox, and a cast of many, many dozens of men in blue.

The silent films produced in the first three and a half decades of cinema were rarely silent. From the neighborhood nickelodeons with their pianists to the downtown picture palaces with their wizards of the Wurlitzer and pit orchestras, Alex De Grassi silent films were meant to be accompanied by music. Silent films with live music were a cinematic Esperanto, a true universal language, lost with the coming of soundon-film and dialogue. Their music came from compendiums of lead sheets with titles like “Misterioso” and “Agitato” or from popular or “classical” melodies chosen Ralph Humphrey by their accompanists, whose skill at “playing the picture” determined the success of their musical enhancement. Music composed for short silent films was rare. Only selected films of feature length were accorded a musical score composed especially. In the last forty years, contemporary composers and musicians, both solo and in ensembles, have discovered the deathless language of silent cinema and have given it a new musical voice. This voice has an astonishing range. All manner of instrumentation as well as compositional and improvisational styles, from the traditional to the decidedly un-, have “set” silent films which are eighty, ninety, and over one hundred years old. In skilled hands, these new settings can be both complimentary and exciting. More than eighty percent of the films made before 1930 are considered lost. Tonight’s offering features a variety of short animation, actuality, and comedy films on film, which have survived, accompanied with music performed by local and widely-recognized musicians. This program is dedicated to the memory of my dearest Mendolandian friend, Debra Scott, who, among her many interests when she was in this world, loved live cinema. - George Russell 27


SPOTLIGHT PROGRAMS

SHORT FILMS: FRIEND OR FOE

Peggy

Special Members Screening: Thursday, May 30, 7:00pm Festival Tent Friday, May 31, 5:30pm Festival Tent Saturday, June 1, 10:00am Coast Cinemas (Q&A with filmmakers after screening) LEVEL 4

Directed by Charles Copsey Two first-time criminals find themselves out of luck when their getaway vehicle is clamped up in a multi-story car park. UK. 4 min; Best Short Comedy, Athens Short Film Festival.

RACCOON AND THE LIGHT

Directed by Hanna Kim A raccoon finds a flashlight in the woods. USA. 4 min; Gold Medal for Animation, Student Academy Awards.

THE BROWNLIST

Directed by Ryan W. Garcia and Kelly Walker Writer and star Ursula Taherian takes a series of increasingly desperate measures in her journey to become diverse… enough. USA. 6 min; Jury Award, Best Short Film, Bentonville Film Festival; Official Selection, Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival.

PEGGY

Directed by Justin O’Neal Miller Seemingly perfect Peggy finds her social graces put to the test at her eight-year-old son’s birthday party. USA. 12 min; Audience Award, Best Short, Calgary International Film Festival; Best in Show -Short Film, Rome International Film Festival. 28

This year’s Short Films Program will remind you to call your friends… assuming Mother Nature (or a parking enforcement officer) doesn’t get you first! These hilarious and occasionally hair-raising tales of friends, foes, and frenemies depict dubious alliances that transcend barriers and challenge our assumptions. A young girl and an old sailor at the turn of the century, a nefarious owl, a mother who seemingly has it all, two robbers having a rough day, an adorable raccoon, and our other protagonists and antagonists all have to navigate situations that weren’t in the guidebook. If they’re lucky, they’ll find out who their real friends are before it’s too late. 86 min. Proudly sponsored by The Inn at Newport Ranch. THE BOX

Directed by Eliott Belrose, Carole Favier, Loïcia Lagillier, Aloïs Mathé, Juliette Perrey, and Joran Rivet An old man tries to evict a mouse from his home, only to discover that it’s not as simple a task as it seems. France. 7 min; Best Short Film For Children, Anima Brussels Animation Film Festival.

THE FINAL SHOW

Directed by Dana Nachman We meet Betty Schwartz in the last 2 minutes of her life. After she loses consciousness, she wakes up in The Between, where she must make the hardest decision of her (after)life. USA. 10 min; Audience Award, Best Comedy Short, Woods Hole Film Festival.

MICE, A SMALL STORY

Directed by Jade Baillargeault In a dark subway tunnel, a group of mice find a mysterious gold pull-tab and embark on a Tolkien-esque quest. A scheming owl sends his army of rats to retrieve this strange object. France. 5 min; Short of the Week; Official Selection, Effects Stars International Special Effects Festival.

WHITE GUYS SOLVE SEXISM

Directed by Christopher Guerrero After the Harvey Weinstein scandal breaks, two men are horrified to discover that all of their favorite movies were made by The Weinstein Company. USA. 6 min; Best Dark Comedy, Portland Comedy Film Festival; Official Selection, Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

ONE CAMBODIAN FAMILY PLEASE FOR MY PLEASURE

Directed by A.M. Lukas Czechoslovakian refugee Franka reaches out to the Lutheran Refugee Service in hopes of welcoming a family like hers to a new life in Fargo. Starring Emily Mortimer. USA. 13 min; Nominee for Short Film Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival.

AGE OF SAIL

Directed by John Kahrs When an old sailor adrift and alone in the North Atlantic reluctantly rescues Lara, who has mysteriously fallen overboard from her ship, he finds redemption and hope in his darkest hours. 12 min; Shortlisted for a 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.


SPOTLIGHT PROGRAMS

REEL MENDO

Sunday, June 2, 5:30pm, Festival Tent (Q&A with filmmakers after screening) $11 in advance, $12 at the door

Spring in the Valley

Join us as we once again conclude our festival by celebrating our local creative community with this selection of films from our finest local filmmakers. Learn more about the region and coastal culture through the lens of these captivating projects by our own homegrown talent. Following the program, stay and engage in what is always an interesting Q&A with the filmmakers themselves. 68 min. Proudly sponsored by Diana Coryat & Ashok Khosla.

A Great Ride

A GREAT RIDE

Directed by Deborah Craig and Véronica Duport Déliz When they were young these women forged a social movement to come out as true to themselves. Now they face the next daunting challenge, growing old. They are pioneers once again, courageous role models for aging, with an independent and irreverent spirit and a heartening delight in living. 30 min.

STARDUST IN THE WIND

Stardust in the Wind

Directed by Laurie York The passage of time, light and movement are observed in a Northern California coastal garden in this short film by Mendocino Coast Films. 3 min.

VAGABONG — THE AMERICAN PIPE DREAM

Directed by JD Maplesden and Galen Oakes; edited by Nelsen Brazill Follow glass artist JD Maplesden on a journey down the West Coast for a peek into the expanding community of cannabis culture and functional glass artwork. 32 min.

SPRING IN THE VALLEY Vagabong

Directed by Kellen Lim A celebration of Spring after a long winter storm in 2017. Shot and edited with a traditional Irish folk melody, this beautifully moving montage is an attempt to capture the life and beauty within the pristine landscape of rural Anderson Valley. 3 min.

Spring in the Valley 29


DISTINGUISHED SELECTIONS

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SUNDANCE 2019 SELECTIONS

Fresh from Sundance, these 13 popular films will screen at the Mendocino Film Festival:

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Always in Season. Directed by Jacqueline Olive. Matheson, Saturday, June 1, 5:30 pm. See page 33 for more details. The Biggest Little Farm. Directed by John Chester. Festival Tent, Saturday, June 1, 10:00 am. See page 33 for more details. Birds of Passage. Directed by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra. Coast Cinemas, Saturday, June 1, 5:30 pm. See page 35 for more details. David Crosby: Remember My Name. Directed by A.J. Eaton. Coast Cinemas, Friday, May 31, 3:00 pm & Coast Cinemas, Sunday, June 2, 12:30 pm. See page 39 for more details. The Farewell. Directed by Lulu Wang. Coast Cinemas, Saturday, June 1, 8:00 pm & Coast Cinemas, Sunday, June 2, 3:00 pm. See page 39 for more details. Maiden. Directed by Alex Holmes. Coast Cinemas, Saturday, June 1, 10:30 am. See page 45 for more details. Midnight Traveler. Directed by Hassan Fazili. Crown Hall, Friday, May 31, 3:00 pm. See page 47 for more details. Mike Wallace is Here. Directed by Avi Belkin. Coast Cinemas, Saturday, June 1, 10:15 am. See page 47 for more details. Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements. Directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky. Coast Cinemas, Friday, May 31, 8:00 pm & Crown Hall, Saturday, June 1, 3:00 pm. See page 49 for more details. One Cambodian Family Please for my Pleasure. Directed by A.M. Lukas. Featured in the Short Films Program: Friend or Foe. See page 28 for more details. Sea of Shadows. Directed by Richard Ladkani. Crown Hall, Friday, May 31, 5:30 pm. See page 53 for more details. Them That Follow. Directed by Britt Poulton & Dan Madison Savage. Matheson, Friday, May 31, 5:30 pm & Matheson, Saturday, June 1, 8:00 pm. See page 55 for more details. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am. Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. Coast Cinemas, Saturday, June 1, 12:30 pm. See page 57 for more details.

SXSW 2019 SELECTIONS We are delighted to screen three South by Southwest Film Festival 2019 selections: Maiden. Directed by Alex Holmes. Coast Cinemas, Saturday, June 1, 10:30 am. See page 45 for more details. The River and the Wall. Directed by Ben Masters. Festival Tent, Friday, May 31, 3:00 pm & Festival Tent, Sunday, June 2, 12:30 pm. See page 51 for more details. A Tuba to Cuba. Directed by T.G. Herrington & Danny Clinch. Crown Hall, Friday, May 31, 8:00 pm. See page 57 for more details.

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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

NARRATIVE

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY/FILM ON THE ARTS

This program is made possible by the generosity of Paulson Excavating, Inc.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Kevin Davenport, Attorney at Law.

This program is made possible by the generosity of The Color Mill.

THE 12TH MAN

AFGHAN CYCLES

AI WEIWEI: YOURS TRULY

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 8:00pm, FESTIVAL TENT SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 10:00am, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 10:30am, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 10:00am, MATHESON $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Director: Sarah Menzies

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Countries of Origin: USA/France/Afghanistan

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

__________________________________

Director: Harald Zwart Country of Origin: Norway Distinctions: Winner, Best Visual Effects, Amanda Awards Norway; Official Selection, Phoenix Film Festival 2018.

This breathtaking action adventure tells an incredible true-life story of heroism and a man’s unbreakable will to live. Norway, 1943: after a failed anti-Nazi sabotage mission leaves his eleven comrades dead, Norwegian resistance fighter Jan Baalsrud finds himself on the run from the Gestapo through the snowbound Arctic reaches of Scandinavia. It’s a harrowing journey across unforgiving, frozen wilderness that will stretch on for months—and force Jan to take extreme action in order to survive. With gut-punching realism and vivid psychological immediacy, director Harald Zwart pays tribute to one man’s extraordinary courage— and to the everyday heroes who helped him along the way. Jonathan Rhys Meyers costars. In Norwegian and German with English subtitles. 135 min.

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Distinctions: Winner Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary, Seattle International Film Festival 2018; Winner Best Documentary Feature Brooklyn Film Festival 2018.

What lengths would you go to in order to ride a bicycle? Following a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists, Afghan Cycles uses the bicycle to tell a story of human rights and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis, from discrimination to abuse, to the oppressive silencing of their voices in all aspects of contemporary society. These women ride despite cultural barriers, despite limited infrastructure, and despite death threats, embracing the power and freedom that comes with the sport. Afghan Cycles follows members of the National Cycling Team in Kabul, and young riders in the Bamiyan region who are using mountain bikes to commute to school and run errands. For all of them, the bicycle is a symbol of freedom. In Dari with English subtitles. 89 min.

__________________________________

Director: Cheryl Haines Countries of Origin: USA Distinctions: California Premiere, Mendocino Film Festival 2019.

Following his detention by Chinese authorities, outspoken artist/activist Ai Weiwei transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The exhibition engaged 900,000 visitors about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world. Yours Truly, a piece in the exhibit, invited visitors to compose messages of hope on postcards to prisoners incarcerated or exiled due to their beliefs, affiliations, and nonviolent expressions of dissent. The film follows these postcards around the globe as director Cheryl Haines meets with former prisoners of conscience and their families to discuss their impossible choices and the comfort they found in messages sent by people they would never meet. The film explores Ai Weiwei’s inspiration for the project. Interviews with the artist, his mother, and lifelong friends uncover the touching story of a childhood spent in exile. Ultimately, the film is a call to action, extending the reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking viewers to take to heart the issue of global human rights. In Mandarin and English with English subtitles. 76 min.

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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

DOCUMENTARY

SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM/DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY

This program is made possible by the generosity of Lee Edmundson & Phillip Jago REMAX.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Dick’s Place & Whispering Pines.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Linda & Fedele Bauccio.

ALWAYS IN SEASON

AMAZING GRACE

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 5:300pm, MATHESON $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 8:00pm, CROWN HALL $25

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Producer: Alan Elliott

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 10:00am, FESTIVAL TENT $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Country of Origin: USA

Director: John Chester

Director: Jacqueline Olive

Distinctions: Official Selection, DOC NYC 2018.

Country of Origin: USA

__________________________________

Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Winner, U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award, Sundance Film Festival 2019.

Always in Season explores the lingering impact of more than a century of lynching African Americans and connects this form of historic racial terrorism to racial violence today. The film centers on the case of Lennon Lacy, an African-American teen found hanging from a swing set in Bladenboro, North Carolina, on August 29, 2014. Despite inconsistencies in the case, local officials quickly ruled Lennon’s death a suicide, but his mother, Claudia, believes Lennon was lynched. Claudia moves from paralyzing grief to leading the fight for justice for her son. Lennon’s case, and the suspicions surrounding it, intersect with stories of other communities seeking justice and reconciliation. A few hundred miles away in Monroe, Georgia, a diverse group of reenactors, including the adult daughter of a former Ku Klux Klan leader, annually dramatize a 1946 quadruple lynching to ensure the victims are never forgotten. As the terrorism of the past bleeds into the present, the film asks: what will it take for Americans to begin building a national movement for racial justice and reconciliation? 89 min.

__________________________________

Called “one of the most famous films never released,” Amazing Grace, is the thrilling Aretha Franklin concert film that documents the famed Queen of Soul’s two-night performance with James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir at a Baptist church in Watts, before a packed audience of appreciative fans, including Mick Jagger. The film was made by Oscar-winning director and one of the founders of the Mendocino Film Festival Sydney Pollack, yet had remained unseen and unfinished for 46 years. Audiences will finally see Franklin sing a mix of gospel standards and contemporary songs as well as the iconic title track. The documentary languished in a vault for over three decades until producer Alan Elliott, supervised the completion of the film and remastered the soundtrack. 87 min. The screening will be followed by a performance featuring Zida Borcich & Ira Rosenberg. See page 25 for more details.

__________________________________

Distinctions: Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2019; Audience Favorite, Mill Valley Film Festival 2018; Audience Award Winner, Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019.

A testament to the immense complexity of nature, The Biggest Little Farm follows two dreamers and a dog on an odyssey to bring harmony to both their lives and the land. Evicted from their tiny LA apartment, John and Molly Chester make a choice that takes them out of the city and onto 200 acres in the foothills of Ventura County, naively endeavoring to build one of the most diverse farms of its kind in coexistence with nature. The land they’ve chosen, however, is utterly depleted of nutrients and suffering from a brutal drought. The film chronicles eight years of daunting work and outsize idealism as they attempt to create the utopia they seek, planting 10,000 orchard trees and over 200 different crops, bringing in animals of all kinds– including an unforgettable pig named Emma and her best friend, Greasy the rooster. When the farm’s ecosystem finally begins to reawaken, so does the Chesters’ hope – but as their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, they realize that to survive they will have to reach a far greater understanding of the intricacies and wisdom of nature. 91 min.

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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S SCREENED TOGETHER

NARRATIVE

MUSIC VIDEO

NARRATIVE

This program is made possible by the generosity of Wagner Photo Art.

This program is made possible by the generosity of KGUA Public Media & Native Media Resource.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Braggadoon.

BIRDS OF PASSAGE

miracle

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 5:30pm, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

PRECEDES BIRDS OF PASSAGE

A BREAD FACTORY PART 1: FOR THE SAKE OF GOLD

Directors: Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra

Country of Origin: USA

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 12:30pm, MATHESON $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Indigenous people continue to lead the fight against big corporations who only wish to profit at the expense of the people’s wellbeing in the fight for clean water. The fight continues in this hard-hitting visual masterpiece where Supaman teams up with Grammy-nominated Maimouna Youssef from the Choctaw nation to inspire, educate, motivate, and encourage the global fight to clean water. 5 min.

$18 DISCOUNT PRICE WHEN PARTS 1 & 2 PURCHASED TOGETHER. DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR.

__________________________________

Country of Origin: Colombia Distinctions: Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival 2018; Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival 2018; Winner Best Film, Havana Film Festival.

Torn between his desire to become a powerful man and his duty to uphold his indigenous culture’s values, Rapayet (José Acosta) enters the drug trafficking business in the 1970s and finds quick success in the marijuana industry, despite tribal matriarch Ursula’s (Carmiña Martínez) initial disapproval. Ignoring ancient omens, Rapayet and his family get caught up in a conflict where honor is the highest currency and debts are paid with blood. A sprawling epic about the erosion of tradition in pursuit of material wealth, Birds of Passage is a visually striking exploration of loyalty, greed, and the voracious nature of change. In Spanish with English subtitles. 125 min.

__________________________________ Director: Jihan Hafiz

__________________________________

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Director: Patrick Wang Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Nominated John Cassavetes Award & Best Supporting Female, Film Independent Spirit Awards 2019.

Forty years ago, Dorothea (Tyne Daly) and Greta (Elizabeth Henry-Macari) moved to the town of Checkford and bought an abandoned bread factory. They transformed it into an arts space that hosts movies, plays, dance, and exhibits. It’s where civic groups and immigrant communities can meet, and the site of after-school programs for local kids. Now a celebrity couple—performance artists from China—have come to Checkford and constructed a huge building, the FEEL Institute. Dorothea and Greta learn about a new proposal to give all the funding from the school system for their children’s arts programs to the FEEL Institute. Without this funding, the Bread Factory will not survive. They quickly rally the community to save their space. The commercial forces behind the FEEL Institute fight also, bringing a young movie star to town to help make their case. The school board meeting turns into a circus where the fate of the Bread Factory hangs in the balance. 122 min. PART 2 SCREENS AT 3:00pm.

35


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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

NARRATIVE

SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM

NARRATIVE

This program is made possible by the generosity of the Mendocino Art Center.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Sean Leland State Farm Insurance.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Frankie’s Pizza & Sallie Mac.

A BREAD FACTORY PART 2: WALK WITH ME A WHILE

CHILDREN’S PROGRAM: THE BIG BAD FOX AND OTHER TALES

COLLISIONS

__________________________________

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 3:00pm, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 3:00pm, MATHESON $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 10:00am, MATHESON $5 YOUTH, $10 ADULT

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

$18 DISCOUNT PRICE WHEN PARTS 1 & 2 PURCHASED TOGETHER. DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR.

Directors: Benjamin Renner and Patrick Patrick Imbert

Director: Richard Levien

Country of Origin: France

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Distinctions: Best French Feature Film, Annecy International Animated Film Festival; Best Animated Film, César Awards; Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival.

Distinctions: Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, SF IndieFest 2019; Audience Favorite Award, Mill Valley Film Festival 2018.

__________________________________

Director: Patrick Wang Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Nominated Best Picture, Best Ensemble, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, International Cinephile Society 2019.

The small New York town of Checkford hasn’t been the same since a momentous school board meeting. Mysteriously, the reporter who runs the local newspaper disappears. Bizarre tourists start to show up, then come mysterious tech start-up workers. With all the new people, real estate is booming. Amidst all these distractions, Dorothea and Greta try to continue their work. They are rehearsing a production of Hecuba by Euripides. On the day they open the play, Dorothea gets the news that the Bread Factory will lose an essential piece of their funding. The beautiful opening night performance plays to a tiny audience. Brokenhearted, Dorothea and Greta must decide whether to give up their work at the Bread Factory because their community and support has disappeared, or to continue the struggle to build community through art. 120 min.

If you think life in the country is a walk in the park, think again! The countryside isn’t always as calm and peaceful as it’s made out to be, and the animals on this farm are a particularly agitated bunch: a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays the stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus. Directors Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert adapt Renner’s acclaimed graphic novel into a delightfully madcap triptych of interlocking stories, with a pacing and visual spontaneity that harkens back to classic Looney Tunes shorts. But underneath the gags (and there are plenty of them), the three stories offer a sensitive and beautiful portrayal of family and the anxieties of modern life. Rated G. 83 min. See page 25 for details.

__________________________________

Country of Origin: USA

When twelve-year-old Itan, straight-A-smart, comes home from school in San Francisco, she is stunned to find their furniture upended, and no trace of her mother, Yoana. Child Protective Services dumps Itan and her six-year-old brother, Neto, with their estranged uncle Evencio, a big rig truck driver. Itan can't stand him. He's arrogant, unreliable, and possibly criminal. After a desperate search, Itan locates her mom in an immigration detention center in Arizona and convinces Evencio to take them there. They are propelled onto the road in Evencio’s truck, through the maddening labyrinth of immigration detention. Itan fights to free her mother before she is deported. But her mom keeps slipping from her grasp, as she is transferred from prison to prison. Their journey takes them through the deserts of the southern border, to sprawling truck stops, border patrol offices, and secret immigration prisons. Relations with their uncle Evencio are strained. Will the kids end up alone, or will Evencio help them reunite the family? 90 min.

PART 1 SCREENS AT 12:30pm.

37



F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

DOCUMENTARY

NARRATIVE

NARRATIVE

This program is made possible by the generosity of KOZT The Coast.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Rossi Building Materials.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Cafe Beaujolais.

DAVID CROSBY: REMEMBER MY NAME

DOGMAN

THE FAREWELL

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 5:30pm, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 8:00pm, COAST CINEMAS SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 3:00pm, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

__________________________________ FRIDAY, MAY 31, 3:00pm, COAST CINEMAS SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 12:30pm, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Director: A.J. Eaton Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Winner, Best Visual Effects, Amanda Awards Norway; Official Selection, Phoenix Film Festival 2018.

A revealing and deeply personal documentary exploring the life and creative renaissance of music icon David Crosby. A cultural force for over fifty years, Crosby faced an uncertain future after the 2015 dissolution of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Racked with health issues and personal obstacles, Crosby forged a new path at the age of 77. Seeking out younger musicians and recording a pair of criticallypraised new albums, Crosby now sets out to make a mark in a world now so different from the generation he came to define in the 60’s. With unflinching honesty, self-examination, regret, fear, exuberance and an unshakable belief in family and the transformative nature of music, Crosby shares his often-challenging journey with humor and bite. You thought you knew him. Meet David Crosby now in this portrait of a man still tilting against every windmill, with everything but an easy retirement on his mind. This inspirational story, filled with music, will speak to loyal fans, and legions of new ones. 95 min.

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Director: Matteo Garrone Country of Origin: Italy Distinctions: Winner Best Actor, Cannes Film Festival 2018; Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival 2018.

In a seaside village on the outskirts of a southern Italian city, where the only law seems to be survival of the fittest, Marcello is a slight, mild-mannered man who divides his days between working at his modest dog grooming salon, caring for his daughter, Alida, and being coerced into the petty criminal schemes of the local bully, Simoncino, an unstable, abusive ex-boxer who terrorizes the neighborhood. When Simoncino’s abuse finally brings Marcello to a breaking point, Marcello decides to stand up for his own dignity through an act of vengeance with unintended consequences. In Italian with English subtitles. 103 min.

__________________________________

Director: Lulu Wang Countries of Origin: USA/China Distinctions: Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2019, Winner Directors to Watch, Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019.

After learning their beloved matriarch has terminal lung cancer, a family opts not to tell her about the diagnosis, instead scheduling an impromptu wedding-reunion back in China. Headstrong and emotional writer Billi (Awkwafina) rebels against her parents’ directive to stay in New York and joins the family as they awkwardly attempt to rekindle old bonds, throw together a wedding that only grandma is actually looking forward to, and surreptitiously say their goodbyes. A heartfelt celebration, The Farewell masterfully interweaves a gently humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a thoughtful exploration of how our cultural heritage does and does not travel with us when we leave our homes. Writer/director Lulu Wang imbues The Farewell with warmth and knowing wit, while the uniformly excellent ensemble cast invites us to share this extended clan’s joy and sorrow—and to feel, for the length of this remarkable film, like a part of their family. In English and Mandarin with English subtitles. 98 min.

39


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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY/FILMS FOR OUR FUTURE

This program is made possible by the generosity of Farr West.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Neartown Animal Clinic.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Mendocino Solar Service.

FRIDAY NIGHT SILENTS

GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH

GUARDIAN

__________________________________ FRIDAY, MAY 31, 8:00pm, FESTIVAL TENT $35

Co-producers: George Russell and Alex Fields

The silent films produced in the first three and a half decades of cinema were rarely silent. From the neighborhood nickelodeons with their pianists to the downtown picture palaces with their wizards of the Wurlitzer and pit orchestras, silent films were meant to be accompanied by music. Join us for an evening of short silent films with live accompaniment in new musical settings performed by Alex de Grassi, DJ Tony de la Torre, Sunny Cordell, Karl Schoen, and Ralph Humphrey. See page 27 for more details.

__________________________________ SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 12:30pm, FESTIVAL TENT $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

__________________________________ SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 5:30pm, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Director: Courtney Quirin

Director: David Charles Rodrigues

Country of Origin: USA

Country of Origin: USA

Distinctions: Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature, SF IndieFest 2019.

Distinctions: World Premiere, Tribeca Film Festival 2019; California Premiere, Mendocino Film Festival 2019.

In response to a wave of discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws in Southern states and the divisive 2016 election, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarks on a tour of the American Deep South. Led by Gay Chorus Conductor Dr. Tim Seelig and joined by The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir; the tour brings a message of music, love and acceptance, to communities and individuals confronting intolerance. Over 300 singers travelled from Mississippi to Tennessee through the Carolinas and over the bridge in Selma. They performed in churches, community centers and concert halls in hopes of uniting us in a time of polarization. The journey also challenges Tim and other Chorus members who fled the South to confront their own fears, pain and prejudices on a journey towards reconciliation. What emerges is a less divided America, where the lines that divide us; faith, politics, sexual identity are erased through the soaring power of music, humanity and a little drag. 100 min.

In the depths of Canada's Great Bear Rainforest we meet Doug Stewart, the oldest member of a dwindling stock of stewards called "Guardians." Part hermit, part biologist, Guardians live on boats full-time in the wilderness to monitor salmon, the crux of the economy, culture and ecosystem along British Columbia's coast. Data collected by Guardians are the building blocks of science that has allowed the region to emerge as one of the world's best-managed fisheries and critical biological hotspot. However, that could soon change. A decade of environmental legislative rollbacks has crippled this century-old program while paving the way for oil and natural gas. This documentary tackles the consequences of the erosion of science and environmental management. 85 min.

41


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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY

NARRATIVE

This program is made possible by the generosity of Queenie’s Roadhouse Cafe.

This program is made possible by the generosity of B. Bryan Preserve & Rudy Vedovell.

This program is made possible by the generosity of John & Kathryn Hughes.

HOLLY NEAR: SINGING FOR OUR LIVES

KIFARU

LIFE & NOTHING MORE

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 3:00pm, FESTIVAL TENT $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 3:00pm, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Q&A WITH DR. DON PAGLIA, UCLA FULBRIGHT SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR STUDYING DISORDERS OF RHINOCEROSES AND OTHER EXOTIC WILDLIFE

Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza

__________________________________ SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 5:30pm, FESTIVAL TENT $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Director: Jim Brown Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Winner Audience Favorite Music Film, Mill Valley Film Festival 2018.

Singer, songwriter, and social activist Holly Near has been performing for well over 50 years and in the process has created a unique soundtrack for the feminist peace and justice community. From small-town Northern California to sold-out shows on some of the most iconic stages to million-person peace marches, Singing for Our Lives documents the story of the activist and her art. It also serves as an important testament to a time—a time of protest and coalition building, and the weaving of a multicultural consciousness always rooted in contemporary activism. Featuring Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, the late Ronnie Gilbert, and the late Tom Hayden with appearances by Pete Seeger, and others, this film, directed by Jim Brown (The Weavers: Wasn’t That a Time!), elevates Near to her deserved status of iconic artist and activist, and speaks to anyone who believes in peace, justice, feminism, and humanity. 63 min.

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Director: David Hambridge Countries of Origin: USA/Kenya Distinctions: Winner Grand Jury Prize, Slamdance 2019; Winner Audience Award, Slamdance 2019.

Native to the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, the gentle giant rhinoceros is imperiled from every direction. Tragically, poachers and trophy hunters relentlessly hunt them for their horns. As precarious as the situation is for all rhinos, species extinction looms for the last remaining northern white rhino. Kifaru follows the lives of two young Kenyan recruits who join Ol Pejeta Conservancy's rhino caretaker unit—a small group of rangers that protect and care for Sudan, the last male northern white rhino in the world. Spanning over the course of the caretakers first four years on the job, Kifaru allows viewers to intimately experience the joys and pitfalls of wildlife conservation firsthand through the eyes of these Kenyan rhino caretakers who witness extinction happening in real-time.

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Countries of Origin: Spain/USA Distinctions: Winner Film Independent Spirit Awards, John Cassavetes Award 2018; San Sebastian International Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize winner.

In his remarkable second feature, Spanishborn filmmaker Antonio Méndez Esparza follows up his debut drama Aquí y Allá with a sensitive portrait of working-class people struggling in the margins of society. Stressed by the mounting pressures of raising two children and fighting to get by on minimum wage, single mother Regina (Regina Williams) longs for more to her life than constant work, while attempting to instill in 14-yearold Andrew (Andrew Bleechington) the values that she hopes will prevent him from winding up in prison like his father. Andrew yearns, too, for his absent father and a sense of purpose, driving him towards a dangerous crossroads that threatens to upend the tenuous balance Regina tirelessly endeavors to maintain. Méndez Esparza employs documentary-style realism in this emotionally rich snapshot of race, class, and the bonds of family in contemporary America. 114 min.

In Swahili with English subtitles. 76 min.

43


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44


F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY

NARRATIVE

This program is made possible by the generosity of Applewood Property Management.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Sport Chrysler Jeep Dodge.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Leonard Moore Co-Op.

LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE

MAIDEN

MDMA

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 10:30am, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 12:30pm, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Director: Alex Holmes

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

__________________________________ SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 10:00am, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

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Director: Gustavo Salmerón

Country of Origin: UK

Country of Origin: Spain

Distinctions: Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival 2019; Official Selection, SXSW 2019; Official Selection, Tribeca Film Festival 2019.

Distinctions: Best Documentary, Goya Awards 2018; Audience Award, Raices Film Festival 2018; Official Selection, San Francisco International Film Festival 2018.

This big-hearted, whimsical documentary with the mouthful of a title is a favorite at film festivals around the world. Ever since she was a young bride, matriarch Julita Salmerón has had 3 heartfelt wishes: to have lots of kids, a monkey, and a castle. Over the course of her long life, all 3 wishes were granted. This loving and often hilarious documentary portrait is directed by Julita’s son Gustavo, who deftly captures his octogenarian mother’s eccentricities and the family’s boisterous nature, as well as its ups and downs. After the financial crisis hits Spain the family loses the castle, but not their sense of humor and family unity. Through the wealth of hoarded objects she has accumulated over 81 years, a rich family portrait is revealed. In Spanish with English subtitles. 90 min.

Maiden is the inspirational story of how Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook on charter boats, became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. Tracy’s dream was opposed on all sides: her male competitors thought an all-women crew would never make it, the chauvinistic yachting press took bets on her failure, and potential sponsors rejected her, fearing they would die at sea and generate bad publicity. But Tracy refused to give up: she re-mortgaged her home and bought a second-hand boat, putting everything on the line to ensure the team made it to the start line. With the support of her remarkable crew she went on to shock the sport and prove that women are the equal of men. This rousing real-life feminist adventure tale features wonderfully candid interviews from Tracy Edwards and crew members looking back on their excellent adventure interspersed with powerful firsthand footage shot by those on the crew. 97 min.

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Director: Angie Wang Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Winner, Best Directress Angie Wang, Film Threat Award This! 2019; Winner Best Indie Film & Best First Time Director, Olympus Film Festival 2019.

Raised by her strict father in an urban neighborhood, Angie Wang (Annie Q.) is accepted into a prestigious university in the early 1980s. The sudden jolt from hardship to privileged campus life proves to be a challenge. When her financial aid is cut, she uses her book and street smarts, along with the school resources to synthesize the growing popular drug, Ecstasy. Angie becomes one of the west coast's largest distributors of 'X," cutting deals on campus and in posh nightclubs. Her dual life as the Asian 'model minority' coed and profit-driven drug dealer is further complicated by her desire to help Bree, a girl from one of the bay area's most infamous ghettos who reminds her of her own dark past. Angie lives the high life until her recklessness instigates a sudden tragedy from which she may not recover. Written and directed by Angie Wang, MDMA is an autobiographical period drama that offers the unique perspective of a workingclass, Asian-American woman scrambling for status in a world of white, west-coast privileged. 98 min.

45


PRENTICE

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by Janis Porter

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www.prenticefineart.com 46


F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY

This program is made possible by the generosity of Rainsong Shoes & Clothing.

This program is made possible by the generosity of John Cornacchia.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Mendocino Travelers Guide.

MEETING GORBACHEV

MIDNIGHT TRAVELER

MIKE WALLACE IS HERE

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 10:00am, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 3:00pm, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 10:15am, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Directors: Werner Herzog and André Singer

Director: Hassan Fazili

Director: Avi Belkin

Countries of Origin: UK/USA/Germany

Countries of Origin: USA/Qatar/Canada/UK

Country of Origin: USA

Distinctions: Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival 2018; Official Selection, Telluride Film Festival 2018.

Distinctions: World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award, Sundance Film Festival 2019; Second Place, Panorama Audience Award, Berlin International Film Festival 2019.

Distinctions: Official Selection, Sundance 2019.

__________________________________

Now 87, Mikhail Gorbachev speaks like a man with nothing to lose. He is respected more outside Russia than inside, where he's blamed for the Soviet Union's breakup in 1991. He laments that "we didn't finish the job of democracy in Russia." And he worries that others took the wrong lessons from perestroika: "Americans think they won the Cold War and this went to their head. What victory?" Directors Werner Herzog and André Singer trace Gorbachev's rise in the Communist party, being named President of the USSR, facing the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, negotiating with Ronald Reagan to reduce nuclear weapons, fostering Germany's reunification, and navigating the tumultuous years of glasnost. We see Gorbachev as a statesman and as a human, especially when he speaks of his beloved late wife, Raisa. Against the backdrop of our current world leaders, this feels like an ideal time to be Meeting Gorbachev.

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In 2015, after Hassan Fazili’s documentary Peace aired on Afghan national television, the Taliban assassinated the film’s main subject and put a price on Hassan’s head. Hassan looked at his wife and his daughters, and he knew they had to flee their home. Over the course of their multi-year saga in search of safety, the family grasped onto the only means they had to assert control over their situation: their camera-phones. Midnight Traveler is a gripping vérité story made by a family on the run. Their unique access and artistic vision provide an intimate portrait of a loving family and the myriad fellow travelers they meet on their odyssey. In Dari with English subtitles. 87 min.

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“Take a look at the history of any nation which has lost its freedoms, and you’ll find that the men who grabbed the power also had to crush the free press.” — Mike Wallace

Never before has journalism in America been so hotly debated. At a time when it seems like the hard-hitting question is fighting for its right to be asked, Mike Wallace Is Here turns the tough question loose on its inventor to understand how we got here and what’s really at stake. Legendary newsman Mike Wallace unflinchingly interrogated the 20th century’s biggest figures in over fifty years on the air, and his aggressive reporting style and showmanship redefined what America came to expect from broadcasters. Unearthing decades of never-before-seen footage from the 60 Minutes vault, this documentary portrait explores what drove and plagued this restless reporter, whose storied career was entwined with the evolution of journalism itself. 94 min.

In English, Russian, German, and Polish with English subtitles. 90 min.

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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY

NARRATIVE

This program is made possible by the generosity of Albion River Inn.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Mendocino Festival Chorale.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Beachcomber Motel & Spa.

MOONLIGHT SONATA: DEAFNESS IN THREE MOVEMENTS

PAVAROTTI

PERFECT STRANGERS

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 10:15am, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 8:00pm, MATHESON $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 8:00pm, COAST CINEMAS SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 3:00pm, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Director: Ron Howard

Director: Manolo Caro

Country of Origin: USA

Country of Origin: Mexico

__________________________________

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Director: Irene Taylor Brodsky Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Official Selection, Sundance 2019.

Irene Taylor Brodsky’s son Jonas began losing his hearing as a baby and underwent cochlear implant surgery as a toddler. Now 11 years old, Jonas has adjusted to a world with sound and is learning to play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Brodsky’s parents also have cochlear implants, but unlike Jonas, the majority of their lives were shaped by silence. While Jonas explores what silence means to him, his grandfather grapples with a new transition of his own. In this deeply personal and moving film, Brodsky explores the meaning of deafness, loss, and the power of silence as her son discovers his unique voice, and her parents confront a new chapter of their lives. 90 min.

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Distinctions: First Look trailer premiered at this year's Grammy Awards.

From the filmmaking team behind the highly acclaimed documentary The Beatles: Eight Days a Week—The Touring Years, Pavarotti is a riveting film that lifts the curtain on the icon who brought opera to the people. Academy Award winner Ron Howard puts audiences front row center for an exploration of The Voice…The Man…The Legend. This cinematic event features history-making performances and intimate interviews, including neverbefore-seen footage and cutting-edge Dolby Atmos technology. Howard insightfully explores the cultural importance of Pavarotti, how he made music usually deemed high art more accessible to the average person, with the sheer force of his engaging personality. The Italian-born tenor was intent on bringing opera to the masses and, in doing so, emerged as the operatic equivalent of a global rock star. 112 min.

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When a group of best friends get together during a lunar eclipse to share an intimate dinner in the tasteful house of Eva (Cecilia Suarez) and Antonio (Bruno Bichir), they suspect it's just another typical night until the hostess proposes a game. All guests must lay their cell phones on the table and read aloud all incoming messages and answer all incoming phone calls in front of the entire group. What begins as a provocative party game quickly becomes a wild ride full of twists and "textual tension" in this electrifying over the top comedy about the secrets we all carry in our pockets. In Spanish with English subtitles. 97 min.

49


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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

DOCUMENTARY

SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM

DOCUMENTARY

This program is made possible by the generosity of Village Veterinary.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Diana Coryat and Ashok Khosla.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Digging Dog Nursery.

PICK OF THE LITTER

REEL MENDO

THE RIVER AND THE WALL

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 10:00am, FESTIVAL TENT $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 5:30pm, FESTIVAL TENT $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKERS AFTER SCREENING

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 3:00pm, FESTIVAL TENT SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 12:30pm, FESTIVAL TENT $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Directors: Dana Nachman and Don Hardy

Featuring multiple local directors

Country of Origin: USA

Country of Origin: USA

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Distinctions: Official Selection, Slamdance Film Festival 2018; Official Selection, Phoenix Film Festival 2018.

Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they’re born and begin their quest to become guide dogs for the blind. Cameras follow these pups through an intense two-year odyssey as they train to become dogs whose ultimate responsibility is to protect their blind partners from harm. Along the way, these remarkable animals rely on a community of dedicated individuals who train them to do amazing, life-changing things in the service of their human. The stakes are high and not every dog can make the cut. Only the best of the best—the pick of the litter. 81 min. The Mendocino Humane Society will be at the Festival Tent with the Mobile Adoption Center before the screening of Pick of the Litter. The Coast Cat Project, a non-profit feline rescue, and Mendocino Animal Services, operators of the Mobile Spay and Neuter Caravan, will also be in attendance. Meet friendly animals ready for good homes—you might just find an adorable furry friend of your own!

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Enjoy a taste of Mendocino’s homegrown talent with this sampling of the latest projects from our artistic and creative community. Following the program, stay for a Q&A with the filmmakers. 68 min. See page 29 for more details.

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Director: Ben Masters Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Official Selection, SXSW Film Festival 2019.

The River and the Wall follows five friends on an immersive adventure through the unknown wilds of the Texas borderlands as they travel 1,200 miles from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico on horses, mountain bikes, and canoes. Conservation filmmaker Ben Masters realizes the urgency of documenting the last remaining wilderness in Texas as the threat of new border wall construction looms ahead. Masters recruits National Geographic Explorer Filipe DeAndrade, ornithologist Heather Mackey, river guide Austin Alvarado, and conservationist Jay Kleberg to join him on the two-and-a-half-month journey down 1,200 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. They set out to document the borderlands and explore the potential impacts of a wall on the natural environment, but as the wilderness gives way to the more populated and heavily trafficked Lower Rio Grande Valley, they come face-to-face with the human side of the immigration debate and enter uncharted emotional waters. 100 min.

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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

PAT’S PICK/DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY

PAT’S PICK/EDUCATION PROGRAM

This program is made possible by the generosity of Wilbur Hot Springs.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Noyo Center for Marine Science Volunteers.

This program is made possible by the generosity of the Stanford Inn.

SATAN AND ADAM

SEA OF SHADOWS

THE SHORE LINE

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 3:00pm, MATHESON $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 5:30pm, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 12:30pm, MATHESON $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Director: Richard Ladkani

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Director: V. Scott Balcerek

Distinctions: Audience Award World Cinema Documentary, Sundance Film Festival 2019; Official Selection, Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival 2019

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Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Grand Jury Prize Nashville Film Festival 2018.

In 1986, when harmonica player Adam Gussow asked if he could jam with one-man band Sterling “Mr. Satan” Magee, it was the beginning of an unforgettable collaboration— dubbed Satan & Adam. Amidst the racial tension in New York, this Jewish Ivy League graduate and black Mississippi blues man made an unlikely pair, but their musical styling perfectly aligned. After a chance encounter with members of U2 and a celebrated debut record, the duo rose to international acclaim from their Harlem street corner. But as quickly as they were discovered, their meteoric rise was cut short when Mr. Satan mysteriously disappeared. The result is an odyssey 23 years in the making that captures a miraculous journey of friendship, heartbreak, and the transformative power of music. 80 min.

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Country of Origin: Austria

A looming disaster in one of the most spectacular environments on Earth sparks a rescue mission unlike any other in this riveting new documentary with the intensity of a Hollywood thriller. When Mexican drug cartels and Chinese traffickers join forces to poach the rare totoaba fish in the Sea of Cortez, their deadly methods threaten to destroy virtually all marine life in the region, including the elusive and mysterious whale species known as the vaquita porpoise. But a team of brilliant scientists, high-tech conservationists, investigative journalists, and courageous undercover agents put their lives on the line in a desperate last-minute effort to rescue the Earth’s smallest whale—the Vaquita—from extinction. In Spanish and English with English subtitles. 104 min.

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Director: Liz Miller Country of Origin: Canada Distinctions: Official Selection, Montreal International Documentary Film Festival 2017; Bozcaada International Film Festival 2017; Official Selection, The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival 2018.

There has never been a better time to rethink our relationship to our shorelines. We are seeing one of the greatest migrations of all times towards coastal cities at precisely the moment we should consider retreat. 70% of the world’s coastlines are vulnerable to sea level rise. The Shore Line Project is a researchcreation initiative was produced by Liz Miller and a team of collaborators including documentary makers, coders, biologists, artists, engineers, students, educators and more. Miller will guide the audience through a selection from 24 short films from nine countries and discuss how each represents a hopeful action and story by ordinary, world citizens to challenge boundaries and narratives in addressing climate-disasters. 90 min. The full interactive exhibit of The Shore Line Project will be on display at the Festival Headquarters in Odd Fellows Hall during the festival. Viewers can explore the full project at their own pace.

53


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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM

PAT’S PICK/DOCUMENTARY

NARRATIVE

This program is made possible by the generosity of the Inn at Newport Ranch.

This program is made possible by the generosity of the Tarbell Family Foundation.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Sea Rock Inn.

SHORT FILMS PROGRAM: FRIEND OR FOE

THE SILENCE OF OTHERS

THEM THAT FOLLOW

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 12:30pm, CROWN HALL $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 5:30pm, MATHESON SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 8:00pm, MATHESON $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

__________________________________

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 5:30pm, FESTIVAL TENT SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 10:00am, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

__________________________________

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKERS AFTER SCREENING

Directors: Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo

Directed by multiple filmmakers

Distinctions: Winner Social Justice Award, Hamptons International Film Festival 2018; Winner Best Documentary Feature, Goya Awards 2018.

Country of Origin: Various Distinctions: Multiple award winners including: one shortlisted for an Academy Award; a nominee for Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, a Student Academy Award for animation; and numerous Best Short Awards.

This year’s Short Films Program will remind you to call your friends… assuming Mother Nature (or a parking enforcement officer) doesn’t get you first! These hilarious and occasionally hair-raising tales of friends, foes, and frenemies depict dubious alliances that transcend barriers and challenge our assumptions. A young girl and an old sailor at the turn of the century, a nefarious owl, a mother who seemingly has it all, two robbers having a rough day, an adorable raccoon, and our other protagonists and antagonists all have to navigate situations that weren’t in the guidebook. If they’re lucky, they’ll find out who their real friends are before it’s too late. 86 min. See page 28 for more details.

Countries of Origin: Spain/USA

The Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle of victims of Spain’s 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, who continue to seek justice for atrocities committed during his regime. Filmed over six years by Emmy-winning filmmakers Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo, this deeply moving, clear-eyed and stunningly shot film follows victims and survivors as they organize the groundbreaking “Argentine Lawsuit” and fight a state-imposed amnesia of crimes against humanity in a country still divided four decades into democracy. The film plays out like a political thriller, following and championing those who cannot forgive or forget, revealing the existence of streets and monuments honoring Franco and delving into the tragic mystery of the country’s thousands of missing children. The legacy of Franco is explored with compelling urgency, as are the small, but essential, victories of brave and determined individuals.

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Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Directors: Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Official Selection, Sundance 2019.

The stakes of angering God could be fatal for some religious devotees. Deep in the rugged wilderness of Appalachia, the members of an isolated community of Pentecostal snake handlers led by Pastor Lemuel (Walton Goggins) risk their lives to attest themselves before God. They believe in a literal reading of Mark 16:18: “They shall take up serpents... They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” Lemuel’s daughter Mara (Alice Englert) prepares for her upcoming wedding to the young believer her father has singled out for her under the watchful eye of fellow religious adherents like Hope (Olivia Colman) and Zeke (Jim Gaffigan). While outwardly dutiful, Mara is scrambling to hide a forbidden relationship that has the potential to drive her father’s church to ruin. Co-stars Thomas Mann as the community’s lone doubting Thomas. 98 min.

In Spanish with English subtitles. 96 min.

55


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F E AT U R E P R O G R A M S

DOCUMENTARY

SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM/DOCUMENTARY

NARRATIVE

This program is made possible by the generosity of Kaye Handley.

This program is made possible by the generosity of North Coast Brewing Company.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Coast Cinemas.

TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM

A TUBA TO CUBA

WINDOWS ON THE WORLD

__________________________________ SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 12:30pm, COAST CINEMAS $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR

__________________________________ FRIDAY, MAY 31, 8:00pm, CROWN HALL $25

Directors: T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch

Director: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Countries of Origin: USA/Cuba

Country of Origin: USA

Distinctions: Winner Audience Award, New Orleans Film Festival 2018; Jury Award Best Film, Fairhope Film Festival 2018; Official Selection, SXSW 2019.

Distinctions: Official Selection, Sundance 2019.

After a stint as an editor early in her career, American writer Toni Morrison understood the publishing industry better than the ordinary writer—but she refused to be defined by the establishment. She wrote her books from a vital, underrepresented point of view. Morrison was one of the few who wrote for an African American audience, and she understood the way language could operate as an oppressive or uplifting force—she refused to let her words be marginalized. After years of fighting to be heard, Morrison was awarded a Nobel Prize for her writing, and her novels are now taught in schools around the world. Through a trove of archival material, evocative works of contemporary art, and interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, and Morrison herself, we revisit her famed books and learn about the inspiration for her writing. Throughout, Morrison is effortlessly graceful, insightful, and candid, making this intimate, comprehensive portrait of her life and works an exploration of what it means to be a writer whose stories are so deeply intertwined with often-unrealized national truths. 119 min.

The leader of New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band seeks to fulfill his late father's dream of retracing their musical roots to the shores of Cuba. Join the band as they traverse post-embargo Cuba in search of the indigenous music that gave birth to New Orleans jazz. Encounters with some of Cuba’s most iconic musicians lead to spontaneous and soulful collaborations. A Tuba to Cuba celebrates the triumph of the human spirit expressed through the universal language of music. The film challenges us to dig deeper, to find that common ground we all have inside us, and, from there, resolve to build bridges, not walls. 82 min. The screening will be followed by a dance party with booty-shaking jams provided by Mama Grows Funk. See page 25 for more details.

__________________________________ SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 3:00pm, FESTIVAL TENT $11 IN ADVANCE, $12 AT THE DOOR Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AFTER SCREENING

Director: Michael D. Olmos Country of Origin: USA Distinctions: Official Selection, Sedona Film Festival 2018; Winner Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor Edward James Olmos and Best Director Michael D. Olmos, Method Festival Los Angeles 2019.

An immigrant’s son takes an epic journey from Mexico to New York City as he searches for his father (Edward James Olmos), who was an undocumented worker in the World Trade Center, and has disappeared after 9/11. As the family grieves, feeling the emotional and financial toll of their absent patriarch, the distraught mother (Julie Carmen) swears she sees her husband on news footage—escaping from the building ALIVE! Her son, Fernando, decides to take the journey from Mexico to New York City to find his father and save his family. Along the way, he finds love and befriends an eclectic group of international characters that help him restore his faith in humanity, as Fernando discovers the hard truths about his father, the melting pot of America, and the immigrant experience. 105 min.

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COMMUNIT Y & MEDIA PARTNER S

THE

92.7FM Beaches/96.7FM Ukiah-Willits

Mendocino High School Multimedia Arts Program

MendoFilmCo

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PRODUCTION CREDITS FESTIVAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Board Members Michael Fox, President Blair Foster, Interim President Linda Manning, Treasurer Laurie Moore, Board Secretary Ray Alarcon Jill Eldridge Doug Nunn Guy Pacurar Executive Director Alayna Cruz Festival Administrator Kara de Vries Operations Director Alex Fields Development Manager Danna Hall Senior Advisor Ann Walker Advisory Board Zoë Elton Diana Fuller Will Geiger Richard Heinberg Carl Lumbly Mike Schuh Gail Silva Albert Maysles 1926 - 2015 Advisor 2007 - 2015 Sydney Pollack 1934 - 2008 Advisor 2006 - 2008

Program Direction PROGRAMMING TEAM Claudia Puig, Program Director Pat Ferrero, Guest Curator and Program Director Emeritus Ann Walker, Programmer Kira Wojack, Programmer JURY Sarah Adamson Greg Braxton Vanessa Erazo Eric Jambor Regina Meister Shannon Goodwin Mitchell Ann Walker Kira Wojack PRE-SCREENERS Joyce Gertler Molly Mielke Robert Morris Susan Endrizzi Morris PROGRAM HOSTS Pat Ferrero Sean Leland Doug Nunn Claudia Puig Ann Walker Kira Wojack EMERITI Keith Brandman, Founder and President Emeritus Paul Kemp, President Emeritus Betsy Ford, Vice President Emeritus Ann Walker, Vice President Emeritus

OPERATIONS HOSPITALITY Georgia-Ann Gregory Arlene Moorehead Sally Welty PROJECTION, SOUND AND SCREENS Matt Rowland, Matt Rowland Events FESTIVAL EVENTS Festival Events Coordinator: Danna Hall Opening Night Party Sonya Houston - Mendocino Weddings & Events - Special Event Producer Filmmaker Party Noyo Harbor Inn - Catering and Special Event Producer Friday Night Silents George Russell & Alex Fields - Special Event Producers Margie Kamb, Best Supporting Role Harvest Market, Craft Services Festival Events Staffing provided by Interact Club of Mendocino FESTIVAL FLORALS Mendocino Floral Design

HOUSE MANAGERS Steve Greenwood Patricia Price Erin Thomas ASSISTANT HOUSE MANAGER Lisa Hannon Bruce Price Jordan Price Donna Schuler CONCESSIONS Isla Bowery MEMBERSHIP Martha Buck WEBSITE DIRECTOR Shan Ricciardi, Ricciardi Designs MARKETING DIRECTOR Kristin Suratt DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Casey Davis BOX OFFICE Linda Manning, Manager Warren DeSmidt Cherie Christiansen John Fletcher Doris Hammer Deirdre Lamb Suzie Long Irene Malone Catherine Reetz Arlene Reiss Chris Sittig Deena Zarlin Mark Zarlin Ann Zollinger CASHIER TEAM Linda Moore, Team Leader Tess Albin-Smith Doug Albin Nancy Banker Lucy Bowles Linda Dutcher Laurel Ellen Linda Herrera Peggy Hill Sheila Klopper Lorraine Murphy A.B. Priceman Chris Sansi Carol Ann Walton Donna Worster PRINTED PROGRAM PRODUCTION Torrey Douglass, Lemon Fresh Design Printed by Journal Graphics PRINTED PROGRAM BOOK MANAGER Kara de Vries PRINTED PROGRAM EDITORS Kara de Vries, Managing Editor Claudia Puig Ann Walker Kira Wojack

COVER PHOTO “Mouth of Big River” Don McCullough AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD Bob Bushansky FILMMAKER WELCOME Carole Freeman Georgia Anne Gregory James Sibbet Susan Strange OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR Nick Winegar OPERATIONS CREW Jake Bell Eli Brooks Josh Cohan Steven Corley Shelley Fields Fix Justin Hall Derek Hambly Thommy Pelletier Zelda Zuniga CUSTODIAL SUPPORT Victor Venegas, Sr. Victor Venegas, Jr. SECURITY Lealand Bean TECHNICAL DIRECTION Technical Director: Marshall Brown Deputy Technical Director: Sean Van-Buskirk Sound Engineer: Peter Temple Venue Tech Manager: Lowell Brown Venue Tech Manager: Kahlil Robinson Venue Tech Manager: AJ Venue Tech Manager: Sakota Calvino Head Projectionsit: Henry Thomas Head Projectionist: Keiran Miller Head Projectionist: Logan Gruys Projectionist: Tauren Brown Projectionist: Allegra Geiger Projectionist: Finnian Schaner EQUIPMENT SPONSOR Matt Rowland, Matt Rowland Events ELECTRICIAN John Heister - Hi Star Electric ADMINISTRATION Susan Strange, Administrative Assistant Judy Steele, Bookkeeper PHOTOGRAPHERS Sharon Garner Ree Slocum Larry Wagner Nicholas Wilson Keith Wyner VIDEOGRAPHERS Maynard Kaminsky John Osborne, MendoFilmCo Sea Storm Studios

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CLASSIC FILM SERIES CLASSIC FILM SERIES Wednesday, September 4th Wednesday, September 4th

Wednesday, october 2nd

COAST CINEMA COAST CINEMA Wednesday, october 2nd

All shows @ 7:00 PM

Wednesday, october 30th

All shows 7:00 PM Tickets $10 - @ Cash only available at Coast Tickets $10 - Cash only Two weeks before screening available at Coast or Online Two weeks beforesales screening mendocinofilmfestival.org or Online sales mendocinofilmfestival.org

Wednesday, october 30th thank you series sponsors! thank you series sponsors!

Media sponsor Media sponsor 60


F E ST I VA L H E A D Q UA RT E R S & M A P A Festival Headquarters Box Office & Filmmaker Lounge

Mendocino Village

45101 Ukiah St.

B Festival Tent

10701 Palette Dr.

B

D

C Crown Hall

45285 Ukiah St.

D Matheson Performing Arts Center 45096 Cahto St.

N

C

A

Festival Headquarters Our Festival Headquarters located in the historic Odd Fellows Hall serves as Box Office, Filmmaker Lounge, and Art Gallery. Stop by to get acquainted with all aspects of this year’s festival and have any questions answered. There will be filmmaker panels on Saturday and Sunday mornings, see page 25 for more details. On display you will find a photography print by Donald McCullough featured on this year’s program book cover. Head down to the Prentice Gallery in Mendocino and purchase a raffle ticket for the chance to take this stunning framed print home with you.

Coast Cinemas, Fort Bragg 10 miles north of Mendocino

From Thursday through Sunday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm, our Box Office is open for in-person ticket sales. Come by to chat with filmmakers, local artists, and special guests between films. Please stay to appreciate the exhibit by renowned artists Spencer Brewer and Esther Siegel “Fantastical Sculptures of Whimsey, Magic and Inspiration.” Creating new compositions from vintage or unusual objects, their art will captivate and delight viewers. Their studio, the “Barn of Curiosities, Oddities and Light”, is a wonderland of eccentric odds and obscure ephemera. This season the Festival Headquarters will feature a computer station for guests to peruse the interactive webscape of The Shore Line Project. Liz Miller, the director of the project, will present a selection of two dozen short films from The Shore Line Project on Saturday, June 1, 12:30 at Matheson. Computer station proudly sponsored by Mendocino Community Network. See page 53 for more details.

Sponsored by

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FORT BRAGG SCREENING SCHEDULE Coast Cinemas

FRIDAY

135 South Franklin St, Fort Bragg

MAY 31

Life’s a journey. Don’t get cold feet.

3:00 pm

David Crosby: Remember My Name 95 min — p39

5:30 pm

Dogman

8:00 pm

103 min — p39

Moonlight Sonata 90 min — p49

10:00 am

Short Films Program*

10:15 am

Mike Wallace is Here

10:30 am

Maiden

12:30 pm

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

3:00 pm

Life & Nothing More

5:30 pm

Birds of Passage / Miracle

8:00 pm

The Farewell

10:00 am

The 12th Man

10:15 am

Pavarotti

10:30 am

Afghan Cycles

12:30 pm

David Crosby: Remember My Name

3:00 pm

The Farewell

86 min — p28

94 min — p47

Open every day

JUNE 2

SUNDAY

JUNE 1

44966 Ukiah Street

SATURDAY

VillageSockShop.com

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97 min — p45

119 min — p57

114 min — p43

125 min / 5 min — p35

98 min — p39

135 min — p31

112 min — p49

89 min — p31

95 min — p39

98 min — p39


MENDOCINO SCREENING SCHEDULE DOCUMENTARY

Festival Tent

MAY 31

FRIDAY

MAY 30

THURS

10701 Palette Drive 7:00 pm

SATURDAY SUNDAY

JUNE 1

FILMS FOR OUR FUTURE

Exclusive Member Screening Short Films Program* 86 min — p28

FILMS ON THE ARTS SPOTLIGHT PROGRAMS

Crown Hall

45285 Ukiah Street Midnight Traveler

3:00 pm

The River and the Wall

5:30 pm

Short Films Program*

Sea of Shadows

Them That Follow

Friday Night Silents*

A Tuba to Cuba*

Perfect Strangers

10:00 am

The Biggest Little Farm

Meeting Gorbachev 90 min — p47

Children's Program The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales* 83 min — p37

12:30 pm

Gay Chorus Deep South

MDMA

The Shore Line

3:00 pm

Windows on the World

Moonlight Sonata

Satan and Adam

5:30 pm

Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives

Guardian

Always in Season

8:00 pm

The 12th Man

Amazing Grace*

Them That Follow

10:00 am

Pick of the Litter

Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle

Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly

12:30 pm

The River and the Wall

The Silence of Others

A Bread Factory Part 1

3:00 pm

Kifaru

Collisions

A Bread Factory Part 2

5:30 pm

Reel Mendo*

8:00 pm

JUNE 2

NARRATIVE

100 min — p51

86 min — p28

p27

91 min — p33

100 min — p41

105 min — p57

63 min — p43

135 min — p31

81 min — p51

100 mi — p51

76 min — p43

68 min — p29

Buy your tickets early! We expect sold-out shows. Tickets and more information on page 11. www.MendocinoFilmFestival.org

87 min — p47

104 min — p53

82 min — p57

98 min — p45

85 min — p41

97 min — p49

80 min — p53

89 min — p33

87 min — p33

90 min — p45

90 min — p37

98 min — p55

90 min — p53

90 min — p49

96 min — p55

Matheson

Ford & Cahto Streets

98 min — p55

76 min — p31

122 min — p35

120 min — p37

*SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM SPECIAL PERFORMANCES. MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGES 25-29.

MANY THANKS TO OUR VENUE SPONSORS: NORTH COAST BREWERY CO. LITTLE RIVER INN HARVEST MARKET THE COAST 95.3/95.9 MENDO SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY 63