MVFF36 Program 2013 by CAFILM

THE CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE IS PROUD TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR 2013 SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS

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From Russia With Love with guest artist, pianist Jon Nakamatsu. Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich

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CELEBRATING 36 YEARS

THANKS TO YOU!

THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR DONORS WE:

• Continue the high-quality programming that has earned MVFF its international reputation;

• Expand CFI Education to offer more Bay Area students the opportunity to learn about themselves, and the world, through ﬁlm; and

• Ensure the highest industry standards at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, one of the nation’s premier nonprofi t movie theaters. For more information about how you can support CFI, please visit cafilm.org/support or contact Liana Bender: 415.526.5838, LBender@cafilm.org.

The California Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonproﬁ t organization.

CFI THANKS THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUALS AND FOUNDATIONS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE!

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

Christopher B. and Jeannie Meg Smith

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The Bernard Osher Foundation

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Marin Community Foundation

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

County of Marin

James Hetﬁeld, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo together in hometown Marin County for the US PREMIERE

METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER

PROGRAM

Tuesday, September 17

7:15 PM Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center

Program & Reception: $85 General Admission (maximum 4 tickets per person)

Followed by onstage interview and audience Q&A moderated by Mark Fishkin, Executive Director, California Film Institute and founder, Mill Valley Film Festival .

We are excited to announce a special kick-off event in anticipation of the 36th Mill Valley Film Festival . James Hetﬁeld, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo will be on hand to present the US Premiere of their new 3D feature ﬁlm, which combines a spectacular live arena performance with a surreal adventure story. Picturehouse’s new release, Metallica Through the Never, stars members of the iconic rock band and emerging young star Dane DeHaan (The Place Beyond the Pines, Kill Your Darlings, The Amazing Spider-Man 2).

In this music-driven 3D motion picture event, award-winning ﬁlmmaker Nimród Antal (Predators, Kontroll) immerses audiences in a bracing, raw and visceral cinematic experience with spectacular live performance footage of Metallica’s most iconic songs—created exclusively for ﬁlm—combined with a bold narrative featuring imagery drawn from the band’s trailblazing iconography. Dane DeHaan portrays Trip, a young roadie sent on an urgent mission during Metallica’s roaring live set before a sold-out arena. Picturehouse will release Metallica Through the Never in North America on September 27, 2013, exclusively in over 300 IMAX® 3D Theatres, expanding into additional theaters on October 4, 2013.

OPENING NIGHT

Welcome to the 36th Mill Valley Film Festival! Our 11-day celebration ofﬁcially kicks off with two exceptional Opening Night ﬁlms and a Gala to remember.

NEBRASKA

US 2013 • 115 MINS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 6:45 PM & 7:00 PM • CINÉARTS@SEQUOIA PROGRAM & RECEPTION: $125 GENERAL / $110 MEMBERS • FILM ONLY: $60 GENERAL / $50 MEMBER

SPECIAL GUESTS: BRUCE DERN AND WILL FORTE

After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Bruce Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich, and wrangles his son (Will Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune. Shot in black and white across four states, Nebraska tells the stories of family life in the heartland of America. Cast: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach and Bob Odenkirk. See page 51 for complete film details.

OPENING NIGHT GALA

FOLLOWS THE OPENING NIGHT SCREENINGS

Thursday, October 3; 9:30 pm–midnight Corte Madera Town Center

Join us at Town Center Corte Madera for a sensational party!

Enjoy delicious offerings provided by Balboa Café, Big Jim’s BBQ, Champagne Bakery, Il Fornaio, Judy’s Breadsticks, KIND, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Teacake Bake Shop and The Counter.

PHOTO BY TOMMY LAU

OPENING NIGHT

THE BOOK THIEF

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 7:00 PM • CENTURY CINEMA CORTE MADERA PROGRAM & RECEPTION: $125 GENERAL / $110 MEMBER • FILM ONLY: $60 GENERAL / $50 MEMBER

SPECIAL GUESTS: BRIAN PERCIVAL, GEOFFREY RUSH, SOPHIE NÉLISSE

A stellar cast including Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson brings to life the tale of a young German girl, played by Sophie Nélisse, who discovers that stories have extraordinary power to sustain the human spirit. Based on Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel of the same name. See page 38 for complete film details.

Luscious libations from our friends at Lagunitas Brewing Company and Northern Sonoma wines courtesy of WIne Road are a perfect complement to the scrumptious spread.

Get your party on to the infectious rhythms of James HenryHands on Fire, or groove to the tunes spun by DJs Richard Habib and Marija Dunn. See you there!

Also on Opening Night, MVFF will launch an art exhibition curated by Carly Ivan Garcia and Justin Giarla of White Walls and Shooting Gallery and featuring stunning works by cutting-edge contemporary artists. The show will be open for view throughout the Festival at the Smith Rafael Film Center.

COSTA-GAVRAS TRIBUTE

PROGRAM AND RECEPTION

Friday, October 4, 6:30 PM

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center 1

Program & Reception:

$85 General / $75 Members

Program Only:

$45 General / $40 Members

Join us for a Tribute program featuring a conversation with Costa-Gavras, moderated by beloved Mill Valley actor/activist Peter Coyote, and a screening of Capital Costa-Gavras will be presented with the MVFF Award, designed by acclaimed Mill Valley artist Alice Corning.

After the screening, join us at Odalisque Café (1335 Fourth St.) just steps away from the Rafael Film Center, to enjoy cuisine that blends both French and North African ﬂ avors using fresh, local, sustainably grown produce and meats. You will also have the opportunity to view the exhibition “Memento Mori,” a street art–based installation featuring two unique Bay Area artists, Eddie Colla and D Young V. The exhibition is on view at Art Works Downtown, adjacent to Odalisque Café.

Costa-Gavras has made a career of offering no easy answers to tales of political turmoil, and his latest work, the supremely entertaining and all-too-topical Capital, is no exception as it wades through sex, money and power with the auteur’s dynamic cinematic style fully intact. Now six decades deep into an internationally lauded filmography studded with award-winning international sensations such as Z, State of Siege, Missing, Music Box and The Ax, the Greekborn master consistently eschews didactic finger-pointing and overt moralizing in favor of complex characterizations, serpentine plots and adrenaline-fueled action; his customary heroes are intellectuals who can both outthink and outrun the bad guys. For this special evening, Costa-Gavras will refl ect on his extraordinary career in conversation with Peter Coyote.

CAPITAL (LE CAPITAL)

DIRECTOR: COSTA-GAVRAS

FRANCE 2012 • 114 mins

Oscar-winning legend Costa-Gavras explores a world of economic turmoil in which a young CEO of an investment bank, set up to be a patsy figurehead, finds his survival instincts while navigating through treacherous international waters buffeted by money, power, sex and vengeance. See page 39 for complete film information.

CAPITAL Z

PROGRAM AND PARTY

Thursday, October 10, 6:30 PM

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center 1

Program & Party:

$85 General / $75 Members

Program Only:

$45 General / $40 Members

Join us for a Spotlight program featuring a conversation with Jared Leto and a screening of Dallas Buyers Club. Jared Leto will be presented with the MVFF Award, designed by acclaimed Mill Valley artist Alice Corning.

After the event, join us at Farmshop, the new California-chic restaurant at the Marin Country Mart, for farm-to-table food, refreshing libations and great company. With Farmshop, which has quickly become a Bay Area destination, chef/owner Jeff Cerciello (long-time chef of the Bouchon restaurants) returns to his Northern California roots.

JARED LETO

As if being a tremendously talented performer, successful musician and charismatic character actor isn’t enough to secure Jared Leto’s status as a multi-hyphenate force to be reckoned with, this vibrant thespian radiates intelligence and integrity in all his roles. For three decades, on film and television, Leto has wowed audiences and critics alike with deeply committed performances in films as diverse as Fight Club, Prefontaine, The Thin Red Line, Requiem for a Dream, Panic Room, American Psycho and Girl, Interrupted. As a singer/ songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, Leto brings the same intensity to his rock band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, whose recordings have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Returning to the big screen following a fi ve-year break, Leto is absolutely stunning in Dallas Buyers Club as H.I.V.-positive transsexual Rayon, a typically daring role rendered with the slyness and sensitivity for which this exciting maverick is justly celebrated.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB DIRECTOR: JEAN-MARC VALLÉE

USA 2013 • 120 mins

With dazzling vision and technique, director Jean-Marc Vallée elicits astounding performances from Jared Leto as Rayon, a transsexual woman turned international meds smuggler, and Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof, a homophobic party boy turned accidental activist, in this tremendously lively and moving true story of unlikely alliances during the onset of the AIDS crisis. See page 40 for complete ﬁlm information.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

STEVE McQUEEN AND CHIWETEL EJIOFOR

PROGRAM AND PARTY

Friday, October 11, 6:30 pm

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center 1

Film & Party:

$90 General / $80 Members

Film Only:

$50 General / $45 Members

Join us for this Spotlight program featuring a conversation with 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen and lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.

In an MVFF ﬁrst, Steve McQueen AND Chiwetel Ejiofor will both be presented with the MVFF Award, designed by acclaimed Mill Valley artist Alice Corning.

After the event, join us for a quintessential Marin evening along a creekside redwood grove at the new Mill Valley retailer Guideboat Co. (153 Miller Ave.) located in the recently restored mercantile at the historic Mill Valley Lumber Yard. Enjoy nourishment and spirits provided by Ged Robertson and chef Todd Shoberg, wines by Donelan Family Vineyards and live music.

STEVE MCQUEEN

Acclaimed British filmmaker Steve McQueen, born in London in 1969, made his name as a visual artist working in film and video before turning to feature filmmaking. His artwork is collected by museums the world over, and in 1999 he won Britain’s highly prestigious Turner Prize for a video based on a film by Buster Keaton. His first feature, 2008’s Hunger, about a 1981 hunger strike among Northern Ireland republican prisoners, won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His next feature, Shame (MVFF, 2012), stars Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan in an uncompromising drama about sexual addiction. With his latest film, 12 Years a Slave, McQueen once again brings a coruscatingly forceful imagination and unwavering integrity to the raw facts of history and human yearning.

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR

British actor Chiwetel Ejliofor, born in London to Nigerian parents in 1977, began acting at age 13, eventually entering the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)—only to leave early after being cast in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad (1997). Since then, Eliofor has enjoyed a steadily growing and critically acclaimed career on stage and screen. His ﬁlm work includes award-winning performances in Stephen Frears’ Dirty Pretty Things and Kasi Lemmons’ Talk to Me as well as appearances in Love Actually , Woody Allen’s Melinda and Melinda, Kinky Boots, Inside Man, Children of Men, American Gangster and Half of a Yellow Sun as well as numerous works for television. His theatrical career includes an award-winning performance as Othello, alongside Ewan McGregor’s Iago, in director Michael Grandage’s 2008 West End production.

12 YEARS A SLAVE

DIRECTOR: STEVE McQUEEN

USA 2013 • 134 mins

Acclaimed British ﬁlmmaker Steve McQueen and actor Chiwetel Ejiofor brilliantly relate the little-known yet unforgettable true story of Solomon Northrup, a free black man abducted and sold into slavery in 1841. See page 34 for complete ﬁlm information.

Celebrate Film

BE A FILM-ANTHROPIST AND WIN A VIP EXPERIENCE!

Would you like to enjoy world-class cinema for an entire year—for free?

Attend sneak previews of Oscar-buzz features?

Mingle with some of the most celebrated figures in the film industry? Or simply feel like the generous philanthropist—or rather, “film-anthropist” you are? Well, here’s your chance!

Support the California Film Institute’s annual appeal and be entered into a drawing for the following prize packages:

GRAND PRIZE 1: FILM, GLORIOUS FILM

Indulge your love of film with a full year of complimentary access for two to film screenings at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center. Popcorn included!*

GRAND PRIZE 2: MVFF 2014 OPENING NIGHT VIP

Enjoy next year’s Festival like a star with complimentary tickets for the Opening Night private reception, film and VIP access at the gala, including early-entr y and reserved seats. Best yet, enjoy the exclusive opportunity to meet and mingle with the celebrated Opening night talent!

EARLY BIRD PRIZE

Five winners will receive a pair of tickets and reserved seating for a special advanced screening of a highly anticipated award-season f ilm.

Early Bird Prize Drawing : 31 October, 2013 • Grand Prize Drawings: 31 December, 2013

supportcfi.org

To enter, review all rules and regulations and support the California Film Institute’s mission to celebrate film as art and education, please visit supportcfi.org

*Not valid for special events, specially-priced screenings or festival events; including Mill Valley Film Festival screenings and events. Twenty complimentary popcorn vouchers are included.

SPECIAL PREMIERES AND PARTY

In celebration of the 36th Mill Valley Film Festival and the premieres of AT MIDDLETONBESIDE STILL WATERS

Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga are superb as parents who meet while their kids are on a college admissions tour and learn valuable lessons about love, family and what it means to be truly alive, in director/co-writer Adam Rodgers’ life-afﬁrming comedy/drama of self-discovery.

See page 35 for complete ﬁlm information.

Producer/Co-star: Andy Garcia

Seven childhood friends and one unexpected guest come together at a bucolic lake house to comfort one another, reconnect, reconcile and possibly rekindle romance in this wry, emotionally potent Big Chill for the Millennial Generation. See page 37 for complete ﬁlm information.

SPECIAL PREMIERES PARTY

Guests: Producer/Co-star Andy Garcia, Director/Co-writer Adam Rodgers Director/Writer/Producer: Chris Lowell & other special guests

Saturday, October 12, 8:30 pm

Tiburon Tavern 1651 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon

Film & Party: $75 General / $65 Members

Film Only: $30 General / $25 Members

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

PARTY SPONSORED BY

Director/Writer/ Producer: Chris Lowell

Gellepis, Tasha Isolani,

Graff, Ron Susskind, Tom Bolles, Katie Norby. Front

Michelle Bell, Debra Allen

PROGRAM AND RECEPTION

Saturday, October 12, 6:30 PM

Christopher B. Smith

Rafael Film Center 1

Program & Reception:

$85 General / $75 Members

Program Only:

$45 General / $40 Members

Join us for a Spotlight program featuring a conversation with Dakota Fanning and a screening of Efﬁe Gray.

Dakota Fanning will be presented with the MVFF Award, designed by acclaimed Mill Valley artist Alice Corning.

After the program, join us at Frantoio Ristorante and Olive Oil Co., one of Marin County’s premier dining destinations.

SPOTLIGHT and RECEPTION SPONSORED BY

DAKOTA FANNING SPOTLIGHT

Having long ago disproved skeptics who wondered if an impossibly adorable, preternaturally confident one-time child star could survive the vagaries of the industry—let alone adolescence—unscathed, Dakota Fanning now shines as an even more accomplished young adult poised on the cusp of thespian greatness. From her breakout appearance at age nine in I Am Sam (for which she became the youngest-ever Screen Actors Guild Award nominee), through expert performances in Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, The Runaways, the Twilight series and The Secret Life of Bees (MVFF, 2008) to a fullfledged leading-lady role in this year’s Festival highlight Effie Gray, Fanning has demonstrated impressive range and an admirable willingness to subvert her good-girl image (as in The Motel Life, also screening this year; see page 50 ). With spectacular acting chops and a mature perspective that belie her youth, Fanning is no doubt one of her generation’s major talents.

EFFIE GRAY

DIRECTOR: RICHARD LAXTON

UK 2013 • 100 mins

Based on true events that scandalized aristocratic circles of the Victorian era, and penned by Academy Award–winning screenwriter Emma Thompson, this sumptuous cinematic portrait explores the curiously brief marriage and abrupt annulment of famed art critic John Ruskin and his ethereal child bride, Efﬁe Gray, played by a mesmerizing Dakota Fanning. See page 41 for complete ﬁlm details.

Mill Valley’s favorite gathering place and world-class live music destination!

Savor renowned chef Gordon Drysdale’s fresh, local, organic cuisine

Dance to the very best local and national live entertainment

Mingle in our courtyard or cozy up in our cafe

Enjoy drinks day and night in our espresso and full bars

ASCAP MUSIC CAFÉ

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4–SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6

1:00–4:30 PM

SWEETWATER MUSIC HALL & CAFÉ

19 CORTE MADERA AVE., MILL VALLEY

Free and open to the general public. First-come, ﬁrst-served.

The Mill Valley Film Festival presents the second annual Mill Valley ASCAP Music Café, a dynamic showcase dedicated to exceptional live performances of new, emerging and established talent.

Stop in to hear a wide range of exciting songwriters and artists working in diverse musical genres in a program produced by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

These intimate performances and networking events provide the perfect setting for those in the music and ﬁlm communities to connect, with the goal of fostering collaboration on future ﬁlm projects.

Artists scheduled to appear include: BEFORE THE BRAVE COLE BONNER

BONNIE & THE BANG BANG

JESSIE BRIDGES

THE FAMILY CREST

JAZZ MILLS AND JESSE PLEMONS OF COWBOY AND INDIAN

TYLER LYLE

MIDI MATLIDA

OLIN & THE MOON

EVAN ROMAN

For schedule, artist info and complete lineup, visit mvff.com/ascap-music-cafe/

ASCAP Music Café at Sweetwater is free and open to the general public. Space is limited so please arrive early!

TYLER LYLE

BONNIE & THE BANG BANG COLE BONNER

MIDI MATLIDA

JAZZ MILLS AND JESSE PLEMONS OF COWBOY AND INDIAN

LILY KERSHAW

LIVE MUSIC EVENTS

AN EVENING WITH SONGWRITER, MUSICIAN, INNOVATOR, AND FILMMAKER

THOMAS DOLBY

Thursday, October 10, 8:00 pm

142 Throckmorton Theatre

142 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley

Tickets: mvff.com

$68 General / $62 Members

Acclaimed music and technology innovator Thomas Dolby’s directorial debut, The Invisible Lighthouse, will have its US premiere at this year’s Festival. For this special screening, Dolby will perform live to picture in collaboration with Academy Award–nominated music designer/ supervisor and bassist Blake Leyh (Treme, The Wire, The Abyss). Confirmed guests include Grammywinning musician/producer Don Was, film composer Mark Isham, cellist/composer Zoe Keating, singer/songwriter Dan Hicks and Grammyand Emmy-winning musician/producer Narada Michael Walden. More special guests to be announced. Produced for MVFF by Steep Productions, Inc. in association with Famous4. See page 61 for more film details.

CONCERT IN CELEBRATION OF MIKE BLOOMFIELD

Friday, October 11, 8:00 pm

Sweetwater Music Hall

19 Corte Madera Ave. Mill Valley

Tickets: $65

sweetwatermusichall.com

(not available through MVFF; Festival badges not valid)

Sweet Blues: A Film About Mike Bloomfield, Bob Sarles

and Christina Keating’s raucous documentary on the groundbreaking blues guitarist and onetime Marin denizen features rare performance footage of Bloomfield wailing on his Les Paul as well as interviews with B.B. King, Bob Weir, Carlos Santana, Al Kooper, Charlie Musselwhite and other music legends.

HI DE HO SHOW

Friday, October 4, 8:00pm CinéArts@Sequoia 25 Throckmorton Ave. Mill Valley

For this year’s edition of the beloved annual Festival event, former Village Music maestro and once-and-future curator of cultural curios John Goddard celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the British Invasion (yeah, yeah, yeah…you know that can’t be bad!).

Veejaying from his personal video archives, Goddard promises to have you B-side yourself with the Beatles and other mop-topped lads. See page 45 for complete details.

CONCERT IN CELEBRATION OF THE WEST COAST PREMIERE OF

THIS AIN’T NO MOUS E MUSIC! The

Story

of Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records

Tuesday, October 8, 8:00 pm

Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley Tickets: $30 sweetwatermusichall.com (not available through MVFF; Festival badges not valid)

This tribute concert features musicians from the film alongside special guests, including musical director/ guitarist Jimmy Vivino ( The Conan O’Brien Show ) and producer/keyboardist Barry Goldberg (Electric Flag), who together will lead an all-star band and jam featuring guitarist Nick Gravenites (Electric Flag). More special guests to be announced. Produced for MVFF by Steep Productions, Inc. in association with Famous4. See page 59 for complete film details.

To celebrate the West Coast premiere of Maureen Gosling and Chris Simon’s This Ain’t No Mouse Music! The Story of Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records, San Francisco Chronicle music journalist and author Joel Selvin will host a rollicking performance by Southern roots music masters Eric and Suzy Thompson, Mexican roots music revival pioneers Los Cenzontles and Cajun/Creole dance band Creole Belles, with more special guests to be announced. Co-P roduced for MVFF by Sweetwater Music Hall and Steep Productions, Inc. in association with Famous4. See page 60 for complete film details.

THOMAS DOLBY

MIKE BLOOMFIELD

MANCE LIPSCOMB AND CHRIS STRACHWITZ

SPONSORED BY

●

BEADS OF MARIN

TRIBUTE TO BEN STILLER CLOSING NIGHT / TRIBUTE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 5:00 PM • CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER 1

PROGRAM & PARTY: $100 GENERAL / $90 MEMBERS

CINÉARTS@SEQUOIA 5:15 AND 5:30 PM • PROGRAM & PARTY: $85 GENERAL / $75 MEMBERS FILM ONLY: $60 GENERAL / $50 MEMBERS

Mr. Stiller will be presented with the Mill Valley Film Festival Award at the Smith Rafael Film Center; he will appear for introductions at both CinéArts@Sequoia screenings.

BEN STILLER

ACTOR, DIRECTOR, WRITER, PRODUCER THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY Visit mvff.com for complete film and event information.

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13; 7: 30–11:30 PM • MAPLELAWN ESTATE AT THE ELKS LODGE 1312 MISSION AVE., SAN RAFAEL

Immediately following the screenings, join us in celebrating the culmination of the 36th Mill Valley Film Festival.

Enjoy live music on the Terrace or a martini in the Drake Room Bar. Sol Food, Theresa and Johnny’s, and West End Café are just of few of the wonderful featured caterers for this special evening.

CLOSING NIGHT SPONSOR

VENUE SPONSOR MEDIA SPONSOR

2013 FOCUS PREMIERES

WORLD PREMIERES

Beside Still Waters

The Contest

Efﬁe Gray

The Human Experiment

In the Cobbler’s Shoes

“John Brown’s Body” at San Quentin Prison

Keeper of the Beat: A Woman’s Journey into the Heart of Drumming

Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine

Odd Brodsky

The Organic Life

PICO (Performance Indeterminate Cage Opera)

Redemption Trail

Sweet Blues: A Film About Mike Bloomﬁeld

The Tao of Bluegrass: A Portrait of Peter Rowan

Toxic Hot Seat

The Year and the Vineyard

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES

Along the Roadside

August Fools

Cheba

Collapse

Generation War

I Catch a Terrible Cat

The Illness and the Odyssey

Mt. Zion

One Man’s Show

Spooks and Spirits

Today

Victoria

US PREMIERES

Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine

August: Osage County

Dallas Buyers Club

Desert Runners

The Face of Love

Lion Ark

A Long and Happy Life

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

One Chance

Philomena

Sarah Prefers to Run

The Sea

Standing on Sacred Ground

L’AFRIQUE, LA FRANCE ET L’ÉCRAN

Performance is front and center in this look at Francophone Africa and the African diaspora. These ﬁlms herald the next generation of vibrant talents from the continent.

Cheba

Grigris

Lumumba

One Man’s Show

Yema

THREE GENERATIONS: JAPAN

Stories of contemporary family life as told by Japanese ﬁ lmmakers from three generations.

I Catch a Terrible Cat

Like Father, Like Son

My Neighbor Totoro

Tokyo Family

INSPIRING LIVES

Portraits of those who step up and speak out.

Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth Lumumba

Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom Walesa, Man of Hope

Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley

FILM CATEGORIES

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

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

5 @ 5 AND MVFF SHORTS

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

US CINEMA

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

WORLD CINEMA

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

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

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

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST PROGRAMS

It’s a year of firsts for the Children’s FilmFest: our first 3D film (Wickie and the Treasure of the Gods), our first 26-foot blow-up shark (appearing “live” with The Shark Riddle), our first onscreen children’s art show (for My Neighbor Totoro) and our first—in a long time—personal appearances by talent from a Children and Family selection (The Contest). It’s also an interactive year for us. When we got the word that actors Kenton Duty (from Disney Channel’s Shake It Up) and Daniel Flaherty were coming with director Anthony Giunta for MVFF’s world premiere of The Contest, we were overjoyed. The film’s unique take on the problem of bullying makes it the perfect event for Mill Valley. We’re also bringing back our first shorts program in a while to feature a Berlin Kinderfest Silver Bear winner, The Amber Amulet. We’ll also have directors/writers/ stars Laura and Rob Sams with us, singing songs and telling shark tales in conjunction with their wonderful film The Shark Riddle

TOTORO ART SHOW

Art students in programs managed by Youth In Arts and the Al Boro Center Art Program will have their drawings of Totoro and themselves displayed on screen prior to Festival screenings of My Neighbor Totoro

AGE RECOMMENDATIONS

To enhance very young viewers’ appreciation of foreign-language movies, actors will read subtitles aloud. Films with readers are marked thus:

Indicates subtitles read aloud ABOUT SUBTITLES

The age range following each program description is a suggestion only, and cannot adequately address everyone’s sense of appropriate or inappropriate content. Each child is different, and each parent has different standards.

SPONSORED BY

Shorts Program: Children’s Story (ages 7+) See page 32.

The Contest (ages 12+) See page 40.

My Neighbor Totoro (all ages) See page 51.

The Shark Riddle (ages 6+) See page 57.

Wickie and the Treasure of the Gods (ages 7+) See page 64.

Epitaph Miranda, MVFF Youth Reel (a peer-juried reel for teens) See page 65.

STAR WARS, EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE

30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND SCREENING

PROGRAM

Monday, October 7

Pre-show starts at 5:30 PM Screening at 6:30 PM Century Cinema, Corte Madera

$14.50 Adults / $13.50 Members

$10 Children ages 12 and under SPONSORED BY PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY, BAY AREA/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION.

Although it first appeared a long, long time ago (1983, to be exact) and in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi remains a cultural touchstone for Baby Boomers who first thrilled to creator George Lucas and director Richard Marquand’s intergalactic adventures, as well as for subsequent generations of sci-fi thrill-seekers.

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of this final chapter in the original Star Wars trilogy on the big screen—just as it was made to be experienced. For this pivotal installment in the saga, stalwart characters Luke, Leia, Han Solo, C-3PO and their longtime friends and foes are joined by Lando Calrissian (a suave Billy Dee Williams); monstrous baddie Jabba the Hutt; wizened, world-wise Yoda (“Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you”) and those charming, clever Ewoks. Nothing less than the survival of the universe is at stake!

Bring family and friends of all ages to this anniversary screening of the Force-ful blockbuster that keeps on giving. Special activities include:

• Costume parade—dress up as your favorite Star Wars character and join the Imperial March

• Prizes and giveaways

• Post-screening Q&A with special guests (just hope that Chewbacca doesn’t sit in front of you and block the view.)

STAR WARS, EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI

Star Wars returns! Celebrate the epic conclusion (thus far) of the greatest space opera ever created at MVFF’s special 30th-anniversary screening of Return of the Jedi

See page 59 for complete film details.

STAR WARS FANS – LOOK OUT FOR THIS SPECIAL SCREENING!

BLACK ANGEL

Sunday, October 13, 8:00 pm • 142 Throckmorton Theatre

Presumed lost for decades, this iconic short film from Star Wars art director Roger Christian is credited with influencing some of the biggest fantasy films of the 1980s, from John Boorman’s Excalibur to Ridley Scott’s Legend. Unseen for 33 years and now digitally restored and remastered from the original interpositive print, Black Angel will be presented in a special Festival screening.

5@5: CIRCUS

5@5: HOW’S IT GONNA END

5 @ 5 - CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

60 MINS

As a special treat this year, this annual collection of short films for young children draws from both international festivals and old favorites. The crowning jewel is The Amber Amulet, Australia’s Crystal Bear winner at the 2013 Berlin Film Festival’s Kinderfest, about a boy’s fantasy (or is it?) that he can move objects at will. Another boy tests his imagination and his love in Rocketship, a lovely American fi lm that features a flying Electrolux. Perennial favorite Jungle Beat Shorts offers Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and local filmmakers give a one-minute lesson on little-known facts about the Golden Gate Bridge. Our foreign-language shorts: I Spy with My Little Eye, from Germany, weds live action with some incredible stop-motion animation for a lesson in tolerance; and Argentina’s nonverbal Luminosa utilizes stop-motion to create a world that moves with light. Subtitles will be read aloud by a professional voice artist. Ages 7+ —John Morrison

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 12:30 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

5 @ 5 5 @ 5

60 MINS

“I’d like to hammer this ring into a bullet, and I wish I had some whiskey and a gun.” Birth, death and raw confrontation rule the day in these tales of man and beast. Simple shadow animation in James Stewart’s Beatrice Coron’s Daily Battles (Canada 7 mins) highlights an epic medieval tableau in stunning 3D. A stolen lottery ticket leads to a fateful showdown in Liam Hughes’ gritty Greed (UK 15 mins). Marcel, King of Tervuren (US 6 mins) is a French rooster who repeatedly faces down death in Tom Schroeder’s gorgeous animated ﬁlm. A pig farmer’s effort to train his son in his bloody livelihood opens old wounds in Jason B. Kohl’s intense The Slaughter (US 15 mins) A woman’s travels through Ireland to reunite with her father lead to unexpected revelations in Jeannie Donohoe’s Lambing Season (Ireland/US 15 mins). Finally, Adam Patch’s irresistible, animated Two Chips (US 2 mins) asks what happens when you record your drunken wife’s late-night merriment.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 4:30 PM SEQUOIA 2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 9:30 PM RAFAEL 3

67 MINS

“Life is sweet at the edge of a razor, and down in the front row of an old picture show.” Nowhere is the future more uncertain and inevitable than in this collection of beautiful shorts. A lonely man ﬁnds an unusual kinship with a neighbor in Daniel Fickle’s lovely, melodic A House, A Home (US 7 mins). A woman’s unusual business is beset by harsh economic realities in Staten Cousins-Roe’s very dark comedy This Way Out (UK 19 mins). George Takei narrates Eoin Duffy’s animated tale of a squirrel’s search for The Missing Scarf (Ireland 7 mins). A genocide survivor returns home for difﬁ cult answers and bitter reprisal in Antoneta Kastrati’s haunting She Comes in Spring (Kosovo/US 16 mins), and a woman examines her relationship with her father after a terrible accident in Sylvia Sether’s touching King of Norway (US 17 mins).

—Sterling Hedgpeth

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 4:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 8:45 PM RAFAEL 3

5@5: INNOCENT WHEN YOU DREAM

5 @ 5

60 MINS

“It’s memories that I’m stealing, but you’re innocent when you dream.” This wideranging meditation on states of awareness starts with Kyoungju Kim’s haunting Winter Shower (US 15 mins), about an elderly woman’s mysterious adventure. Dialogues on language and libations preoccupy the leads of Jason Headley’s At the Bar (US 6 mins). San Francisco’s F-Line (US 9 mins) is the transit muse for Silvia Turchin’s beautiful experimental fi lm. An epic journey begins at home when you can walk through walls in George Dechev’s animated The Visitor (Netherlands 8 mins). Paul Trillo’s A Truncated Story of Infinity (US 8 mins) explores a universe of alternate timelines and possibilities in even the most modest of lives. Ashley Rodholm and Joe Picard’s evocative 3020 Laguna St. in Exitum (US 10 mins) chronicles the art installation within a San Francisco house slated for destruction, and in Chris Olness’ short, an astronaut finds adjusting to everyday life diffi cult after Coming Home (US 5 mins).

—Sterling Hedgpeth

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 5:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 8:45 PM RAFAEL 3

5@5: NEW COAT OF PAINT

5 @ 5

65 MINS

“All our scribbled love dreams are lost or thrown away, here amidst the shuffle of an overﬂowing day.” The diverse women in these shorts show strength and inventiveness when confronted with formative challenges. Dehanza Rogers’ Sweet Sweet Country (US 20 mins) burrows into cultural divides when an Americanized daughter clashes with her newly immigrated Kenyan parents. Some alarming news changes the dating landscape for one city girl in Eric Kissack’s Blessing in Disguise (US 10 mins). An Indian wife can’t adapt to her new country as easily as her husband in Arpita Kumar’s My Dear Americans (US 7 mins). A late-night medical emergency clashes with religious dogma in Ali Asgari’s harrowing More Than Two Hours (Iran 15 mins), and reconciling a life crisis with the details of everyday commitments is the challenge for one urbanite in Jeremy Rall’s Somewhere Between (US 15 mins). —Sterling Hedgpeth

*Be sure not to miss the 5@5 Audience Favorites program on October 13 at 8:00 pm at 142 Throckmorton. Selections will be based on 5@5 audience votes. Also featured will be the world premiere of the digitally restored 1980 short Black Angel (see page 31 for complete ﬁ lm details).

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 5:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 3

5@5: WORLD KEEPS TURNING

5 @ 5

82 MINS

“Who knows where the sidewalk ends? Well the road will turn and the road will bend.” Real-life excursions start with Wendy Dent’s December 25 (Australia 1 min), an email message that speaks louder than words. Kerry Kolbe documents an enduring World War II–era lesson in acceptance with the tale of The German Who Came to Tea (UK 8 mins). A Berlin-based clown takes his merriment seriously in Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee’s Laugh Clown Laugh (US 8 mins). Julien Lasseur examines a painter of Walmart interiors in Brendan O’Connell Is Blocking the Bread Aisle (US 5 mins). A Yup’ik fisherman yearns to pass along his craft in Emmanuel VaughanLee’s Yukon Kings (US 7 mins). Vanessa Hope’s China In 3 Weeks (US 15 mins.) presents a fascinating and culturally complex pursuit of post-Maoist China, as observed by preminent dissident author Yu Hua. While chronicling his father’s musical past, Mark Columbus goes on a voyage of self-discovery in The Battle of the Jazz Guitarist (US 7 mins). A chance flyover inspires Alan Snitow’s funny, scary video mashup Drones in My Backyard (US 14 mins). Harris Cohen introduces us to charming 84-year-old photographer, blogger and former marathon runner Hans (US 9 mins). With the 2008 market in a tailspin, a broker has hard decisions to make before Janek Ambros’ Closing Bell (US 5 mins), and in memorializing an abandoned building turned graffiti Mecca, Julie Rubio reminds us that Everything Is Temporary (US 3 mins).

—Kelly Clement

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 5:45 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 9:00 PM RAFAEL 3

12 YEARS A SLAVE

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 134 MINS

Director Steve McQueen Producers Steve McQ ueen, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bill Pohlad, Arnon Milchan, Anthony Katagas Screenwriter John Ridley Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt Editor Joe Walker Cast Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fas sbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard Prin t Source Fox Searchlight Pictures

One day Solomon Northup is an accomplished violinist with a wife and two children in New York; the next he is a runaway slave named Platt sold to a plantation owner in Georgia. What happens in between and thereafter is an American slavery story rarely told. Abducted and illegally sold into slavery, Solomon’s intellect is no asset in this life, and his hopes for returning to his former one are few. Acclaimed British ﬁ lmmaker Steve McQueen ( Hunger; Shame, MVFF 2012) demonstrates a formidable command of his material, relating Northup’s tragic circumstance with an enthralling balance of nuance and blunt force. Featuring fearless performances by a stellar cast led by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, Kinky Boots ) and including Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and several surprise players (among them producer Brad Pitt), this brilliant, unforgettable ﬁlm turns history into a visceral cinematic experience.

—Joanne Parsont

*In a Festival first, both director Steve McQueen and actor Chiwetel Ejiofor will be recognized with MVFF Awards in this Spotlight program. See page 15 for pricing.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 1

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

AL HELM: MARTIN LUTHER KING IN PALESTINE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 93 MINS

Director/Producer Connie Field

Screenwriters Connie Field, Gregory

Scha rpen Cinematographers Issa Aslan, Ram zi Maqdisi Editor Gregory Scharpen

Print Source Clarity Films

In English and Arabic with English subtitles. Martin Luther King’s dream of justice, equality and nonviolence comes to the West Bank in the form of a play by Stanford professor Clay Carson. The parallels seem clear, but the collaboration between a group of African American gospel singers and the Palestinian National Theater hits its ﬁrst snag when director Kamel El Basha changes the play to make it more accessible to Palestinian audiences. In a compelling and emotional documentary, award-winning director Connie Field ( Have You Heard from Johannesburg?, MVFF 2006; Freedom on My Mind, MVFF 1994) captures the eye-opening experiences of the choir as its members witness the open wound of the Palestinian struggle. Along the way, the actors perform at the Freedom Theatre and encounter its charismatic founder, Israeli-Palestinian actor, director and ﬁlmmaker Juliano Mer Khamis ( Arna’s Children, MVFF 2005). Even as young Palestinians follow their Egyptian and Tunisian counterparts in an incipient nonviolent movement, the Americans witness tragedy as they and their fellow artists come to understand each other’s struggles. US PREMIERE

—Sandy Handsher

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 3:00 PM RAFAEL 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2:15 PM SEQUOIA 2

ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US/UK 2013 • 82 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Pratibha Parmar

Producer Shaheen Haq Cinematographer Simon Dennis Editors Pratibha Parmar, Pau l Monahagn, Linda Peckham Cast Alice Walker, Danny Glover, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, Sapphire, Sonia Sanchez Prin t Source Kali Films

FOCUS: INSPIRING LIVES • The youngest of eight children born to Georgia sharecroppers, Alice Walker stepped out of poverty with no more than a typewriter, suitcase and sewing machine before becoming the fi rst African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize (for The Color Purple) and an outspoken activist on social justice issues ranging from female genital mutilation to unjust war. Tracing Walker’s story from Civil Rights battles of the South to her time as a contributing editor for Ms. Magazine, award-winning director Pratibha Parmar explores the woman, the African American, the Southerner, the adorer of nature and the eternally curious individual behind the author and public fi gure, packing remarkable breadth into a fast-moving film chock-full of archival footage, family photos and interviews with Danny Glover, Steven Spielberg and Gloria Steinem, among others. While refusing to sanitize the personal and political bumps in the road, Parmar identifi es the many complimentary facets of an artist and activist who could never have been anything but.

—Alexis Whitham

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 5:45 PM RAFAEL 1

SPONSORED BY

ALL IS LOST

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 107 MINS

Director/Screenwriter J.C. Chandor

Producers Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb

Cinematographers Frankie DeMarco, Peter Zuccar ini Editor Pete Beaudrea Cast Robert Redf ord Print Source Roadside Attractions

The fi rst time we meet Robert Redford’s nameless protagonist in J.C. Chandor’s masterful All Is Lost, his sailboat is fl ooding, the result of a collision with a stray shipping container in the middle of the Indian Ocean. From that straightforward introduction unfolds a remarkable tale of survival in the face of maritime misfortune—for as the title suggests, it only gets worse from there. For the audience, it’s a rare gift: a master class in minimalist acting from one of the true icons of cinema. In a virtually wordless, tour-de-force performance, Redford reminds us that he’s always been one of fi lm’s greatest listeners—keenly observant and enormously expressive with the subtlest of gestures. And so it is here, as he conveys resourcefulness, resilience and primal fear in supple, understated strokes. This emotionally epic, intensely suspenseful and moving film comes as a high achievement in Redford’s already stellar career.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 3:30 PM RAFAEL 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 8:15 PM SEQUOIA 1

ALONG THE ROADSIDE

(PORED PUTA)

WORLD CINEMA

SERBIA/US 2013 • 108 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Zoran Lisinac

Producer Vladimir Lisinac Cinematographer

John Honoré Editor Brett Sorem Cast

Angelina Häntsch, Iman Crosson, Michael Mad sen, Lazar Ristovski, Daniel Grozdich, Rhomeyn Johnson Print Source Metakwon Filmworks

In English and Serbian with English subtitles. This funny, philosophical road-trip comedy bounces from the screen as two vibrant characters take twisty turns in a world full of unexpected possibilities. Varnie (Iman Crosson) is a cynical San Francisco ideas man in search of a big break (a venture capitalist who’s all venture but no capital). Nena (Angelina Häntsch) is a wide-eyed Austrian tourist in search of her favorite band. When fate plops them together, the dynamic duo take off for the Southland on an eccentric road trip to a music festival and enlightenment, whichever comes fi rst. As the contrasting heroes grow closer, their conversations and encounters resonate with real emotional truth and unpredictable energy. Writer-director Zoran Lisinac fuels this bent buddycomedy with thrilling visual fl ourishes and a magical musical soundtrack perfectly in sync with the mood and settings, including plenty of Bay Area spots. The result is an offbeat story filled with profound messages about love, longing and cross-cultural connections. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Brendan Peterson

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 6:15 PM RAFAEL 2

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 9:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

AT MIDDLETON

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 100 MINS

Director Adam Rodgers Producers Gle n German, Andy Garcia, Sig Libowitz Screenwriters Adam Rodgers, Glenn Germ an Cinematographer Emmanuel Kado sh Editor Suzy Elmiger Cast Vera Far miga, Andy Garcia, Taissa Farmiga, Spencer Lofranco, Peter Riegert, Tom Skerritt Print Source Bach’s Hands

Think Vincente Minnelli’s The Clock merged with David Lean’s Brief Encounter, set in present-day on an idyllic college campus, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of Adam Rodgers’ celebratory and life-afﬁ rming debut feature, At Middleton. Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga shine as George and Edith, “not-so-single” parents who meet over a parking space scufﬂ e at Middleton College (where his son and her daughter are thinking of attending in the fall). While their kids brave the dreaded guided campus tour, George and Edith slip away from the group, and in the course of a few hours learn some valuable life lessons about love, family and what it means to be truly alive. Boasting heartfelt performances, assured direction and a script rife with depth and insight, At Middleton is the quintessential “audience” picture—one that will make you laugh and cry while gently encouraging you to look at your own life in a different light.

—Tim Sika

*SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 5:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 11:15 AM SEQUOIA 2

*See page 17 for event details and pricing.

SPONSORED BY

AUGUST FOOLS (MIELETÖN ELOKUU)

WORLD CINEMA

FINLAND 2013 • 103 MINS

Director Taru Mäkelä Producer Mar kku Flink Screenwriter Raija Talvio Cinematographer Jouko Seppälä Editor Ing e-Lise Langfeldt Cast Kati Outinen, Mir oslav Etzler, Elena Leeve, Krystof Hadek, Esko Salminen, Laura Birn Print Source Finnish Film Foundation

In Finnish, English and Czech with English subtitles. A sweet and stylish comedy that spans several summer days in Cold War–era Helsinki, August Fools is a charming tribute to love—as well as a moving portrait of a tense, troubled era. It’s 1962, and an international “Festival of Friendship” has brought innumerable “cultural delegations” to Helsinki. Among them (in addition to the thinly disguised KGB spies and CIA foils) are Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, a lovelorn Lee Harvey Oswald and a sad-faced Czechoslovakian saxophonist who hopes to win back the Finnish woman he has pined for since World War II. His object of desire is Elsa (the inimitable Kati Outinen, of Kaurismaki ﬁ lm fame), a hat-shop owner and part-time clairvoyant whose niece Minni also ﬁ nds romance in the eclectic mix. As Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” becomes a tool of international diplomacy, politics and paranoia stand in the way. In the end, a timeless question remains: Can love prevail? NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Charles Purdy

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 6:15 PM RAFAEL 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 11:15 AM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SPEAK TO ME

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 118 MINS

Director John Wells Producers George Clo oney, Celia D. Costas, Patrick Daly, Harvey Weinstein Screenwriter Tracy Letts Cinematographer Adriano Goldman Editor Stephen Mirrione Cast Meryl Streep, Julia Robe rts, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson Print Source The Wein stein Company

A missing patriarch, welling family secrets, and a take-no-prisoners approach to dinner table conversation roil the Weston family household one fateful August in Osage County, Oklahoma, as a dream cast brings Tracy Letts’ witty and stirring Pulitzer Prize–winning play to the big screen. As matriarch Violet (Meryl Streep) oversees the reunion of her children in the wake of a family crisis, shocking and hilarious truths make their way to the surface. Each of the three Weston siblings comes with her own emotional baggage: Barbara (Julia Roberts) and her husband are navigating splitting up; Karen (Juliette Lewis) has the latest of her sleazy serial ﬁ ancés in tow; and stay-athome Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) discloses a clandestine love that causes waves of disapproval. Both ﬁ ercely funny and disarmingly poignant, August: Osage County is a rollercoaster ride of dysfunction, revealing a new indiscretion at every turn. Powered by extraordinary performances—notably Roberts as the perfect foil to Streep’s Violet— it’s a breathtaking ride. US PREMIERE

—Zoë Elton

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 1

*Visit mvff.com for pricing and details.

BELLEVILLE BABY

WORLD CINEMA

SWEDEN 2013 • 75 MINS

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Mia Engberg Producer Tobias Janson Cinematographers Mia Engberg, Albin Biblom, Ewa Cederstam Print Source Swedish Film Institute

In Swedish and French with English subtitles. Ubiquitous though it may be, love is perhaps the hardest emotion to capture in its fullest, most tortured and unreasonable state. Director Mia Engberg gets as close as anyone has. Framing her tale around the myth of Orpheus, whose love has fallen into the underworld, Engberg’s debut feature is, as Variety puts it, a “lyrical, experimental, semi-fi ctionalized mood piece.” It is also one of the most evocative and nakedly incisive films ever to portray the irrational and emotional truth of first love; love you knew would fail, but held onto anyway. A decade after losing touch, Mia receives a phone call from Vincent, a rough man she met in the catacombs of Paris a decade earlier. Crumbling photos, Super 8 footage of Stockholm and Paris, politics, class, morality and a cat named Baby all swirl together in this award-winning foray into blurred memories and half-truths, the shared past you fear never really existed.

—Alexis Whitham

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 3:00 PM RAFAEL 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 3:15 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SWEDEN

SPONSORED

SPONSORED BY

#mvff36

Instagram.com/MillValleyFilmFest facebook.com/MillValleyFilmFestival Our MVFF36 App is available for iPhone in iTunes & for Android in Google Play (search: MVFF36).

6:00PM

FILM CALENDAR

CONTEST 1:00PM

GOLDBERG... 4:00PM ONE CHANCE 6:30PM TBA 9:15PM FINDING HILLYWOOD 12:45PM FARAH GOES BANG 3:15PM IMAGINE 6:15PM

SWEET BLUES: A FILM ABOUT MIKE BLOOMFIELD 9:30PM

INSIGHT: DAVID THOMSON 12:00PM A LONG AND HAPPY LIFE 2:30PM ODD BRODSKY 5:00PM TODAY 8:15PM IN THE COBBLER’S SHOES 12:00PM I CATCH A TERRIBLE CAT 2:30PM THE DANDELIONS 6:00PM BREATHE IN 8:30PM

WICKIE AND THE TREASURE OF THE GODS 11:30AM LION ARK 2:00PM TOXIC HOT SEAT 5:00PM THE PAST 8:00PM

ORGANIC LIFE 3:15PM

WORLD KEEPS TURNING 5:45PM PICO (PERFORMANCE INDETERMINATE CAGE OPERA) 8:30PM

BIG JOY: ...JAMES BROUGHTON 11:30AM DESERT RUNNERS 2:15PM GENERATION WAR 5:00PM THE ILLNESS AND THE ODYSSEY 12:30PM

ACTIVE CINEMA HIKE 10:30AM (see pg. 66) PHILOMENA 3:00PM ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH 5:45PM THE HUMAN EXPERIMENT 8:30PM THE RETRIEVAL 12:45PM THE YEAR AND THE VINEYARD 3:45PM IMAGINE 6:30PM FARAH GOES BANG 9:15PM INDUSTRY PANEL 11:00AM MT. ZION 4:00PM RUN AND JUMP 1:00PM YEMA 6:15PM MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE 8:30PM REDEMPTION TRAIL 12:00PM BENDS 2:45PM SARAH PREFERS TO RUN 5:15PM THE ROCKET 8:15PM

5:00PM CINEMASPORTS 8:00PM MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO 12:30PM

RAFAEL 1 RAFAEL 2 RAFAEL 3

SEQUOIA 1

SEQUOIA 2

1 RAFAEL 2 RAFAEL 1 RAFAEL 3 RAFAEL 2 SEQUOIA 1 RAFAEL 3

GENERATION WAR 2 12:30PM

SEQUOIA 1

SEQUOIA 2

FILM CALENDAR

THE BEST OFFER 3:00PM AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY 6:30PM

THE LAST SENTENCE 3:30PM GRIGRIS 7:30PM

GHOST TOWN TO HAVANA 3:00PM

THE RETRIEVAL 2:30PM

REDEMPTION TRAIL 6:00PM 5@5: WORLD KEEPS TURNING 9:00PM

5@5: INNOCENT WHEN YOU DREAM 5:30PM GLORIA 8:00PM

LION ARK 3:00PM THIS AIN’T NO MOUSE MUSIC! 6:00PM THE SEA 9:00PM

ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME 12:30PM BIG JOY: ADVENTURES OF JAMES BROUGHTON 2:45PM INSIGHT: JAN TROELL 5:30PM

ONE CHANCE 2:30PM

2:30PM MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM 6:30PM

5@5: NEW COAT OF PAINT 5:00PM THE FACE OF LOVE 7:30PM TBA 9:00PM TBA 9:00PM TBA 6:00PM VICTORIA 6:00PM

GENERATION WAR 3 12:30PM GRIGRIS 3:30PM “JOHN BROWN’S BODY” AT SAN QUENTIN PRISON 6:30PM 5@5: CIRCUS 9:30PM THE TAO OF BLUEGRASS: A PORTRAIT OF PETER ROWAN 2:00PM THE GERMAN DOCTOR 5:30PM CHEBA 8:00PM

FILM CALENDAR

STRITCH: SHOOT ME 6:00PM WALESA, MAN OF HOPE 8:45PM THIS AIN’T NO MOUSE MUSIC! 3:30PM 12 YEARS A SLAVE 6:30PM PICO (PERFORMANCE INDETERMINATE CAGE OPERA) 12:30PM BELLEVILLE BABY 3:00PM AUGUST FOOLS 6:15PM SPOOKS AND SPIRITS 9:15PM COLLAPSE 12:30PM LUMUMBA 3:15PM 5@5: NEW COAT OF PAINT 6:30PM THE MOTEL LIFE 9:00PM

FACE OF

3:30PM

DIRECTOR’S PANEL 10:30AM UPAJ: IMPROVISE 12:45PM ALL IS LOST 3:30PM EFFIE GRAY 6:30PM WALESA, MAN OF HOPE 12:00PM

9:15PM

KEEPER OF THE BEAT... 12:30PM SWEET BLUES: ...MIKE BLOOMFIELD 2:30PM LE WEEK-END 5:15PM TOKYO FAMILY 8:15PM IN THE COBBLER’S SHOES 12:45PM 5@5: HOW’S IT GONNA END 4:00PM THE PRETTY ONE 6:15PM

MAN’S SHOW 5:45PM 5@5: HOW’S IT GONNA END 8:45PM

WICKIE AND THE TREASURE OF GODS 11:30AM ZAYTOUN 3:15PM BESIDE STILL WATERS 6:30PM TBA 9:00PM TBA 11:00AM

HOT SEAT 2:00PM

MIDDLETON 5:00PM

IS THE WARMEST COLOR 8:00PM

BENDS

(GUO JIE)

WORLD CINEMA

HONG KONG 2013 • 95 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Flora Lau

Cinematographer Christopher Doyle

Editors Flora Lau, Alexis Dos Santos, Aq Lee Cas t Kun Chen, Carina Lau, Yuan Tien

Prin t Source Distribution Workshop

In Cantonese, Mandarin and English with English subtitles. Hiding out in a Shenzhen tenement, young mother Ting already has one child but is heavily pregnant with another in violation of China’s one-child-only law. Husband Fai, meanwhile, crosses the border into Hong Kong daily as chauffeur to Anna, wife of an affl uent businessman. Although they live in sharply contrasting worlds, both Ting and Anna fi nd themselves in desperate limbo as the fi nancial relationship between China and Hong Kong grows increasingly volatile. Ting hopes to give birth in a Hong Kong hospital bed somehow furnished by her husband, and Anna is left high and dry without her husband or his line of credit. Soon Fai and Anna develop an unspoken bond that threatens to burst to the surface. With a production team that includes cinematographer Christopher Doyle and designer William Chang, Hong Kong filmmaker Flora Lau’s impressive feature debut boasts an exquisitely tense performance by Carina Lau as Anna.

—Frako Loden

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2:45 PM SEQUOIA 1

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY AND CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA

BESIDE STILL WATERS

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 76 MINS

Director Chris Lowell Producers Chris Low ell, Jason Potash, Paul Finkel, Steven Gorel Screenwriters Chris Lowell, Mohit Narang C inematographer Tim Naylor Editor Nick Houy Cast Beck Bennett, Wil l Brill, Brett Dalton, Erin Darke, Ryan Eggold, Jessy Hodges, Britt Lower, Reid Scott Print Source Storyboard Entert ainment

In this Big Chill for the Millennial Generation, seven childhood friends and one unexpected guest come together at a scenic lake house to comfort each other, reconnect, reconcile and possibly rekindle romance during what may prove to be their ﬁnal season at a beloved summer home. Over the course of a sultry evening of revelry, friends and lovers scrutinize one another through the truth-inducing lenses of alcohol and deep emotion, invariably refracted by collective gallows humor. Actor turned writer-director Chris Lowell (The Help, Up in the Air, television’s Private Practice) garners vital performances from a talented ensemble of rising young stars, including Ryan Eggold (TV’s 90210 ) in a breakout performance as the catalyst who gathers the childhood group together once more at their old summer haunt. By turns wryly comic and acutely moving, Beside Still Waters plumbs the implicit alliances, unrequited crushes and enduring bonds that circumscribe lifelong friendships and deﬁne those relationships we hold most dear. WORLD PREMIERE

—Leah LoSchiavo

*SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 6:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2:15 PM RAFAEL 1

*See page 17 for event details and pricing.

THE BEST OFFER

(LA MIGLIORE OFFERTA)

WORLD CINEMA

ITALY 2013 • 130 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Giuseppe Tornatore Producers Isabella Cocuzza, Guido De Laurentiis, Arturo Paglia, Enzo Sisti Cinematographer Fabio Zamarion Editor Mas simo Quaglia Cast Geoffrey Rush, Don ald Sutherland, Sylvia Hoeks, Jim Sturgess Print Source IFC Films

Sweeping this year’s Italian Oscars (David di Donatello Awards), director Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso, Baarìa) continues to surprise, delight and defy our expectations with his brilliantly conceived ﬁ rst English-language feature, lavishly set “somewhere in Habsburg Italy.” Starring Geoffrey Rush as a fastidious and lovelorn antiquarian art auctioneer, Donald Sutherland as his business partner (in crime) and gorgeous Sylvia Hoeks as the most elusive object of desire, The Best Offer brims with moments of genuine human pathos, sly humor and winks to Alfred Hitchcock spiked with a dash of David Lynch—all set to a lush choral soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. As the besotted lover yearns for a glimpse of his mysterious beloved amid the phantasmagorically sumptuous surroundings, Tornatore provides us with much food for thought: Can love bring art to life? Or is it merely a chef d’oeuvre of the forger’s craft?

—KD Davis

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 6:00 PM

SEQUOIA 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 3:00 PM

RAFAEL 1

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE OF SAN FRANCISCO

BIG JOY: THE ADVENTURES OF JAMES BROUGHTON

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

2013 • 82 MINS

Directors Eric Slade, Stephen Silha, Dawn Logsdon Producers Eric Slade, Stephen Silh a, Max St. Romain Cinematographers Ian Hinkle, Art Adams Editors Dawn Logs don, Kyung Lee Cast Anna Halprin, Armi stead Maupin, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Foley, Neeli Cherkovski Print Source Frisky Divinity Productions

MVFF’s very first tributee in 1978, experimental fi lmmaker/poet and embodiment of mid-century Bay Area bohemia James Broughton is a beloved fi gure in Mill Valley lore (he shot his polysexual romp, The Bed, here). A longtime Marin County denizen, Broughton’s inexhaustible creativity and romantic escapades made for an action-packed and rewarding life, playfully recounted in Stephen Silha, Eric Slade and Dawn Logsdon’s joyous documentary. Hailing from Modesto, Broughton escaped into San Francisco’s underground scene, kicked off poetry readings, directed award-winning films, had a child with Pauline Kael, gallivanted with the Radical Faeries and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and paired up for decades with a hunky beau some 40 years his junior. “When in doubt, start twirling,” Broughton was fond of saying. Celebrating his ebullient spirit are Armistead Maupin, Anna Halprin and other luminaries whose lives were brightened by the great gay Renaissance man of NoCal counterculture. —Steven Jenkins

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 11:30 AM SEQUOIA 2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2:45 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRAMELINE

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR

WORLD CINEMA

FRANCE 2013 • 179 MINS

Director Abdellatif Kechiche Producers

Olivier Ther y Lapiney, Laurence Clerc Screenwriters Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix Cinematographer Soﬁ an El Fani Editors Gh alia Lacroix, Albertine Lastera, Jean -Marie Lengelle, Camille Toubkis Cast Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kéchiouche, Mona Walravens, Jérémie Laheurte, Alma Jodorowsky, Aurélien Recoing Print Source IFC Films

In French with English subtitles. This year’s winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival boldly explores, with uncompromising candor and searing performances, the explosive relationship between two young women. In the leads, Léa Seydoux ( Midnight in Paris) and Adèle Exarchopoulos ( I Used to Be Darker ) are outstanding and, in an unprecedented move, were awarded the Palme alongside director Abdellatif Kechiche (The Secret of the Grain ). High school student Adèle has a passion for literature. Bluehaired Emma studies ﬁne arts at a university in town. There’s an instant connection when the two women meet at a bar, and slowly they begin a romantic relationship. Both sexually explicit and emotionally gripping, Blue Is the Warmest Color unﬂ inchingly chronicles the complexities of romance, sexuality and human relations with fearless performances and astute direction.

—Joe Bowman

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 8:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 8:00 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM TV5 MONDE

THE BOOK THIEF

US CINEMA

US 2013

Director Brian Percival Producers Karen Rose nfelt, Ken Blancato Screenwriters Mich ael Petroni, based on the novel by Markus Zusak Cinematographer Florian Ballh aus Editor John Wilson Cast Sophie Néli sse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson Print Source Fox 2000 Releases

OPENING NIGHT FILM • A stellar cast includ ing Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson brings to life the tale of a young girl who discovers that stories have extraordinary power to sustain the human spirit. Based on Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel, the film gives new talent Sophie Nélisse the opportunity to shine in the lead role. In 1938, near Munich, Rosa and Hans Hubermann take in nine-year-old Liesel. Kind Hans bonds with his foster daughter through their shared love of words as he teaches her to read her first book. Into this sphere of warmth and safety, amid the turmoil of Nazi Germany, comes Max, the Jewish son of Hans’s World War I comrade. Confined to the basement, Max asks Liesel each day to describe the outside world, encouraging her to make words her own as she grows into a young woman and a storyteller. This beautiful film is full of contrasts, balancing the innocent joys of childhood against the horrendous realities of a world at war. SPECIAL PRESENTATION —Laura Henneman

*See page 11 for complete Opening Night program details and pricing.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 7:00 PM CINEMA CORTE MADERA

BREATHE IN

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 97 MINS

Director Drake Doremus Producers

Steven M. Rales, Mark Roybal, Jonathan Schwartz, Andrea Sperling, Kathryn Dean Screenwriters Ben York Jones

Cinematographer John Guleserian Editor Jonathan Alberts Cast Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Mackenzie Davis Print Source Indian Paint Brush

Fresh, modern direction from Drake Doremus ( Like Crazy, MVFF 2011) infuses real emotions into this story of unexpected attraction in the midst of suburban routine— emotions unsettling and euphoric; emotions as fundamental as breathing. In the film’s opening sequence, we meet musician and teacher Keith (Guy Pearce), his wife and daughter during a twilight family portrait session—a visually striking scene that flags the key themes of looking and seeing, observing and being observed. We soon sense that for Keith there’s something missing in this comfortable life. When 18-year-old exchange student Sophie (former MVFF guest Felicity Jones) joins the family, the domestic balance finally topples. Doremus makes full use of subtleties in the exquisite performances: holding on a face or a hand, trusting the actors to communicate in the spaces between speech and action. This shrewd and delicate approach draws us in, intrigued but also a little uncomfortable, our precarious condition mimicking that of the characters themselves.

—Laura Henneman

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 8:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

CAPITAL (LE CAPITAL)

WORLD CINEMA

FRANCE 2012 • 114 MINS

Director Costa-Gavras Producer Michele Ray-Gavras Screenwriters Costa-Gavras, Jean-Claude Grumberg, Karim Boukercha Cinematographer Eric Gautier Editors Yannick Kergoat, Yorgos Lamprinos Cast Gad Elmaleh, Gabriel Byrne, Natacha Régnier, Céline Sallette, Liya Kebede Print Source Cohen Media

TRIBUTE TO COSTA-GAVRAS • In English and French with English subtitles. In this breakneck new thriller from legendary filmmaker Costa-Gavras ( Z, Missing), multinational corporations supplant traditional nation states as the new global mega-powers. French comedian Gad Elmaleh ( Midnight in Paris), in a charismatic change of pace, plays Marc Tourneuil, a novice investment bank CEO who demonstrates a savvy balance of naïve populism and cutthroat instinct as he sails the chaotic waters of international finance. By fending off hostile takeovers and backstabbing coups—most notably from an American financier played by Gabriel Byrne—Marc channels the director’s take on class warfare, the morality of convenience and the mercenary swiftness of fortunes lost, found and taken. Are Marc’s greed and ambition too big to fail? Costa-Gavras has made a career of offering few easy answers to tales of political turmoil, and the endlessly entertaining Capital is no exception as it wades through sex, money and power with the auteur’s cinematic instincts alive and flourishing.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

*See page 12 for complete Tribute details and pricing.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 1

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM TV5MONDE

SPONSORED BY

CHEBA (CHEBA LOUISA)

WORLD CINEMA

FRANCE 2013 • 116 MINS

Director/Cinematographer Françoise Charpiat Producer Anne Derré Screenwriters Françoise Charpiat, Meriem Hamidat Editor Marie-Blanche Colonna Cast Isabelle Carré, Rachida Brakni–Biyouna, Stanley Weber, Mhamed Areski Print Source Elle Driver

FOCUS: L’AFRIQUE • In French with English subtitles. Two winning performances mine the gentler, more comical possibilities in France’s complicated, often fraught relationship with its Arab immigrant community as the beautiful yet serious-minded Djemila (Rachida Brakni) moves away from her traditional Algerian home and into her own apartment, next door to bumbling single mom Emma (Isabelle Carre). In her crisply cut, understated work clothes, Djemila represents the modern young immigrant in France: upwardly mobile, striving for success, eager to shed the perceived backwardness of her culture yet still fiercely loyal to its sometimes suffocating traditions. Torn between her French lover and the Algerian suitor chosen for her by her family, Djemila struggles to balance the weight of expectations with her desire to uncover her own true identity. With unlikely encouragement from the disorganized Emma, Djemila ultimately discovers that the values she thought she was so desperate to shed are in the fact the ones that she holds most dear.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Atissa Manshouri

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 8:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 6:00 PM RAFAEL 2

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

CONTEST

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

US 2013 • 88 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Anthony Joseph

Guinta Producer Howard Alter

Cinematographer Giacomo Belletti

Editor Robert Larkin Cast Kenton Duty, Daniel Flahert y, Katherine McNamara, Mary Beth Peil, Kyle Dean Massey

Print Source Percolate Productions

It takes a leap of faith to trust yourself and others when loyalties pull in different directions. Matt is a major bully. Tommy is his favorite victim. But Matt goes too far one day and gets caught. He’s warned that if he doesn’t stop—and keep his friends from bullying too—he’ll be expelled, and his chances for a swimming scholarship will vanish. Matt doesn’t just stop; he pretends to become Tommy’s friend. Somewhere along the way, though, Matt’s not sure if he’s just acting the part or really enjoying hanging with Tommy and his cooking team in the Teen Chef contest. Matt’s brother complicates this uncertain new friendship by demanding that Matt undermine the contest. “People expect you to be a certain way,” explains Matt, when Tommy asks him why he bullies. “They laugh if you are. They laugh at you if you’re not.”

Ages 7+ WORLD PREMIERE

—Roberta McNair

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1:00 PM RAFAEL 1

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 120 MINS

Director Jean-Marc Vallée Producers

Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter

Screenwriters Craig Borten & Melisa

Walla ck Cinematographer Yves Bélanger, CSC Editors John Mac McMurphy, Martin Pensa Ca st Matthew McConaughey, Jenn ifer Garner, Jared Leto Print Source Focus Features

SPOTLIGHT: JARED LETO • Matthew McConaughey, in a superlative performance, immerses himself in the true story of homophobic party-boy turned accidental AIDS activist Ron Woodroof and his battle with the medical establishment after being diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1985. With the US internally divided over how to combat the virus and restricting medications, the Texas electrician joins forces with Rayon, an H.I.V.-positive transsexual woman (a magnetic Jared Leto, triumphantly returning to the screen after a four-year absence) to smuggle in nontoxic, antiviral medications from all over the world. With the help of doctor Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner), they create the Dallas Buyers Club, the ﬁrst of such clubs that would form around the country providing its paying members with alternative treatments. As the clubs grow in numbers and clientele, they come to the attention of the FDA, which then wages an all-out war on their Robin Hood ring of pharmaceutical saviors in director Jean-Marc Vallée’s rousing drama. US PREMIERE —Leah LoSchiavo

*See page 13 for complete Spotlight details and pricing.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 1

THE DANDELIONS

(DU VENT DANS MES MOLLETS)

WORLD CINEMA

FRANCE 2012 • 90 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Carine Tardieu

Producers Fabrice Goldstein, Antoine Rein Screenwriter Raphaële Moussaﬁ r

Cinematographer Antoine Monod Editor Reyn ald Bertrand Cast Agnès Jaoui, Denis Podalyde s, Isabelle Carre, Isabella Rossellini, Juliette Gombert, Anna Lemarchand Print Source Gaumont

In French with English subtitles. In the fi ne Gallic tradition of French classics Ma vie en rose and Zazie dans le métro, The Dandelions explores the whimsical, enchanting world of la jeunesse. At the center of this delightful film is the alternately shy and spirited Rachel, whose ninth birthday is quickly approaching. Living with her neurotic Jewish mother (Agnès Jaoui, Look at Me), quietly distant father (Denis Podalydès, Caché ), and sickly grandmother (Judith Magre, Les amants), Rachel feels suffocated at home, preferring the signifi cantly less stressful environment at school. When no one shows up to Rachel’s birthday party except for her spunky, uninhibited classmate Valérie, a true friendship begins to blossom. Co-starring Isabella Rossellini as a child psychiatrist and Isabelle Carré ( Les Intouchables) as Valérie’s sexy, single mother, director Carine Tardieu juggles the sincerity, depth and joy of two young girls’ coming-of-age with great ease.

—Joe Bowman

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 11:45 AM RAFAEL 1

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND TV5MONDE

DESERT RUNNERS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 95 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Jennifer Steinman

Producers Yael Melamede, Diana Iles

Parker, Jennifer Steinman Cinematographer Sev an Matossian Editors Jennifer Steinman , Jessica Congdon Print Source Jennifer Steinman

They ran through hell and back in rubber soles. This inspirational documentary follows four scrappy amateur athletes— a widowed British war veteran, a retired American baseball player, an aspiring Australian actress and an aging Irish businessman—competing in the world’s most grueling sporting event: a yearlong series of 250K races known as the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon. How tough is it? Day Five of the Gobi Desert leg is alone a 100K run through scorching heat and rugged terrain. The ﬁ eld of competitors—145 runners from 35 countries exploring the outside edge of endurance—is bolstered by true grit and a shared determination to chase their dreams. The stakes are life or death—the “masochism tango” is how one cheeky competitor describes it. But, for each runner, this extreme event offers a rare chance for self-discovery. Excellent direction and stunning nature photography shot in Chile, China, Egypt and Antarctica contribute to this moving portrait of the human spirit. US PREMIERE —Greg Cahill

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2:15 PM SEQUOIA 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 5:45 PM

142 THROCKMORTON

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2013 • 100 MINS

Director Richard Laxton Producers Andreas Roald, Donald Rosenfeld

Screenwriter Emma Thompson

Cinematographer Andrew Dunn Editor Kate Williams Cast Dakota Fanning, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane Print Source Sovereign Films

SPOTLIGHT: DAKOTA FANNING • Penned by Academy Award–winning screenwriter Emma Thompson and based on the true events that scandalized aristocratic circles of the Victorian era, this sumptuous cinematic portrait explores the curiously brief marriage and abrupt annulment of famed art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and his ethereal childbride, Euphemia “Effi e” Gray (a mesmerizing Dakota Fanning). Repressed sensuality, religious and political strife and the role of art at a crucial point of cultural transition all inform the social contest underway as well as the storm raging within the outwardly restrained Ruskin. Shot amid the gorgeous landscapes of the British Isles, with superior art direction throughout, the film features outstanding performances from Fanning as well as a veritable who’s who of British acting—including an incandescent Thompson as a pragmatic benefactress. Effie Gray offers an exquisite and tantalizing peek into the celebrated compositions and secreted boudoirs of the famously fastidious Victorian Age. WORLD PREMIERE —Leah LoSchiavo

*See page 19 for complete Spotlight details and pricing.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 1

EFFIE GRAY

ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 80 MINS

Director Chiemi Karasawa Producers Chiemi K arasawa, Elizabeth Hemmerdinger Cinematographers Rod Lamborn, Shane Sig ler, Joshua Z. Weinstein Editors Kjerstin Ross i, Pax Wassermann Cast Alec Baldwin, Rob B owman, Tina Fey Print Source Sundance Selects

From the fi rst frame of this magnificent film, Broadway legend and consummate performer Elaine Stritch has us in the palm of her hand—striding through the Upper East Side, bantering with all and sundry, engulfed in a voluminous fur coat over her signature long white shirt. Recent stints as 30 Rock ’s secret weapon—Stritch played Jack Donaghy’s scene-stealing mother— have earned the Tony- and Emmy-winning actress a whole new fan base. Capturing Stritch onstage and off, and in interviews with Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Nathan Lane, fi lmmaker Chiemi Karasawa invokes a lifetime of terrifi c work with the likes of Noël Coward and Stephen Sondheim. Stritch reveals her life and loves, successes and challenges (vis-à-vis alcoholism, diabetes, aging) with great aplomb, remarkable candor—and perfect timing. “This is the time in my life when I’m going to behave like an elegant human being,” affi rms the evercharming 87-year-old artist, as a beat goes by. “Or not.”

—Zoë Elton

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 12:30 PM

RAFAEL 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 6:00 PM

LARK

THE FACE OF LOVE

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 92 MINS

Director Arie Posin Producers Bonnie

Cur tis, Julie Lynn, Jonathan McCoy

Screenwriters Arie Posin, Matthew McDufﬁ e Cinematographer Antonio Riestra

Editor Matt Maddox Cast Robin Williams, Ed Har ris, Annette Bening Print Source IFC

MVFF is always delighted to screen the work of the luminous Annette Bening (MVFF Tribute, 2010) and The Face of Love offers a chance to experience the full range of her dramatic gifts. In a romantic drama that combines heartbreak, comedy and mystery wrapped inside a curious love story, Bening portrays Nikki, a widow who meets and falls instantly in love with a man who is nearly identical to her late husband. Ed Harris (The Hours, Pollock ) co-stars as Tom, an artist and teacher who knows nothing about the reason for Nikki’s immediate attraction to him. As the relationship builds, Nikki lapses into a fantasy life in which her husband was never lost, leaving Tom to unravel the increasingly knotty thread of their connection. Robin Williams as a longtime family friend and Jess Weixler as Nikki’s daughter round out an excellent cast as variations on the theme of love and loss play out to an intriguing conclusion. US PREMIERE

—Deanna Quinones

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 7:30 PM SEQUOIA 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 3:30 PM LARK

FARAH GOES BANG

US CINEMA

US

2013

• 90 MINS

Director Meera Menon Producers Laura Goo de, Danielle Firoozi, Erica Fishman, Liz Singh Screenwriters Meera Menon, Laura Goode Cinematographer Paul Gleason

Editors Meera Menon, Kate Hickey Cast Nikohl Boosheri, Kandis Erickson, Kiran Deo l, Michael Steger, Samrat Chakrabarti, Lyman Ward Print Source Farah Goes Bang, LLC

In this hilarious, authentically feminist take on the coming-of-age dramedy, Farah, a practical and unassuming Iranian American, hits the campaign trail for John Kerry with her two friends, the hotheaded KJ and the strong-willed Roopa. As the twentysomethings travel to the battleground state of Ohio, they detour through Texas on a side quest to get rid of Farah’s pesky virginity. Along the way, Farah experiments with representations of her ethnic identity while searching for intimacy, KJ tries to reconcile her tragic past with the possibility of a better future and Roopa just wants to hold everyone together in this smart, irreverent winner of the inaugural Nora Ephron Award at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. —Angelique Smith

PRECEDED BY KEEP A TIDY SOUL

US 2013 • 11 MINS

Director Joshua Moore

In French, English and German with English subtitles. It was another ordinary day in what had turned into a rather ordinary life when Flyn discovered she had lost her soul...

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 3:15 PM RAFAEL 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 9:15 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL - SAN FRANCISCO

SPONSORED

FINDING HILLYWOOD

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

RWANDA/US 2013 • 58 MINS

Directors/Producers Leah Warshawski, Chris Towey Screenwriter Christina Ruddy

Cinematographer Chris Towey Editor Eric Frith Cast Ayuub Mago, Eric Kabera, Richmond Runanira, Nicole Kalisa, Rodrigues Karekezi Print Source Inflatable Film

In English, French and Kinyarwanda with English subtitles. In 1994, 20 percent of Rwanda’s population was killed in a span of 100 days. Today, there’s new hope for survivors and the generation born after. A symbol of Rwanda’s rebirth is its budding film industry, bolstered by the efforts of Eric Kabera’s Kwetu Film Institute and its offshoot, the “Hillywood” film festival, which travels between rural communities toting an inflatable screen and homegrown movies—many of which promote themes of reconciliation. Charismatic Ayuub Kasasa Mago runs the festival in addition to overseeing a family of young sons and making his own highly personal films in this inspiring documentary from Seattle-based directors Leah Warshawski and Chris Towey.

—Cheryl Eddy

PRECEDED BY FORA (GUESS)

RWANDA 2009 • 7 MINS

Director Simon Christen

In a story about sibling rivalry, a father learns a valuable lesson from his sons.

ADRIFT

US 2013 • 5 MINS

Director Ayuub Kasasa Mago

A love letter to nature captures the magical interaction between the fog, the sun and the California coastline.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 12:45 PM

RAFAEL 2

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2:00 PM

SEQUOIA 2

GENERATION WAR

(UNSERE MÜTTER, UNSERE VÄTER)

WORLD CINEMA

GERMANY 2013 • 270 MINS

Director Philipp Kadelbach Producer Nico Hofmann Screenwriter Stefan Kolditz

Cinematographer David Slama Editor Bernd Schlegel Cast Volker Bruch, Tom Schilling, Katharina Schüttler, Ludwig Trepte, Miriam Stein, Christiane Paul Print Source Music Box Films

In German with English subtitles. Valor, courage and betrayal come to the fore in this powerful German epic, which shows the everyday realities of wartime life from the perspective of ordinary Germans. Five childhood friends from Berlin say their goodbyes in June 1941, promising to reunite by Christmas. Generation War spans the cold tundra of the Russian front to the interior dialogues about moral compromises of life under Hitler. In Germany, it sparked a heated discussion in the media over personal responsibility and the burden of guilt of everyday people for Nazi atrocities. Exquisitely shot, this compelling work reveals a country still trying to understand how their people could have let themselves become so tragically misdirected. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Daniela Province

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 5:00 PM

SEQUOIA 2 (COMPLETE TRILOGY)

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 12:30 PM RAFAEL 3 (PART 1)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 12:30 PM RAFAEL 3 (PART 2)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 12:30 PM

RAFAEL 3 (PART 3)

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF GERMANY AND PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH BERLIN & BEYOND FILM FESTIVAL AND JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

THE GERMAN DOCTOR (WAKOLDA)

WORLD CINEMA

ARGENTINA/FRANCE/NORWAY/SPAIN

2013 • 94 MINS

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Lucía Puenzo Cinematographer Nicolás Puenzo Editor Hugo Primero Cast Alex Brendemuhl, Natalia Oreiro, Diego Peretti, Elena Roger, Guillermo Pfening, Ana Pauls Print Source Samuel Goldwyn Films

In Spanish and German with English subtitles. Lucía Puenzo’s atmospheric drama is deeply engrossing as its story gradually reveals itself and its core premise: If you met the “Angel of Death” on the road, would you recognize him? Or might you be charmed by the friendly doctor and his seductive promises to cure your diminutive daughter, fund your creative work and care for your unborn twins? Set in 1960, The German Doctor imagines an Argentine family unknowingly befriending Josef Mengele, the Nazi war criminal notorious for his horrific medical experiments, during his period in hiding in Patagonia. Less a conspiracy thriller than a subtle meditation on complicity, willful ignorance and the allure of perfection—even at the risk of self-destruction—the film and its excellent cast brilliantly capture this unsettling emotional terrain, and Puenzo’s imagery is truly haunting. Equally as provocative as her acclaimed 2007 debut XXY (about a hermaphrodite youth), Puenzo’s latest is as remarkable as it is thought-provoking. —Jeff Campbell

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 5:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2:30 PM RAFAEL 2

GHOST TOWN TO HAVANA

OF THE DOCS

Directors Eugene Corr, Roberto Chile

Producer/Screenwriter Eugene Corr

Cinematogr apher Roberto Chile Editors Gar y Weimberg, Mat Baldwin Print Source Playtwo Pictures

In English and Spanish with English subtitles. Cultures clash but new bonds form when a West Oakland youth baseball team travels to Cuba in this exploration of class, mentorship and the love and hope in a great international pastime. The boys in Ghost Town—nickname for economically impoverished and violence-plagued West Oakland—are haunted by the memory of murdered residents and a dwindling sense of community, including a paucity of male role models. Roscoe, a baseball coach, steps in with his mission to give these disadvantaged kids a chance to learn teamwork and discipline, though it’s no easy task. But then Bay Area ﬁlmmaker Eugene Corr (himself the son of an East Bay baseball coach) brokers a meeting between Roscoe and Nicolas, a coach in the slums of Cuba with a similar goal. What happens when the two teams meet? Nothing short of a cultural exchange that changes both men and the boys forever. SPECIAL PREVIEW

—Sterling Hedgpeth

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 5:00 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 3:00 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SAN RAFAEL LITTLE LEAGUE AND MARIN TASK FORCE ON THE AMERICAS

GLORIA

CHILE/SPAIN 2013 • 110 MINS

Director Sebastián Lelio Producers

Lui s Collar, Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín Screenwriters Sebastián Lelio, Gonz alo Maza Cinematographer Benjamín Echaza rreta Editors Sebastián Lelio

Sol edad Salfate Print Source Roadside Attr actions

In Spanish with English subtitles. “We all face crossroads in our lives where we can retreat into ourselves or we can hit the dance ﬂ oor.”

Acclaimed actress Paulina Garcia danced off with the Silver Bear at the 2013 Berlin Film Festival for her delightfully astute and compassionate portrait of the titular 58-year-old divorcée and mom who, facing an imminent empty nest, has no intention of spending her days and nights alone. Determined to defy old age and loneliness, Gloria rushes headlong into a whirl of singles’ parties on the hunt for instant gratiﬁcation— with, understandably, disappointing results. Then along comes the dashing Rodolfo. But as the new couple try to forge a lasting bond, their pasts constantly intrude in this engaging, amusing and uplifting ﬁ lm inspired by the life of director Sebastián Lelio’s own mother and her generation in Chile.

—Janis Plotkin

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 8:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

GRIGRIS

WORLD CINEMA

FRANCE/CHAD 2013 • 101 MINS

Director/Screenwriter MahamatSal eh Haroun Producer Florence Stern Cinematographer Antoine Heberle Editor Marie- Hélène Dozo Cast Souleymane Dem e, Anaïs Monory, Cyril Guei, Marius Yelolo Print Source Film Movement

FOCUS: L’AFRIQUE • In Spanish and Arabic with English subtitles. Souleymane (aka Grigris) is a star on the dance fl oor, where he wows the locals with some astonishing moves. He is transcendent—despite the handicap of his deformed leg. Though his agility garners him the notice of the lovely Mimi, a young woman with modeling aspirations, the small sums he makes from his performances aren’t enough to pay his terminally ill stepfather’s medical bills. Grigris thinks that a job with a neighborhood smuggler will lift him out of these financial straits, but the resulting fracas only leads to bigger problems for himself and Mimi. With his customary humanitarianism and compassion in portraying people who live, work and struggle in Chad, director MahametSaleh Haroun ( A Screaming Man) charts the diffi culties and challenges faced by his title character while also positing a potentially uplifting resolution whereby female resilience and solidarity can triumph over the poor decisions and cruel behavior of men.

—Rod Armstrong

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 7:30 PM RAFAEL 2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 3:30 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM CONSUL GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

SPONSORED

VALLEY

THE HI DE HO SHOW

US CINEMA

98 MINS

Meister of musicality and curator of cultural curios John Goddard promises to tickle and tantalize your transatlantic predilections with this year’s Hi De Ho Show: a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the British Invasion (yeah, yeah, yeah . . . you know that can’t be bad!). Veejaying from his personal video archives, Goddard promises to have you walkin’ back to happiness as he ponders bits and pieces from the groups, guys and gals who crossed the pond and gave pop music a needed shot of rhythm and blues— with a little rock ‘n’ roll on the side, just for good measure—and claimed music back for the kids. Rumors began in 1963, paving the way for the Beatles’ iconic Ed Sullivan Show appearance the next year. The ﬂ oodgates opened: If the Stones and Yardbirds weren’t your cuppa tea, you might be B-side yourself with the Springﬁ elds (and the well-bouffed Dusty) or Lulu—or halfway to paradise with the Billys (Fury and J. Kramer). In the ‘60s, the Brits were here. And they were gear.

—Zoë Elton

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 9:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

THE HUMAN EXPERIMENT

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 92 MINS

Directors Don Hardy, Dana Nachman

Producers Don Hardy, Dana Nachman, Chel sea Matter Screenwriter Dana Nachman Cinematographers Don Hardy, Brad Williams Editor Don Hardy Print Source Submarine

Rates of autism, cancer and infertility have risen along with the strategic deregulation of the chemical industry and its $52-million-per-year lobbying effort. But before the tsunami of statistics drowns you in despair, narrator and executive producer Sean Penn introduces us to a band of unlikely activists with a personal stake in testing and regulating the chemicals we encounter daily in compounded low-level exposure. They are stepping in where the defanged, corrupt EPA and USFDA have been failing us for years. Award-winning directors Dana Nachman and Don Hardy break down the cynical and methodical approach taken by the chemical industry, which follows the tobacco industry playbook, to remain unregulated and inﬂ uential while saving their bottom line. The Human Experiment looks beyond the entrenched patronage system to raise public awareness, consumer ire and responsible corporate action. You’ll be inspired by these passionate activists waging a David and Goliath battle to protect us all. WORLD PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 8:30 PM RAFAEL 1

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 3:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH TEENS TURNING GREEN

I CATCH A TERRIBLE CAT

(KOPPIDOI NEKO)

WORLD CINEMA

JAPAN 2012 • 130 MINS

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Rikiya Imaizumi Pro ducer Ryoichi Konishi Cinematographer Hiroshi Iwanaga Cast Fuyuki Moto, Kazuha Komiya, Aruka Uchimura, Hide Miura, Koishikawa Yuko Prin t Source CaRTe bLaNChe

FOCUS: 3 GEN JAPAN • In Japanese with English subtitles. Poignant drama meets Japanese social comedy in this tale of a best-selling writer whose work inspires readers to take the kind of emotional risks he himself avoids. Closing in on his 60th birthday, celebrated author Norifumi Takada is more bottled up than ever. He hasn’t written a word since his wife’s death and believes his writer’s block is probably permanent. But then he meets Sayo, a barmaid his daughter’s age. Enchanted by her beauty and vulnerability, Takada begins to wonder if he’s found a new muse. With his ﬁrst feature ﬁlm, writer-director Rikiya Imaizumi weaves elegant long takes with a unique brand of ultra-hip low-key screwball comedy as the relationships between Takada, his grown children, Sayo and a younger novelist begin to intertwine. Intimate, tender, funny and sad, I Catch a Terrible Cat treads deftly and lightly across the distance between lonely hearts. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Pam Grady

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2:30 PM SEQUOIA 1 MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 8:30 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA AND THE JAPAN SOCIETY

SPONSORED

THE ILLNESS AND THE ODYSSEY

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 74 MINS

Director/Producer Berry Minott

Screenwriters Berry Minott, Jen Bradwell

Cinematographer Burt Sardoma Jr. Editor

Jen Bradwell Cast Joy Carlin (narrator)

Prin t Source Berry Minott

Since World War II, the tiny Paciﬁ c island of Guam has attracted star scientists seeking a cure for Parkinson’s, ALS and Alzheimer’s—and the acclaim that would come with it. Their focus is the indigenous Chamorros, stricken in large numbers with paralysis, tremors and dementia. The islanders suffer from Lytico-Bodig, but identifying the source of the rare neurological disease has proven elusive. Is it genetic, environmental, infectious or something else altogether?

The answer, presumably, will provide the “skeleton key” to unlock the cause and cure for neurodegenerative diseases threatening millions around the world. Bay Area ﬁlmmaker Berry Minott, assisted by the droll Dr. Oliver Sacks and New Yorker science writer Jonathan Weiner, takes us on a fascinating journey through the history, science and personalities of this high-stakes hunt. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Michael Fox

PRECEDED BY SLOMO

US 2013 • 16 MINS

Director Josh Izenberg

Depressed and frustrated with his life, Dr. John Kitchin abandons his career as a neurologist and moves to Paciﬁc Beach, trading his lab coat for a pair of rollerblades and his IRA for a taste of divinity.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 12:30 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 5:45 PM RAFAEL 3

IMAGINE

WORLD CINEMA

POLAND 2012 • 109 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Andrzej Jakimowski

Producers Andrzej Jakimowski, Françoi s d’Artemare, Vladimir Kokh

Cinematographer Adam Bajerski Editor Ceza ry Grzesiuk Cast Edward Hogg, Alexandra Maria Lara, Melchior Derouet Prin t Source Beta Cinema

In Polish with English subtitles. A blind teacher employs unorthodox methods in reaching out to his similarly impaired students in this moving and graceful drama. Ian (Edward Hogg), a Brit transplanted to a cloistered institute for the blind in Lisbon, begins his lessons in straightforward fashion—teaching the youngsters how to pour a glass of water or how to make deductions about their environment. “Imagine it and you’ll hear it,” he tells them. Encouraging their curiosity, he takes his pupils to the courtyard and suggests they explore it without a cane. This potentially dangerous brand of learning brings him to the attention of the institute’s doctors and caretakers as well as a neighbor named Eva. With a rich sound design that contributes profound clarity to the ﬁlm’s themes, Imagine brings into elegant balance the conﬂ ict between Ian and his superiors, his tender but uncompromising manner with his students and his increasing attraction to the mysterious Eva.

—Rod Armstrong

*Imagine is captioned and audio description is available.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6:15 PM RAFAEL 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CREATIVE GROWTH ART CENTER, LIGHTHOUSE (SF), REEL ABILITIES AND POLONIASF.ORG

IN THE COBBLER’S SHOES

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 58 MINS

Director/Producer David Marks Editor R. Veda Print Source David Marks

As patrons stream in and out of Tony’s shoe repair shop, it’s Misak Pirinjian who greets them. Misak long ago chose to take up the trade of his father (he wasn’t Tony either) out of love for the work and the community he serves. The Mill Valley residents who rely on him to ﬁ x their worn-out but beloved shoes may not know his story, but they know his craftsman’s skills will make them look and feel good. Misak’s customers take him into their lives with every pair of shoes they bring in and every story the shoes carry. He could have followed a very different path, especially as a graduate of the University of San Francisco. But he chose this small cobbler’s shop, constant contact with people and the satisfaction he gains from his work’s tangible results. He may take on more than time allows, but his loyal community keeps coming back. WORLD PREMIERE —Roberta McNair

PRECEDED BY WHITE SHOE

US 2013 • 24 MINS

Director Mauro Borrelli

A talented boy shoemaker, a cruel overseer, a sweet little street gamine and a mysterious patron set the stage for this wordless, magical fairy tale, as the creation of a pair of shoes springboards our hero (and us) into a series of rich fantasy landscapes.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 12:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 12:45 PM SEQUOIA 2

SPONSORED BY COMCAST SPONSORED BY TECHNICOLOR

INSIGHT: JAN TROELL A CLOSE SCRUTINY

SWEDEN 2013 • 100 MINS

One of the world’s greatest filmmakers, legendary director Jan Troell (The Emigrants) has been a leader in Swedish cinema for almost 50 years. Join him at this special program for an in-depth conversation about his art and career. Yohanna Troell will present A Close Scrutiny, a 40-minute portrait of her filmmaker-father she made during the production of his latest feature, The Last Sentence, and afterwards will join him onstage. A Close Scrutiny reflects Jan Troell’s uniquely personal approach to narrative filmmaking in addition to exploring the issues that inspired this drama about a turbulent period in Swedish history. As an added treat, Jan Troell will unveil some of his recent short films, charming miniatures with often-humorous vignettes combining nature and music. These include Peeping Tom, Love 60+ and Med mitt mått mätt —Richard Peterson

* Invited guests: Jan Troell and Yohanna Troell. $20 General/Members

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 5:30 PM RAFAEL 2

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

“JOHN

BROWN’S BODY” AT SAN QUENTIN PRISON

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 72 MINS

Director/Cinematographer Joseph De Francesco Screenwriters Joseph De Francesco, Michael Anderson Print Source De Francesco Films

The unifying power of art takes center stage in this stirring and surprising documentary about a group of actor-inmates who discover their inner-thespians amid the harsh reality of hard time. In 2002, filmmaker Joe De Francesco had an inspired idea: What if he produced a stage version of the Civil War poem “John Brown’s Body” with San Quentin inmates? The fascinating result is a group of multiracial prisoners performing a drama about slavery and liberation for peers and the authorities. De Francesco’s film focuses on the preparation, performance and aftermath of this life-changing event as current and former inmates reflect on what it meant to be plucked from the monotony of life behind bars and given the opportunity to express themselves on stage about issues of race and liberty. Absorbing and emotionally charged, “John Brown’s Body” at San Quentin Prison illuminates the undeniable connection between creative freedom and spiritual fulfillment. WORLD PREMIERE

—Brendan Peterson

PRECEDED BY FACING FEAR

US 2013 • 23 MINS

Director Jason Cohen

The worlds of a former neo-Nazi and the gay victim of his senseless hate crime collide by chance, 25 years after the incident that dramatically shaped both of their lives.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2:00 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CAL HUMANITIES

KEEPER OF THE BEAT: A WOMAN’S JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF DRUMMING

VALLEY

OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 61 MINS

Director/Producer David L. Brown

Screenwriter Stephen Most Cinematographers David L. Brown, Steven Baigel, Vicente Franco, Michael Anderson, Will Parrinello Editors David L. Brown, Steven Baigel Print Source David L. Brown Productions

Wild women don’t get the blues, or at least so goes a line from the seminal all-women’s jazz group Alive! (1977–1987). Its drummer, the compelling Barbara Borden, is a virtuoso musician whose career has taken many surprising twists and turns. From the time she banged on her first toy drum at age five, Borden has charted a singular course through a male-dominated world, becoming, in her words, “the drum’s lover instead of its master.” A lively local presence who until recently taught drumming at Mill Valley’s senior community, The Redwoods, Borden has taken her joyful art around the world in acts of drumbeat diplomacy, connecting with people and communities as far afield as Croatia, Tanzania and Siberia. In ancient cultures, women were the guardians of the drums— the keepers of the beat

This in-depth survey of Borden’s career and influence illustrates why this wild woman will never get the blues. WORLD PREMIERE —Atissa Manshouri

*Followed by live drumming performance.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 6:30 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 12:30 PM

SEQUOIA 1

THE LAST SENTENCE

(DOM ÖVER DÖD MAN)

WORLD CINEMA

SWEDEN 2011 • 126 MINS

Director Jan Troell Producer Francy Suntinger Sc reenwriters Jan Troell, Kenne Fant , Klaus Rifbjerg Cinematographer Misc ha Gavrjusjov Editors Jan Troell, Ulrika Rang Cast Jesper Christensen, Ulla Skoo g, Pernilla August, Björn Granath Prin t Source Music Box Films

In Swedish with English subtitles. Torgny Segerstedt was a leading Swedish newspaper editor whose ferocious public opposition to Hitler and Nazism caused controversy when his country adopted an official position of neutrality during World War II. Master filmmaker Jan Troell (The Emigrants, Everlasting Moments) weaves together a lyrical drama exploring the complex politics of Sweden and Europe in the 1930s and '40s, as well as the personal contradictions of this firebrand journalist, particularly in regard to the women in his life. Jesper Christensen stars as Segerstedt, a commanding and often provocative personality in the world’s eye, but one who could be maddeningly equivocal in relationships with his wife Puste (Ulla Skoog), his mistress Maja (Pernilla August) and his daughter Ingrid (Yohanna Troell). A film director who also operates his own camera, Troell creates an incisive portrait of a turbulent history as well as a poetic juxtaposition of physical nature’s constancy and human nature’s fl aws.

—Richard Peterson

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 7:00 PM

RAFAEL 1

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 3:30 PM RAFAEL 2

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

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

{SOSHITE CHICHI NI NORU}

WORLD CINEMA

JAPAN 2013 • 120 MINS

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Hirokazu Kore -eda Producers Tatsuro Hatanaka, Chihiro Kameyama, Tom Yoda

Cinematographer Mikiya Takimoto

Print Source IFC Films

FOCUS: 3 GEN JAPAN • In Japanese with English subtitles. In this sensitive and compelling domestic drama, winner of the coveted Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, a young Tokyo married couple receives news that threatens to change the way they feel about their six-year-old son. Since becoming a father, Ryota—a handsome, educated, workaholic architect—has relentlessly inculcated in his boy the approved formula for success that he has lived by: work hard, study hard, achieve at all costs, and happiness will follow in the form of status, money and love. But when the parents learn that “their” boy may actually have been switched at birth, while their biological son has been raised by kindly but under achieving country bumpkins, it triggers a crisis for both families. Should nature trump nurture? Can one love a child equally regardless of blood ties? Like Father, Like Son shrewdly uses the “baby swap” to dissect modern family values in a success-driven world.

—Peter L. Stein

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2:30 PM RAFAEL 1

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 8:00 PM LARK

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA AND THE JAPAN SOCIETY

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US/UK/BOLIVIA 2013 • 97 MINS

Director Tim Phillips Producers/ Scre enwriters Tim Phillips, Jan Creamer Cinematographer Mark Whatmore Editor Tony Pattinson Cast Jan Creamer, Tim Phillips, Pat Craig, Bob Barker, Jorja Fox, Mel Richardson Print Source ADI

More of an action adventure drama than a traditional documentary, Lion Ark follows what may be the world’s most ambitious and daring animal rescue ever undertaken. After a shocking undercover investigation leads to a ban on animal circuses in Bolivia, many of the circuses still continue to defy the law. But Animal Defenders International (ADI), the team behind the investigation, returns to track down the illegal circuses, liberate 25 lions from captivity and airlift them 5,000 miles to a wildlife sanctuary in Colorado. In the process, the team confronts vengeful circus owners, races against the oncoming rainy season and gives its all to bring healing and freedom to these majestic creatures. Assembled with live footage from the actual rescue, Lion Ark is a story of bravery, compassion, camaraderie and determination. What unfolds is the intense, dramatic birth of a global movement and the triumph of the lionhearted. US PREMIERE —Carol Harada

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2:00 PM

SEQUOIA 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 3:00 PM

SEQUOIA 2

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH ANIMAL DEFENDERS INTERNATIONAL AND MARIN HUMANE SOCIETY

SPONSORED

LION ARK

A LONG AND HAPPY LIFE

(DOLGAYA SCHASTLIVAYA ZHIZN)

WORLD CINEMA

RUSSIA 2013 • 77 MINS

Director Boris Khlebnikov Producers

Roman Borisevich, Alexander Kushaev, Alexander Rodionov Screenwriters

Boris Khlebnikov, Alexander Rodionov Cinematographer Pavel Kostomarov Editor Iva n Lebedev Cast Alexander Yatsenko, Anna Kotova, Vladimir Korobeinikov Prin t Source Films Boutique

In Russian with English subtitles. Idealistic young Sasha has come from the city to run a farm with hopes of enjoying a thriving country existence. Sasha dedicatedly manages what is left of an old farm. He gets on well with his workers, who respect him and tolerate his clandestine love affair with Anya, the secretary in the local government offi ce. The provincial arm of the new Russian state meanwhile presses the middle-class landowner to sell his collective farm for what appears to be its own corrupt development plans. Against the backdrop of the wild Kola Peninsula in Northern Russia, an unfl inchingly decent man refuses to surrender to a quagmire of greed, risking everything that is dear to him in this existential human drama refl ecting real events. Premiering in competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, A Long and Happy Life examines the confl ict that emerges between the dream of a “long and happy life” and the dream of freedom and the right to choose. US PREMIERE

—Janis Plotkin

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2:30 PM

RAFAEL 3

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 4:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

LUMUMBA

WORLD CINEMA

FRANCE 2000 • 120 MINS

Director Raoul Peck Producers Raoul Pec k, Jacques Bidou Screenwriters Raoul

Pec k, Pascal Bonitzer, Dan Edelstein

Cinematographer Bernard Lutic Editor

Jacques C omets Cast Eriq Ebouaney

Prin t Source Zeitgeist Films

FOCUS: L’AFRIQUE/INSPIRING LIVES • In French, Lingala and English with English subtitles. A potent and poetic political drama, Raoul Peck’s 2000 film is a riveting exploration of the controversial rise and fall of a complex leader, Patrice Lumumba, as he travels from charismatic beer salesman to first elected prime minister of Congo. But this isn’t your typical history lesson. Peck’s film is beautifully wrought, seamlessly joining fragments of time in a poignant portrait of a mesmerizing, multifaceted man—impeccably embodied in Eriq Ebouaney’s terrifi c performance. Subtle sounds and haunting visuals combine to get us behind the scenes and inside the head of Lumumba as we experience the emotional charge of a true David and Goliath story. At the same time, Peck doesn’t shy away from a strain of moral ambiguity in Lumumba’s leadership. This is a rare film that provides food for thought while capturing the passion and unbridled energy of real-life drama and political intrigue.

—Brendan Peterson

*Special screening courtesy of the Institut Français.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 8:30 PM RAFAEL 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 3:15 PM RAFAEL 3

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

MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2013 • 152 MINS

Director Justin Chadwick Producers Anant Sin gh, David M. Thompson Screenwriter William Nicholson Cinematographer Lol Craw ley Editor Rick Russell Cast Idris Elba, Naomie Harr is, Terry Pheto Print Source The Weinstein Company

FOCUS: INSPIRING LIVES • The life and times of Nelson Mandela are nothing if not epic: his upbringing as Xhosa royalty and early adulthood as a charismatic and brilliant lawyer; his revolutionary politicization with the African National Congress, followed by a long imprisonment and eventual release; and his evolution into a national leader both visionary and enlightened. Idris Elba (The Wire) gives a powerful rendering of Mandela, embodying the full spectrum of the man—and nailing that wonderfully familiar voice. This is a love story too, following the trajectory of his complicated relationship with Winnie (Naomie Harris). As lawyer, lover, ﬁ ghter, father, prisoner and leader, Mandela is sometimes brilliant, sometimes ﬂ awed, but always walking the road to freedom. Justin Chadwick’s (The First Grader ) tight, music-driven direction reveals the touchstones of Mandela’s battle against apartheid, while throwing us into the turmoil of a time and place where only a deep-rooted commitment can sustain the long walk to freedom. US PREMIERE

—Zoë Elton

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 6:30 PM CINEMA CORTE MADERA

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN DIASPORA

MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 89 MINS

Director Michele Josue Producers/ Editors Michele Josue, Liam McNiff

Cinematographer Craig Trudeau

Print Source Run Rabbit Run Media

On October 11, 1998, Wyoming University student Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten, tortured, tied to a fence and left to die because he was gay. Fifteen years later, Michele Josue’s riveting and insightful documentary revisits the shocking and horrifying case with never-before-seen photos, rare video footage and brand new interviews, as Shepard’s all-too-brief life is celebrated and remembered through the vivid emotional testimonies of those who knew him best—including friends, mentors, teachers and family. Meanwhile, new revelations emerge in one of the most notorious hate crimes in US history, leading to a searing, poignant and multilayered biographical and sociological portrait. In the end, the notion of forgiveness—embodied in the moving and courageous ﬁnal act of Shepard’s parents—takes on truly heroic proportions. WORLD PREMIERE

—Tim Sika

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 6:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 8:30 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES

THE MISSING PICTURE

(L’IMAGE MANQUANTE)

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

CAMBODIA/FRANCE 2013 • 92 MINS

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Rithy Panh

Producer Catherine Dussart Screenwriter

Chri stophe Bataille Cinematographer Prum

Mesa Editor Marie-Christine Rougerie

Print Source Strand Releasing

In French with English subtitles. There is a profound and delicate humanity in Rithy Panh’s telling of what, for most, is unimaginable: the atrocities that were suffered by people like Panh and his family under the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia in the seventies. Many pictures are missing from that time, though footage of Khmer Rouge propaganda tells a particularly glorifi ed version of the story. Yet through his words and images, he fills in the gaps of history: partly, by creating simple carved clay fi gures placed on dioramas that represent scenes that exist in memory but not in pictures— the rice fi elds, the camps, the summary executions. And therein lies the brilliance of Panh’s achievement. Somehow, through these rudimentary miniatures and their enactment of his story, he allows us to witness the human experience below the surface of this tragedy with an incredible compassion. The Missing Picture won the top prize in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.

—Zoë Elton

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 4:45 PM LARK

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 5:30 PM RAFAEL 3

THE MOTEL LIFE

US CINEMA

US 2012 • 85 MINS

Directors/Producers Alan Polsky, Gabriel Polsky Producer Ann Ruark Screenwriters Noah Har pster, Micah Fitzerman-Blue Cinematographer Roman Vasyanov Editors Hughes W inborne, Fabienne Rawley Cast Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fan ning, Kris Kristofferson Print Source Polsky Films

Brotherly devotion and the healing power of storytelling infuse the gentle, wounded heart of this bittersweet Western fable by ﬁ rst-time directors Alan and Gabriel Polsky, based on Willy Vlautin’s lauded novel. In truly inspired, moving yet unsentimental performances, Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff are brothers Frank and Jerry Lee, two aimless, hard-luck Reno drifters whose lives come apart one winter night when Jerry Lee accidentally hits and kills a child. As the siblings try to stave off their almost inevitable ending, Dorff’s haggard visage, etched with every bad choice and unforgiving mile, conveys the knotted tangle of guilt, shame, desperation and love that binds them. A grizzled mentor (Kris Kristofferson) and an ex-girlfriend (Dakota Fanning) offer hope for a better life, but the brothers really only have each other and the stories Frank spins in their motel room—conceived as wonderfully ribald animated fantasy sequences by Mike Smith—that transform two frightened lost boys into tough, gimlet-eyed heroes.

—Jeff Campbell

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 6:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 9:00 PM RAFAEL 3

MT. ZION

WORLD CINEMA

NEW ZEALAND 2013 • 93 MINS

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Tearepa Kahi

Producer Quinton Hita Cinematographer Fred Renata Editor Paul Maxwell Cast Stan Walker, Temuera Morrison, Miriama Smith, Ngawai Herewini, Troy Kingi, David Wikaira Print Source Small Axe Films

In English and Maori with English subtitles. Gifted Maori musician Turei (the extraordinarily talented Stan Walker) has a vision of his future, and it definitely does not involve the hardscrabble existence on the potato farm his family can barely keep solvent. Turei imagines his group, Small Axe, winning the national battle-of-the-bands prize: opening for Bob Marley’s upcoming New Zealand tour. It’s a goal that will push the boundaries of his frayed relationship with his father (Tamuera Morrison, Once Were Warriors) and his own personal ethics. Amid stunning cinematography, a powerhouse original rock and reggae soundtrack, fun 1970s period fl air and rich Maori cultural detail, first-time director Tearepa Kahi utterly seduces us with a galvanizing tale of tradition, responsibility and staying grounded while still reaching for greatness. Mt. Zion proves an unforgettable experience and an important reminder that the harder the ascent, the more magical the view. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Sterling Hedgpeth

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 9:15 PM RAFAEL 3

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 3:45 PM RAFAEL 3

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

JAPAN 1987 • 88 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Hayao Miyazaki Producers Toru Hara, Eiko Tanaka, Yasuyoshi Tokuma Cast Toshiyuki Amagasa, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto Print Source GKIDS

FOCUS: 3 GEN JAPAN • In Japanese and English with English subtitles. Animation fans often get their first glimpse of the genius of Hayao Miyazaki in My Neighbor Totoro, the master’s 1987 film that fi rmly set a style he repeated in films like Spirited Away and Ponyo. His mixture of fantasy and detailed observation of childlike wonder has made his films not just popular but beloved. Sisters Mei and Satsuki move to the country with their dad to be closer to their mother, who is recovering from tuberculosis in a sanatorium. Their new house borders on a huge tree and a thick forest, ripe for exploration. It’s the feisty Mei who spots the first totoro and follows it into the lair of King Totoro. From then on the girls are brought into a world of magic, myth and unconditional love. In English. All ages —John Morrison

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 12:30 PM RAFAEL 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 11:00 AM LARK

NEBRASKA

US CINEMA

US 2012 • 115 MINS

Director Alexander Payne Producers Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa Screenwriter Bob Nelson Cinematographer Phedon Papami chael Editor Kevin Tent Cast Bruce Dern , Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, Bob Odenkirk Print Source Paramount Pictures

OPENING NIGHT FILM • After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Bruce Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich, and wrangles his son (Will Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune. Shot in black and white across four states, Nebraska tells the stories of family life in the heartland of America.

* See page 10 for complete Opening Night Gala details and pricing.

*THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 6:45 PM SEQUOIA 1

*THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 7 PM SEQUOIA 2

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 79 MINS

No man is an island, and these three documentaries remind us how an individual’s actions resonate in our larger world. Tylor Norwood’s Naples Yellow (US 20 mins) is an intimate look at three local artists—a picture framer from Fairfax, a pigment artist from San Francisco and a West Marin painter—all inadvertently working to create a truly collaborative piece of art. Unfair Game: The Politics of Poaching (US 29 mins) shows us what happens when wildlife takes priority over indigenous people’s land rights, human rights and the right to survive. Through the inspiring stories of two activists, John Antonelli gives us an inside look at the limitless positive repercussions when native people and animals are both valued and respected. And in John Antonelli, Will Parrinello and Tom Dusenbery’s The New Environmentalists: From Chicago to the Karoo (US 30 mins), Robert Redford narrates the stories of six environmental activists safeguarding the earth’s natural resources from exploitation and pollution, while ﬁ ghting for justice in their own communities.

—Kelly Clement

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 11:30 AM 142 THROCKMORTON

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2:15 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH GLOBAL ANTI-INCINERATOR ALLIANCE AND WILDLIFE WORKS

ODD BRODSKY

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 93 MINS

Director Cindy Baer Producers Cindy Baer, Tho mai Hatsios, Matthew Irving Producer/ Scre enwriters Cindy Baer, Matthew Irving Cast Tegan Ashton Cohan, Matthew Kevin Ander son, Scotty Dickert, Cindy Baer, Elana Krautsz, Jim Hanks Print Source Free Dre am Pictures LLC

Cindy Baer ( Purgatory House, MVFF 2004) explores the hopes and aspirations of a recent oddball transplant to Los Angeles in her whimsical, quirky comedy about following your dream. When Audrey Brodsky is born, her parents recognize a new little artist in the world. As a girl, Audrey (nicknamed Odd) is perpetually optimistic, and gamely jumps into the pursuit of a life in art. After attempts at singing, piano, painting, dancing and violin fall short, she discovers drama—and a vision of her future is born. Fast-forward to her early 20s: Audrey hitchhikes from Hollywood, Iowa, to Los Angeles with a backpack and an endearing optimism. There, our lovable loser with a big heart takes a steady day job until she ﬁ nally musters the courage to quit and become an actress. And that’s when the true adventures begin, ones Audrey could never have dreamt. WORLD PREMIERE

—Lily Buchanan

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 9:30 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 5:00 PM

RAFAEL 3

ONE CHANCE

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2013 • 103 MINS

Director David Frankel Producers Sim on Cowell, Michael Menchel, Kris Thykier, Harvey Weinstein, Brad Weston Screenwriter Justin Zackham Cinematographer Florian Ballhaus Editor Wend y Greene Bricmont Cast James Cor don, Colm Meaney, Julie Walters, Mackenzie Crook Print Source The Wein stein Company

This effervescent biopic from The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel features Tony Award–winning actor James Cordon as amateur singer Paul Potts, an Everyman who makes his dream come true. The chubby young Paul is completely enamored with opera. He shines as a choirboy, pleasing his proud mum (the wonderful Julie Walters), irking his working dad (marvelous Colm Meaney) and provoking occasional attacks by local bullies in his native Port Talbot in South Wales. His passion is undiminished, despite numerous obstacles. Bolstered by the unshakable support of his partner, JulieAnn (The Iron Lady ’s Alexandra Roach), the unassuming cellphone salesman rises from obscurity to become an international vocal superstar overnight after he appears on the television competition Britain’s Got Talent Lacking none of the exuberance of the true story on which it is based, this quintessential against-the-odds drama is the feel-good movie of the year. US PREMIERE

—Lily Buchanan

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6:30 PM RAFAEL 1

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2:30 PM SEQUOIA 2

SPONSORED BY STRAWBERRY VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER

ONE MAN’S SHOW

WORLD CINEMA

NIGERIA/FRANCE 2012 • 75 MINS

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Newton I. Aduaka Producers Newton I. Aduaka, Eric Idris Kanago, Jean Francois Fernandez

Cinematographer Mathias Raaflaub Cast Emil Abossolo M’bo, Aissa Maiga, Odile Roire, Fatima Adoum, Kwame Pocrain Print Source Granit Films

FOCUS: L’AFRIQUE • In French with English subtitles. Newton I. Aduaka’s lyrical followup to his groundbreaking Ezra (2007) centers on Emil, a performer whose carefree lifestyle in Paris falls apart after some life-challenging news. In the film’s prologue, we see him rehearsing: dynamic, focused, alone. As the first chapter, titled “Birth,” begins, we witness the fun of a different performance, this time at his son’s birthday party, the boy’s mother looking on. Afterwards, tender, quiet moments with his son linger in the intimacy of tucking him into bed, the good nights, the I-love-you’s. And then, Emil leaves. His son’s mother, Odile, is one of three women in his life, all of whom he has left but remained connected with. Powered by a terrific central performance by Emile Abossolo M’bo, the complexities of the core relationships in one man’s life play out amid themes of love, responsibility and mortality. By the final chapter, “Paradise,” Emil confronts the big questions. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Zoë Elton

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 6:00 PM RAFAEL 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 5:45 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM CONSUL GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

THE ORGANIC LIFE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 60 MINS

Director Casey Beck Producer Ryan White

Screenwriters Casey Beck, Braden Marks, Sara Ataiiyan Editors Casey Beck, Kevin D. Wong, Martín Rossetti Print Source

Awkway Productions LLC

Despite unpredictable weather, backbreaking work and scant financial margins, Austin Blair remains passionate about providing good food to his family and community. Casey Beck offers an intimate look at what keeps her man devoted to the hard life of an organic farmer. As assistant farmer at Paul’s Produce in Sonoma, Austin learns from Paul Wirtz about traditional, sustainable ways of working with the soil as a living organism within a greater ecosystem. This feast for the senses takes us through four seasons on the farm, following the rhythms of nature and revealing the attendant challenges and joys of locally oriented, sustainable agriculture. Austin’s satisfaction in doing what he loves every day, collaborating with the earth by leading a life more fully connected to it, becomes a teaching on true abundance. WORLD PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

PRECEDED BY THE TROUBLE WITH BREAD

US 2013 • 26 MINS

Director Maggie Beidelman

An investigation into the changes to something so basic to humanity, and yet, recently, so demonized: bread. Let’s just say that bread, as you know it, is not what you think.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 3:15 PM

142 THROCKMORTON

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 3:00 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CELIAC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND LOCAL HARVEST

OWNERBUILT

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 49 MINS

Director/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor Lawrence Andrews Print Source Lawrence Andrews

Lawrence Andrews’ ownerBuilt (49 mins) is a riveting visual and emotional experience, combining theater, animation and powerful storytelling based on actual accounts of events occurring on New Orleans’ Danziger Bridge on September 4, 2005. In a series of unforgettable scenes, expressive storyteller/narrator Noel reanimates the events of the past through a brilliantly staged performance of Katrina’s devastating effects on his home and community. With an exquisite musical soundtrack offering gentle counterpoint to the waves of intense emotions expressed through Noel’s performance, the film presents a complex and multifaceted portrait of the many lives forever changed by the storm. At the heart of ownerBuilt is the question: Whose story will become the official version of the truth?

—KD Davis

PRECEDED BY WANDERLUST

US 2013 5 MINS

Director Laurence Christen

A delicate and sensitive portrait of the inner world of the voyager.

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER

US 2013 20 MINS

Director Vivian Kleiman

A glimpse into the life of a Mormon family in California as they journey from door-knocking in favor of Prop 8 to acceptance of their adolescent gay son.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 8:30 PM

142 THROCKMORTON

THE PAST

(LE PASSÉ)

WORLD CINEMA

FRANCE/ITALY 2012 • 130 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Asghar Farhadi

Producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy Cinematographer Mahmoud Kalari Editor Juliette Welfling Cast Berenice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet, Elyes Aguis, Jeanne Jestin Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

In French with English subtitles. This year’s Cannes Film Festival honored Bérénice Bejo (The Artist ) as Best Actress for her galvanizing performance as Marie, a French woman who has summoned her estranged husband Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) from Tehran to Paris to finalize their divorce. Marie takes Ahmad to her slightly disheveled house on the outskirts of Paris, where she lives with her two daughters from a previous marriage, her fiancé Samir (Tahar Rahim of A Prophet ) and his young son. Asghar Farhadi, Academy Award–winning director of A Separation, crafts another superb drama of domestic secrets and unexpected revelations. Farhadi invests this intricately layered tale with an essentially humanistic point of view, in which every character—young or old—has his or her own reasons.

—Richard Peterson

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 8:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 3:00 PM RAFAEL 1

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM TV5 MONDE AND IN ASSOCIATION WITH IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL - SAN FRANCISCO

PHILOMENA

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2013 • 97 MINS

Director Stephen Frears Producers Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward, Gabrielle Tana Screenwriters Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope Cinematographer Robbie Ryan Editor Valerio Bonelli Cast Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Charlie Murphy, Simone Lahbib, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Sean Mahon Print Source The Weinstein Company

Judi Dench and Steve Coogan star in this poignant and bracingly funny tale of friendship and a mother’s enduring love. In 1950s Ireland, teenaged Philomena Lee was forced to give up her three-year-old son for adoption and further atone for her sin of sex outside of marriage by spending her youth in a convent. Fifty years later, Philomena (Dench) has never given up hope of a reunion, but her search remains fruitless until she meets Martin Sixsmith (Coogan, who also cowrote the screenplay), a political journalist who’s down on his luck. Sixsmith reluctantly agrees to take on a human-interest story and the two strangers set off on a journey that leads them to America and to a deep and unexpected friendship as they unravel the mystery of what became of Philomena’s boy. Adapted from Sixsmith’s account of this true story, Philomena is the heartfelt new film from Academy Award–nominated director Stephen Frears (The Queen, MVFF 2006).

US PREMIERE

—Pam Grady

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 3:00 PM RAFAEL 1

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 7:15 PM SEQUOIA 2

PICO (PERFORMANCE INDETERMINATE CAGE OPERA)

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 88 MINS

Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Editor John Sanborn Cinematographers/Editors Skip Sweeney, Roger Jones Cast Joseph Copley, Margaret Cromwell, Negativland, Theresa Wong, Luciano Chessa, Sarah Cahill Print Source John Sanborn

In a dazzling homage to his mentors and artistic inspirations, multimedia maestro and visual mix-master extraordinaire John Sanborn (The Planets, MVFF 2011; A Sweeter Music, MVFF 2009) pays tribute to an illustrious trio of 20th-century innovators: Nam Jun Paik, Marcel Duchamp and John Cage. Sanborn’s Performance Indeterminate Cage Opera (PICO) deftly interweaves aspects of live performance and dance with outstanding soundtrack contributions from pianist Sarah Cahill, cellist-composer Theresa Wong, electronics wizard Wobbly and infamous culture-jammers Negativland. Layered with a series of touching personal reminiscences, Sanborn’s PICO urges a literal and figurative shift in our frames of reference. Hypnotic and meditative, and pulsing with life, color and sensuality, PICO is a wondrous and exhilarating reflection on the cultural shift brought about by its iconic trio of innovators—while adding a fourth master (Sanborn himself) to the mix. WORLD PREMIERE —KD Davis

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 8:30 PM 142 THROCKMORTON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 12:30 PM RAFAEL 2

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

THE PRETTY ONE

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 94 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Jenée LaMarque

Producers Steve J. Berger, Robin Schorr

Cinematographer Polly Morgan Editor Kiran Pallegadda Cast Zoe Kazan, Jake Joh nson, Ron Livingston, John Carroll Lynch, Sterling Beaumon, Frankie Shaw Prin t Source Provenance Pictures

Jenée LeMarque weaves a gently comedic, romantic and slightly bittersweet tale of twin-sister opposites in this impressive feature debut starring Ruby Sparks’ Zoe Kazan and New Girl ’s Jake Johnson as love-struck partners coping with the secret of a most unique female identity crisis. Audrey personiﬁ es everything her twin sister Laurel wishes she could be: conﬁ dent, polished, successful, “pretty.” While life has seemingly handed the urbane Audrey all its prizes, Laurel’s life has been squandered in the small town where they both grew up, serving as full-time caregiver for their widowed dad. When Audrey alights from the big city on their birthday, a twist of fate provides Laurel with the opportunity to attain the life, love and social status she has dreamed about—but at what price? Rising star Kazan achieves exceptional nuance in a powerful dual-role performance of endearing idiosyncrasy and tentative self-awakening.

—Leah LoSchiavo

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 6:15 PM SEQUOIA 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 5:15 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SPEAK TO ME

REDEMPTION TRAIL

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 91 MINS

Director Britta Sjogren Producers

Britta Sjogren, Soumyaa Kapil Behrens

Screenwriter Britta Sjogren

Cinematographers Bradley Sellers

Editors Christopher Munch, Michael Goo dier Cast Lily Rabe, LisaGay Hamilton, Hamish Linkl ater, Jake Weber, Asta Sjogren-Uyehara, Juliette Stubbs

Print Source Dire Wolf

In English and Spanish with English subtitles. In the golden Sonoma hills a solitary rancher, Tess (LisaGay Hamilton), rides the trails, scouting the land she tends. In the privileged Oakland hills, a driven doctor, Anna (Lily Rabe), tends to life with her husband (Hamish Linklater) and precious daughter (Asta Sjogren-Uyehara). Soon Anna is alone and she and Tess will meet, under circumstances as unexpected as this film’s meeting of neo-Western and classic modernism. “We were never meant to survive,” Audre Lorde’s poem goes, but Anna has survived, a dilemma Tess, daughter of a slain Black Panther, knows something about. Motherless child and childless mother: In Britta Sjogren’s telling, their stories are folded together, delicately, so as not to crush the elements in the resultant mix. Sjogren is a Bay Area fi lmmaker to watchliterally. Her visual sense is keen, and the startling landscapes of shifting fog and vistas she captures reward seeing this film on the big screen. WORLD PREMIERE

—Judy Bloch

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 12:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 6:00 PM RAFAEL 3

THE RETRIEVAL

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 94 MINS

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Chris Eska

Producers Jacob Esquivel, Jason Wehling

Cinematographer Yasu Tanida Cast Tishuan Sco tt, Ashton Sanders, Keston John, Bill Oberst Jr., Christine Horn, Alfonso Freeman

Print Source September Morning LLC

The latest from awarding-winning indie director Chris Eska ( August Evening, MVFF 2007) is a deeply stirring and nuanced Civil War–era drama about two former slaves on the run from a band of steel-hearted bounty hunters. Thirteen-year-old Will is an African American freedman in Texas who has fallen in with the bounty hunters after his father’s death. When gang leader Burrell orders Will and his uncle Marcus (also a freedman, at least nominally) to journey north and “retrieve” a fugitive slave, Will knows the price of failure will be his life. Featuring unforgettable performances, and shot on location amid beautiful and barren wintertime landscapes, the ﬁlm is both a poignant chronicle of the evolution of a father-son bond and an indelible portrait of the anguish and hopefulness of African Americans caught in the upheaval of the Civil War.

—Michael J. LoPresti

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 12:45 PM RAFAEL 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

THE ROCKET

WORLD CINEMA

AUSTRALIA 2013 • 95 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Kim Mordaunt

Producers Sylvia Wilczynski, Pauline Phayvanh Phoumindr, Bridget Ikin, Michael Wrenn, Triphet Rookachat

Cinematographer Andrew Commis Editor Nick Meyers Cast Sitthiphon Disamoe, Loun gnam Kaosainam, Thep Phongam, Bunsri Yindi, Sumrit Warin, Alice Kohavong Prin t Source Kino Lorber

Winner of top festival awards including the Amnesty International Film Prize and best debut at the Berlin Film Festival, Kim Mordaunt’s ﬁrst feature brings to light one of the darkest chapters in 20th-century history—the aftermath of the Vietnam War in Laos—and treats it with surprising delicacy, grace and gentle humor. The story centers on Ahlo, a boy believed to bring ill luck wherever he goes, and his undaunted efforts to compete in the annual rocket-launch competition in a village ironically nicknamed Paradise, site of innumerable bombings during the war. Ahlo’s two companions, also outcasts, are a former Laotian soldier under American employ, living in disgrace, called James Brown (and bearing an uncanny likeness to the soul star) and his free-spirited little niece Kia, Ahlo’s ﬁrst love interest. With gripping performances and unpredictable twists, The Rocket is a magical and deep experience that reaches for the skies.

— KD Davis

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 8:15 PM SEQUOIA 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 11:00 AM RAFAEL 2

RUN & JUMP

WORLD CINEMA

IRELAND/GERMANY 2013 • 102 MINS

Director Steph Green Producer Tamara

Angh ie Screenwriter Ailbhe Keogan

Cinematographer Kevin Richey Editor Nathan Nugent Cast Will Forte, Maxine Peake, Edward MacLiam, Sharon Horgan

Print Source Global Screen GmbH

In this authentic, unconventional love story and intimate family portrait, spirited and unsinkable Vanetia Casey struggles to get life back to normal after her husband, Conor, suffers a personality-altering stroke. Enter buttoned-up American doctor Ted Fielding (Will Forte), who arrives in Ireland to stay with them for two months, his research grant providing the Caseys with essential fi nancial aid. Vanetia is a dynamo but overwhelmed, and with two young kids and two men in the house she initially treats Ted and his study of Conor with reservation. Only when she observes Ted’s calming infl uence on the family does she begin to value his friendship. In return, Ted enjoys her heady, happy-go-lucky world. But Ted’s continued presence in the house sets the family on course for an emotional collision. The feature film debut of Oscar-nominated director Steph Green indicates a talent clearly on the rise.

—Laura Henneman

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 9:15 PM SEQUOIA 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SF IRISH FILM FESTIVAL

SARAH PREFERS TO RUN (SARAH

PRÉFÈRE LA COURSE)

WORLD CINEMA

CANADA 2013 • 96 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Chloé Robichaud

Producer Fanny-Laure Malo

Cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné Editor

Michel Arcand Cast Sophie Desmarais, Jean-Sébastien Courchesne, Geneviève Boivin-Roussy, Hélène Florent, Eve Duranceau, Micheline Lanctôt Print Source eOne Films International

In French with English subtitles. Internationally acclaimed short ﬁ lm director Chloé Robichaud’s elegant ﬁrst feature is a beautifully made and astute portrait of a sensitive young woman searching for her place in the world. Sarah (promising Québecoise talent Sophie Desmarais) is a high school competition runner with no plan for the future. Deliberately defying her mother, she accepts a college athletic scholarship and leaves home with her carefree small-town friend and occasional running partner Antoine (Jean-Sébastien Courchesne). As the two begin their new life together in Montréal, Antoine has his newfound romantic desire rebuffed by Sarah, whose indifference is nearly too painful for him to bear. On the brink of acknowledging who she is, while coolly observing her surroundings amid the exciting parties and politics of university life, Sarah seems aware of only one thing: She prefers to run. US PREMIERE —Laurence Christen

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 5:15 PM SEQUOIA 1

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2:15 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF QUEBEC

THE SEA

WORLD CINEMA

IRELAND 2013 • 89 MINS

Director Stephen Brown Producers Luc Roeg, Michael Robinson, David Collins Screenwriter John Banville Cinematographer John Conroy Editor Step hen O’ Connell Cast Ciarán Hinds, Char lotte Rampling, Rufus Sewell, Natascha McElhone, Bonnie Wright, Sinéad Cusack Print Source Independent Film Company

Max Morden (Ciarán Hinds), a mournful middle-aged art professor, returns to a windswept Irish seaside village, “fl eeing one sadness by revisiting another one,” as he confesses to his new landlady (the ever-luminous Charlotte Rampling). Thirty years prior in the same village, adolescent Max had fallen under the spell of the freespirited Grace family, developing a serious crush on Mrs. Grace (sensuously embodied by Natascha McElhone), while idling away the languid summer days with her two children. In elegant fl ashbacks, The Sea reveals the cracks in the façade of the seemingly perfect Grace family. Meanwhile, revelatory scenes from Max’s immediate past depict the circumstances that have led him back to the sea to heal his grief. First-time director Stephen Brown adapts John Banville’s Booker Prize–winning novel with a visual poetry to match the writing. With its stellar cast and lushly cinematic sweep, The Sea is a potent evocation of memory’s tidal fl ow. US PREMIERE

—Rod Armstrong

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 5:30 PM RAFAEL 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 9:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

US CINEMA

US 2013

Director Ben Stiller Producers Samuel Goldwy n Jr., John Goldwyn, Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller Screenwriter Steve Conr ad, based upon the short story by James Thurber Cinematographer Stuart Drybur gh Editor Greg Hayden Cast Ben Stil ler, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Sean Penn Print Source 20th Century Fox

CLOSING NIGHT/TRIBUTE TO BEN STILLER

Ben Stiller directs and stars in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, James Thurber’s classic story of a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies ﬁ lled with heroism, romance and action. When his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.

*See page 25 for complete Tribute details.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 5:15 PM SEQUOIA 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 5:30 PM SEQUOIA 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 5:00 PM RAFAEL 1

THE SHARK RIDDLE

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

US 2011 • 30 MINS

Directors Laura Sams, Robert Sams Producers Laura Sams, Robert Sams, Caro line Brett Screenwriters/Editors Laur a Sams, Robert Sams, Dave Cain Cinematographers Dave Cain, Tom Camp bell, Bryce Groark Print Source Sisbro Studios

What do you do when you’re on the beach waiting for someone to pose a riddle to you, but there’s no one around? Why not do what sister-and-brother zoologists Laura and Robert Sams do: Find a magical journal that needs sharks’ teeth to reveal its riddles and go on a search for answers. The sibling ﬁlmmakers’ love of nature—especially sea creatures—brings to life this charming, rib-tickling, inventive and engaging quest to ﬁnd a tooth from the biggest living shark. Along the way, Laura and Rob encounter a singing sea lion who celebrates the great white shark, a pirate who trades in tiny things and a seagull who’s afraid of sharks (but shouldn’t be). Spectacular underwater footage of sharks—including operatic sharks—enhance The Shark Riddle ’s wonderful journey. Ages 7+

—Roberta McNair

*Following this 30-minute film, actors/directors/writers Rob and Laura Sams will present a live interactive show featuring songs, demonstrations and the administering of the “Shark Oath.“

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 11:00 AM LARK

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 12:30 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

SPOOKS AND SPIRITS

(ÓFEIGUR GENGUR AFTUR)

WORLD CINEMA

ICELAND 2013 • 92 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Agust Gudmundsson

Producers Agust Gudmundsson, Anna Katr in Gudmundsdottir Cinematographer Bergs teinn Bjorgulfsson Editor Ingi Ragnar Ingason Cast Gisli Orn Gardarsson, Ilm ur Kristjansdottir, Laddi Print Source Isﬁ lm ehf

In Icelandic with English subtitles. Old Ofeig was a loud-mouthed boor when he was alive. But now that he’s dead he’s more ornery than ever (though his piano playing has improved). When daughter Anna and her boyfriend Ingi decide to sell the house, Ofeig’s ghost fumes at the idea of being left to “live” with strangers. His somewhat spooky, seriously self-absorbed supernatural self interferes not just with realtors but with every aspect of the couple’s life (it’s hard to get in the mood when the ghost of your girlfriend’s father might be watching). Desperate to save his relationship and sanity, Ingi attempts to exorcise his father-inlaw-to-be from the house, but family ties prove hard to break. While Dad may be turning their world—and their bookshelves— upside down, Anna ﬁnds herself reluctant to force him out of the only home he’s ever known. In this comical showdown between past and future, will any of them rest in peace? NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Joanne Parsont

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 5:15 PM SEQUOIA 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 9:15 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH ICELANDIC ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

STANDING ON SACRED GROUND 1

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 60 MINS

Director Christopher McLeod Producers

Jes sica Abbe, Jennifer Huang, Marlo McKenzie, Will Parrinello Screenwriters

Jes sica Abbe, Jennifer Huang

Cinematographers Andrew Black, Vicente Fra nco, Will Parrinello Editors Quinn Cos tello, Marta Wohl Print Source Sacred Land Film Project

In English and various languages with English subtitles. Altai shamans and leaders fi ght a natural gas pipeline set to run through the Ukok Plateau, a World Heritage Site in southern Russia. They use ceremony, singing and mapping of sacred sites to create a park preserve where they can transform tourists into pilgrims. They also seek the return of the 2,500-year-old Ukok Princess, a shaman ancestor whose mummifi ed remains were exhumed in violation of sacred law. And near Mount Shasta, the Winnemem Wintu people use the same methods as the Altai, plus a war dance, to preserve a sacred spring. Their tribal designation stripped away, their land fl ooded by the Shasta Dam, they continue to counter plans to raise the dam further. GPS technology and the Altai shamans aid their quest to put themselves literally back on the map. WORLD PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

*Special panel follows screening. Invited guests include Danil Mamyev, founder of Uch Enmek Nature Park, Altai Republic of Russia; Christopher McLeod, fimmaker; and Caleen Sisk, Chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe of Northern California.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 8:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MARIN AMERICAN INDIAN ALLIANCE AND MARIN INTERFAITH COUNCIL

STANDING ON SACRED GROUND 2

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 60 MINS

Director Christopher McLeod Producers

Jes sica Abbe, Jennifer Huang, Marlo McKenzie, Will Parrinello Screenwriters

Jes sica Abbe, Jennifer Huang

Cinematographers Andrew Black, Vicente Fra nco, Will Parrinello Editors Quinn Cos tello, Marta Wohl Print Source Sacred Land Film Project

In English and various languages with English subtitles. Corporate development is ensnaring the indigenous people still living off the land in Papua New Guinea and Alberta, Canada. In Papua New Guinea, 97% of the land is owned by indigenous people, and therefore environmentally protected. But a government-sanctioned Chinese nickel mining company brings false promises of development trickle-down. As traditional people are forced off Kurumbukari Highland, grassroots activists rise up to prevent the devastation of “deep sea tailings” from the mine, which fl ow uncontrolled into vital coastal waterways. Across the globe, First Nations people are split between tar sands oil refinery jobs and living off the Athabascan River’s traditional hunting grounds. Feeling industry’s negative impact, including a 30% rise in rare cancers and deformed fi sh and game, indigenous people are using GPS mapping to track their land rights and document treaty-breaking devastation. WORLD PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

* Special panel follows screening. Invited guests include Roy Ladouceur, Christopher McLeod and Mike Marcredi.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 3:00 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MARIN AMERICAN INDIAN ALLIANCE AND MARIN INTERFAITH COUNCIL

SPONSORED

STANDING ON SACRED GROUND 3

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 120 MINS

Director Christopher McLeod Producers

Jes sica Abbe, Jennifer Huang, Marlo McKenzie, Will Parrinello Screenwriters Jes sica Abbe, Jennifer Huang Cinematographers Andrew Black, Vicente Fra nco, Will Parrinello Editors Quinn Cos tello, Marta Wohl Cast Q’orianka Kil cher, Graham Greene, Tantoo Cardinal, Luana Busby-Neff Print Source Sacred Land Film Project

In English and various languages with English subtitles. Since measured biodiversity is 35% greater in sacred groves, Ethiopian scientists are learning from traditionalists how to maintain an interconnected ecosystem, even as indigenous shamanists confront religious fundamentalists in Ethiopia’s Gamo Highlands. The Q’eros in Andean Peru make pilgrimage to the shrinking glacier with ﬁre offerings for the health of the water, pasturelands and crops. The Q’eros are carefully preserving the diversity of their potatoes and continuing to practice Ayni— reciprocity with the land and spirits. Northern Australian aboriginals are back from exile with traditional conservation practices like controlled burns, as a zinc mine threatens the rich life of the McArthur River, home to the creator spirit, Rainbow Serpent. And native Hawaiians have gained regular access to Kaho’-olawe, an island long used for target practice by the US Navy. Activists are clearing unexploded ordnance, replanting native plants and bringing the island and the Hawaiian people back to life. Indigenous ways live on! WORLD PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2:15 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MARIN AMERICAN INDIAN ALLIANCE AND MARIN INTERFAITH COUNCIL

STAR WARS, EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI

US CINEMA

US 1983 • 134 MINS

Director Richard Marquand Producer

Jim B loom, Howard D. Kazanjian, George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Robert Watts

Screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan, George Luca s Cinematographer Alan Hume Editors

Sea n Barton, Duwayne Dunham, Marcia Lucas Print Source Lucasﬁ lm Ltd.

Star Wars returns! Celebrate the epic conclusion (thus far) to the greatest space opera ever made at MVFF’s special 30thanniversary screening of Return of the Jedi The third film in the original trilogy, and the sixth film in the series (until the new Star Wars films begin!), Jedi is a dazzling entry in George Lucas’ heroic saga of good and evil, cementing Star Wars’ indelible popculture legacy. Luke Skywalker returns as a Jedi Knight, the Death Star returns to threaten the galaxy, and Darth Vader returns to finally tempt his son to the dark side. Who will prevail? In between its breathtaking speederbike chases and its gruesome Rancor pit, Jabba the Hutt’s slobbering bulk and Princess Leia’s heart-stopping metal bikini, those adorable fuzzy Ewoks and the perpetually fl ummoxed C-3PO, Return of the Jedi sends the reassuring message that hate and vengeance don’t stand a chance against the Force and a steadfast heart.

—Jeff Campbell

*See page 31 for Special Event details and pricing.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 6:15 PM CINEMA CORTE MADERA

SWEET BLUES: A FILM ABOUT MIKE BLOOMFIELD

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 57 MINS

Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Editor

Bob Sa rles Producer/Editor Christina Keat ing Cinematographer Ted Leyhe

Cast Mike Bloomﬁ el d, Al Kooper, Charlie Musselwhite, Elvin Bishop, Barry Goldberg, Nick Gravenites Print Source Ravin’ Films

“You know, I like sweet blues. . . . I want to be singing. I want to be sweet,” said music legend Mike Bloomfi eld of his swampy vibe and searing, lyrical guitar playing. His awesome instrumental prowess is on full display in this raucous documentary celebrating the legacy of a hard-living, finger-fretting renegade. Described by fellow icon Al Kooper as “not just another white boy [but] someone who truly knew what the blues were about,” Bloomfi eld drew on African American tradition while burnishing his licks with a radical compositional approach refl ecting the social and cultural upheaval of the 1960s. Dogged by heroin addiction, Bloomfi eld passed away in 1981, but his sterling musicality as the embodiment of Chicago blues lives on through the work of acolytes such as Carlos Santana, B.B. King and Charlie Musselwhite, all of whom testify to the master’s enduring infl uence in Bob Sarles’ lovingly crafted fi lm. Sweet, indeed. WORLD PREMIERE —Steven Jenkins

PRECEDED BY

FEED YOUR HEAD

US 1997 • 22 MINS

Director Bob Sarles

Jerry Garcia, David Crosby and other ’60s luminaries are featured in this look back at the psychedelic music scene, from London to Woodstock to acid-fried San Francisco.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 9:30 PM RAFAEL 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

SWEETWATER

US CINEMA

US 2013 • 96 MINS

Director Logan Miller Producers Logan Mil ler, Noah Miller, Jason Netter Screenwriters Logan Miller, Noah Miller Cinematographer Brad Shield Editor Rob ert Dalva Cast Ed Harris, January Jon es, Jason Isaacs, Eduardo Noriega Print Source ARC Entertainment

Twin-brother filmmakers Logan and Noah Miller gallop away from the intimate terrain of their Marin-based autobiographical first feature, Touching Home, and reach for the wide-open spaces in this wry and raucous western set in the desert territories of old New Mexico. In one of several twists on the genre, January Jones takes center stage as Sarah, a former prostitute and recent widow who is forced to take matters into her own hands against the raving, megalomaniacal preacher (Jason Isaacs) who rules the town of Sweetwater with a sadistic glee. Into this broiling scenario rides a mysterious stranger, an itinerant lawman (played by Ed Harris, having the time of his life in an eccentric and hilarious turn). Funny and fi erce, and brimming with the unexpected, this particular drink is less sweet than sassy.

—Anton Phibes

*Invited guests: The Miller Brothers $30 General /$25 Members

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 8:00 PM RAFAEL 1

THE TAO OF BLUEGRASS: A PORTRAIT OF PETER ROWAN

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 105 MINS

Director/Producer Christine Funk Editors

Chr istine Funk, Marc Snider Print Source

South 40 Films

“Music is very soothing to my anxious, nervous state,” says bluegrass legend Peter Rowan in this toe-tapping documentary charting his remarkable musical journey. Serenely thankful listeners will attest to the near-spiritual power of the great singer-songwriter and six-stringer’s heavenly melodies, incisive words and healing tones. Having honed his inimitable style as a member of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys in the mid-1960s, Rowan’s fascination with world music and Buddhist meditation practice has led him from collaborations with Jerry Garcia, Flaco Jimenez and Jamaican reggae greats to groundbreaking recordings with Earth Opera, Seatrain and Old and in the Way. Eternally young and in the right place at the right time (opening for The Doors, hanging out with Wavy Gravy), Rowan emerges in Christine Funk’s wonderfully funky ﬁ lm as a blissfully enlightened yet creatively restless troubadour whose stunning songs conﬁ rm this Marin habitué’s status as—in the Taoist words of bluegrass doyenne Alison Krauss—“a true artist.” WORLD PREMIERE

—Steven Jenkins

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 7:00 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2:00 PM SEQUOIA 1

THIS AIN’T NO MOUSE MUSIC! THE STORY OF CHRIS STRACHWITZ AND ARHOOLIE RECORDS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 92 MINS

Directors/Producers/Screenwriters Chris Sim on, Maureen Gosling Cinematographer

Chr is Simon Editor Maureen Gosling Cast Chris Strachwitz, Ry Cooder, Wilson Savoy and t he Pine Leaf Boys, Davia Nelson, Taj Mahal, Flaco Jiménez Print Source Sage Blossom Productions

In English, Spanish and French with English subtitles. American folk in all its ragtag glory—from New Orleans Dixieland, hipslapping country and front-porch blues to Tex-Mex, Cajun and Deep-South R&B—provides the rollicking soundtrack to Maureen Gosling and Chris Simons’ downhome documentary about an unlikely yet endearing champion of regional music. Born a German count, Chris Strachwitz ﬂ ed the advent of World War II as a teenager and immersed himself in his adopted country’s musical roots. With ever-alert ears and rudimentary recording equipment, Strachwitz has traversed the back roads and juke joints of the heartland for more than 50 years, tracking down homespun musical talent for his Arhoolie Records label—eschewer of the corporate pop Strachwitz gleefully dismisses as “mouse music.” “If not for people like Chris, this music would have fallen out of cultural history,” says Richard Thompson in this revelatory ﬁlm, as musicians and fans of all stripes (including Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal) rejoice in his sonic obsessions.

—Steven Jenkins

*See page 23 for complete Live Music Events details and pricing.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 6:00 PM

SEQUOIA 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 3:30 PM RAFAEL 1

SPONSORED

THOMAS DOLBY: THE INVISIBLE LIGHTHOUSE

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2013 • 120 MINS

Director/Producer/Screenwriter/ Cinematographer/Editor Thomas Dolby

Print Source Hamilton Ink PR

The Invisible Lighthouse, shot and edited by legendary musician and producer Thomas Dolby, details the closure of a beautiful lighthouse on the tip of a mysterious island and former military post off the coast of England. Dolby, who has known the evocative fl ash of this lighthouse since he was a child, picked up a camera to document its imminent closure. Receiving little cooperation from the authorities, he risked a clandestine dawn raid capturing the eerie atmosphere of the island and the final fl ash of its iconic landmark using a remote-controlled drone and a selection of high-tech cameras. For this special event, Dolby will accompany his film and other visuals with live music in collaboration with music designer, supervisor and bassist Blake Leyh. Confirmed guests include multiple-Grammy-winning producer and musician Don Was, fi lm composer Mark Isham and cellist composer Zoe Keating, and the legendary Dan Hicks. More special guests to be announced.

*THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 8:00 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

*See page 23 for more event information and pricing.

TODAY (HOJE)

WORLD CINEMA

BRAZIL 2011 • 87 MINS

Director Tata Amaral Producers Tata Ama ral, Caru Alves de Souza Screenwriters Jean- Claude Bernardet, Rubens Rewald, Felipe Scholl Cinematographer Jacob Solintrenick Editor Idê Lacreta Cast Denise Fra ga, Cesar Troncoso, João Baldasserini, Pedro Abhull, Cláudia Assunção, Lorena Lobato Print Source Tangerina Entretenimento

In Portuguese with English subtitles. Vera pops open a bottle of champagne as she savors the first few moments in her new apartment in downtown Sao Paulo. Her celebration is interrupted, however, when her husband, Luiz, mysteriously appears at her home after being gone for decades. Luiz learns that the apartment was purchased with compensation money from the government after his disappearance in the dark period of Brazil’s military dictatorship. Next, the couple embarks on a painful journey through their haunted past. Shot entirely inside Vera’s apartment, the film’s intimate tone transports the viewer into the secret depths of the couple’s relationship as the spaces around them start molding to their stories. Carried by Denise Fraga’s quietly riveting performance, Today meditates poignantly on the challenges of reinventing oneself after the loss of a loved one, and on the realization that one must first remember the past in order to forget it. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Julia Barbosa

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 8:15 PM RAFAEL 3

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 4:00 PM RAFAEL 1

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CONSUL GENERAL OF BRAZIL

TOKYO FAMILY

(TOKYO KAZOKU)

WORLD CINEMA

JAPAN 2013 • 146 MINS

Director Yôji Yamada Producers Hiroshi Fuka sawa, Takashi Yojima Screenwriter

Emiko Hiramatsu Cinematographer

Mas ashi Chikamori Editor Iwao Ishii Cast Isao Hashizume, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Satoshi Tsumab uki, Yu Aoi, Masahiko Nishimura Prin t Source Shochiku Co.

FOCUS: 3 GEN JAPAN • In Japanese with English subtitles. Shukichi and Tomiko Hirayama took a train to visit their children and grandchildren in Yasujiro Ozu’s beloved 1953 fi lm Tokyo Story. In Yôji Yamada’s equally masterful remake, set in 2012, the trip from their quiet island hometown to Tokyo takes place on a bullet train, with Tokyo even more overwhelming than in the 1950s. Meanwhile, in contrast to the brighter future suggested by the original’s postwar setting, the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima disaster provide a backdrop of uncertainty. Tokyo Family is Yamada’s moving homage to Ozu’s classic, and no one is more qualifi ed to make it than Yamada—infl uenced by Ozu when he fi rst started at Shochiku studios, where both fi lmmakers saw their careers fl ourish. Tokyo Family tackles the dilemma of parents whose children have outgrown them and don’t care to revisit the past. But as happens in every family in every era, mortality brings everyone up short—forcing refl ection and, for this family, acceptance.

—Roberta McNair

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 8:15 PM

SEQUOIA 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1:30 PM LARK

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA & THE JAPAN SOCIETY

TOXIC HOT SEAT

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 90 MINS

Directors/Producers James Redford, Kirby Walker Cinematographers John Kiffmeyer, Tyl or Norwood Editor Jen Bradwell

Print Source HBO

Better living through chemistry? The question burns at the center of this fascinating and timely documentary from Bay Area filmmaker James Redford. An intense examination of the decades-old confl ict between fire safety and toxic fl ame retardants, Toxic Hot Seat features insights from scientists, journalists, politicians and San Francisco firefighters to paint a detailed picture of the debate. Do flame retardants really save lives? What are the side effects of the chemicals in these products? And who reaps the profits in this fivebillion-dollar industry as virtually every piece of furniture and most baby-care products sold in the US now contain these chemicals? Redford’s straightforward style lets the facts do the talking as he unveils the political and economic motivations underneath a truly incendiary debate. Disturbing and riveting, Toxic Hot Seat is a hard-hitting investigation that will change the way you look at your livingroom furniture. WORLD PREMIERE

—Brendan Peterson

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 5:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2:00 PM SEQUOIA 2

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH S.F. FIREFIGHTERS CANCER PREVENTION PROGRAM

UPAJ: IMPROVISE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 60 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Hoku Uchiyama

Producer Antara Bhardwaj

Cinematographers/Editors Hoku Uchiyama, Sha un Jefford Print Source Hindipendent Films

In English and Hindi with English subtitles. Two very different artists share an uncommon bond through dance in this warm, fascinating account of the unlikely collaboration between 64-year-old Indian Kathak master Pandit Chitresh Das and 28-year-old African American tap sensation Jason Samuels Smith. Each carries a torch for the art form he loves: Das, struggling to maintain a place for classical Kathak dance, a storytelling art now eclipsed by Bollywood and commercial mass culture; and Samuels Smith, embracing a tradition epitomized for him by legendary entertainer Gregory Hines, who died before meeting the young Samuels Smith at the latter’s L.A. Tap Festival in 2003. As the two embark on a 2009 tour of the subcontinent called Indian Jazz Suites, the stage becomes the vibrant middle ground for respective traditions, buoyant personalities, high hopes and blazing footwork. Onstage and off, director Hoku Uchiyama’s camera is an intimate partner, capturing a unique friendship with the capacity to thrill, inspire and teach many life-sustaining things about the art of improvisation.

—Robert Avila

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 12:45 PM RAFAEL 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2:45 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE 3RD i SF INTERNATIONAL SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL

WORLD CINEMA

NORWAY 2013 • 106 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Torun Lian

Producers John M. Jacobsen, Pancho Koh ner, Sveinung Golimo Cinematographer Harald Paalgard Editor Perry Eriksen Cast Iben Akerlie, Bill Skarsgård, Jacob Oftebro Prin t Source AB Svensk Filmindustri

In Norweigan with English subtitles. In this sumptuous drama set against the unforgettable backdrop of Norwegian fjords and forests at the turn of the 20th century, a miller’s son, Johannes, and a landowner’s daughter, Victoria, are a pair of youthful star-crossed lovers. Social standing is just one barrier to the couple’s bliss, but money poses an even bigger obstacle. Growing up together in the verdant woods of Victoria’s family’s estate, the two fall in love while they are still children. As a young adult, Johannes ﬁ nds renown as a poet and novelist but is still too poor to win Victoria’s hand. Instead, against her will, Victoria’s father arranges her engagement to a wealthy army ofﬁ cer (Bill Skarsgard). In this handsome adaptation of Knut Hamsun’s acclaimed 1898 novel, writer-director Torun Lian fashions a timeless romance that balances its emotional undercurrent with a fascinating observation of 19th-century Norwegian social mores. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Pam Grady

* This screening is free for CFI members; complimentary ticket required.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 6:00 PM CINEMA CORTE MADERA

WALESA, MAN OF HOPE

WORLD CINEMA

POLAND 2013 • 127 MINS

Director Andrzej Wajda Producers

Kat arzyna Fukacz, Małgorzata Fogel, Michał Kwieci n ski Screenwriter Janusz Głow acki Cinematographer Pawe Edelman

Editors Grazyna Gradon, Milenia Fiedler Cast Robert Wieckiewicz, Agnieszka Grochow ska, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Cezary Kosinski, Maria Rosaria Omaggio, Mirosław Baka, Maciej Stuhr Print Source Films Boutique

FOCUS: INSPIRING LIVES • In Polish and Italian w ith English subtitles. Following his political masterpieces, 1975’s Man of Marble and 1981’s Man of Iron —about the rise of Poland’s Solidarity movement—renowned director Andrzej Wajda tackles the powerful story of Solidarity’s leader, former Polish president Lech Walesa (Robert Wieckiewicz). This stunning biopic, built around an interview he gave to Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci (Maria Rosaria Omaggio), recounts Walesa’s rise from an electrician to the leader of a major historical uprising that saw the defeat of Soviet rule in 1980s Poland. “My aim was to make a movie about a people’s hero,” explains Wajda, “a politician who came from the social lows and rose to his position purely and only thanks to his own will, his own strength, his own energy, his intelligence.” Walesa, Man of Hope, which had its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival, proves both a brilliant character study and a remarkable historical epic.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 8:45 PM LARK

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 12:00 PM RAFAEL 2

LE WEEK-END

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2013 • 93 MINS

Director Roger Michell Producer Kevin Loader Screenwriter Hanif Kureishi Cinematographer Nathalie Durand Editor Kris tina Hetherington Cast Jim Broadbent, Lin dsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum, Olly Alexander, Judith Davis Print Source Music Box Films

The ever-wonderful Jim Broadbent (TopsyTurvy, Cloud Atlas) and Lindsay Duncan (Under the Tuscan Sun) star as a couple marking their 30th anniversary with a Parisian vacation in this charming, thought-provoking ﬁlm. Director Roger Michell nods to the French New Wave and shows the City of Lights through the eyes of a delighted tourist as he explores the imperfections of human relationships. Despite years of pleasant companionship, Nick and Meg’s marriage has quietly frayed and their holiday gradually lays bare all insecurities and tensions. Sincere performances and piquant dialogue draw the viewer into the characters’ inner lives and bittersweet intimate moments. A chance reunion with a garrulous American (a sparkling Jeff Goldblum) lights the fuse on a time bomb of a dinner party full of temptations and revelations. The latest collaboration from Michell and writer Hanif Kureishi (the team behind Venus, MVFF 2006), Le Week-end is an unforgettable portrait of a relationship long neglected but not yet unsalvageable.

—Laura Henneman

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 6:30 PM SEQUOIA 1

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 5:15 PM SEQUOIA 1

WHOOPI GOLDBERG PRESENTS MOMS MABLEY

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2013 • 71 MINS

Director Whoopi Goldberg Producers Who opi Goldberg, Tom Leonardis, George Schlatter Editors Geeta Gandbhir, Maya Mumma Print Source HBO

FOCUS: INSPIRING LIVES • Groundbreaker, truth teller and political progressive in the guise of a toothless, housecoat-wearing comedienne with a raspy voice, Jackie “Moms” Mabley was a Chitlin’ Circuit staple who delivered risqué antics and controversial social commentary through clever wordsmithing. From her onscreen persona to her lesser-known off-screen life as Mr. Moms—a powerful queer fi gure in men’s clothes—Mabley set the trajectory for both black and non-black comics. She was the first black woman to work the Apollo Theater and Carnegie Hall, and she split top billing with the likes of Cab Calloway during a career that spanned fi ve decades. Whoopi Goldberg, who fi rst honored Mabley onstage in her 1984 show Moms, revisits Mabley now in her directorial debut. Amid archival footage, photography and animation. Goldberg interviews comedic legends like Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy, Jerry Stiller and Joan Rivers about Mabley’s impact on their work and her indelible contributions to the comedic landscape.

—Angelique Smith

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 4:00 PM RAFAEL 1 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 5:30 PM 142 THROCKMORTON

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SPEAK TO ME

WICKIE AND THE TREASURE OF THE GODS

(WICKIE AUF GROSSER FAHRT)

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

GERMANY 2011 •

96 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Christian Ditter

Producers Christian Becker, Lena Schömann Cinematographer Christian Rein

Editor Ueli Christen Cast Jonas Hämmerle, Valeria Eisenbart, Waldemar Kobus, Günther Kaufmann, Nic Romm, Christian A. Koch. Print Source Rat Pack Film Productions

Young Wickie is a Viking who’d rather use his head to get out of a fix than just conk an opponent with it—his father’s preferred method. When dad, the Viking chief, goes missing, leadership falls on Wickie. His wits can overcome a storm at sea, capture by the Valkyries and an enemy castle’s fortifications, but he can’t puzzle out the girl who’s been dogging him ever since she grabbed the prize that he desperately needed to win dad’s approval. This girl has her own father issues, but instead of adopting Wickie’s penchant for negotiation, she steals and tricks her way out of trouble. The two race each other to reach a treasure of the gods whose possession could spell calamity for all humans. This family film by famed German production company Ratpack (The Wave, MVFF 2008) offers a sure-handed balance between comedy and adventure, slapstick, and sentiment. Presented in 3D. Ages 7+ —Roberta McNair

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 11:30 AM SEQUOIA 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 11:30 AM SEQUOIA 1

WORKERS

WORLD CINEMA

MEXICO/GERMANY 2013 • 120 MINS

Director/Screenwriter José Luis Valle

Producers José Luis Valle, Elsa Reyes

Cinematographer César Gutiérrez Miranda

Editor Óscar Figueroa Cast Susana Salazar, Jesús Padilla Print Source MPM Film

In Spanish with English subtitles. An impressive debut feature from José Luis Valle, this devilishly funny drama paints an affecting picture of the division of labor in today’s ostensibly egalitarian society. Set in Tijuana, the film evokes all the vibrancy, destitution and beauty of this seaside border town. Rafael has been a cleaner in the same light bulb factory for 30 years. It is his last day before retirement, and he even buys himself a pair of new shoes for the occasion. Lidia is one of seven people keeping house for a rich Mexican woman in a wheelchair who has dedicated her life to her whippet, Princess, who eats from a golden bowl and sleeps on a silk cushion. Lidia has spent 30 years taking care of the dog and its ailing mistress, day and night. Shot with mesmerizing minimalism, the filmmaker captures the haunting struggle for humanity of everyday workers in Mexico.

—Delfin Vigil

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 8:00 PM RAFAEL 2

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 5:00 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE MEXICAN CONSULATE GENERAL IN SAN FRANCISCO AND PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CANAL ALLIANCE, HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

THE YEAR AND THE VINEYARD

(EL AÑO Y LA VIÑA)

WORLD CINEMA

SPAIN 2013 • 80 MINS

Director/Producer/Screenwriter/ Cinematographer/Editor Jonathan Cenzual Burley Cast Andrea Calabrese, Fede Sánchez, Javier Sáez, Laura Drewett

Print Source Jonathan Cenzual Burley

In Spanish and Italian with English subtitles. A brash Sicilian soldier on his way to the Spanish Civil War falls through the sky and into the present-day wine country of Salamanca, where he is greeted with good news and bad. The good: His army won the war. The bad: His lover, Isabella, along with life as he knew it, are all lost to the past 75 years, which for him are mere secondsold memories. As the solider struggles to make 21st-century sense of a bizarro world where hybrid cars are now parked in front of castles, he becomes increasingly intent on finding a way back onto the more familiar battlefields of 1937. Director Jonathan Cenzual Burley ( Soul of Flies) festoons his second feature with a host of colorful characters, all sharing dry and witty words of wisdom amid the fable-like cinematic style for which Burley is quickly becoming known. WORLD PREMIERE

—Delfin Vigil

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 3:45 PM RAFAEL 2

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 8:45 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM CONSULATE GENERAL OF SPAIN

WORLD CINEMA

ALGERIA 2012 • 90 MINS

Director/Screenwriter Djamila Sahraoui

Producers Mourad Zidi, Antonin Dedet Cinematographer Raphael O’Byrne Editor Catherine Gouze Print Source FIGa Films

FOCUS: L’AFRIQUE • In Arabic with English subtitles. This spare, exquisitely composed story tells an epic tale in deeply human terms, as the ongoing civil conflict between government forces and rebels plays out in one woman’s life in rural Algeria. Warda is grieving one son’s death and berating her other child for his culpability for it. Living in an area rife with rebels who are afraid she might betray information, Warda is assigned a guard. Knowing that he is on the same side as her son’s assassins, she treats him with disdain and wariness, even as he tries to win her over. When her other son arrives bearing a newborn and asking her to care for it, she must decide how far and for how long she will carry her rage. In this beautifully shot, masterful film, writer-director Djamila Sahraoui (who also plays Warda) lets her protagonist’s despair stand for all of the Algerian mothers grieving the deaths of their loved ones.

—Rod Armstrong

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 6:45 PM RAFAEL 3

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 6:15 PM RAFAEL 3

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM CONSUL GENERAL OF FRANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND FRENCH AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA YEMA

YOUTH REEL: PARADIGM

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

US • 90 MINS

This year’s peer-juried youth reel is culled from 160 entries from around the US and the world. For the first time, we also teamed up with Montréal-based YoungCuts Film Festival, an international festival for young filmmakers. Many of the jury’s picks this year came from YoungCuts as well as from our partners more locally: San Francisco Art and Film, Harvard-Westlake School in Southern California and, of course, schools and individuals from Marin and the Bay Area. Jurors came this year from our newly named summer project, Summerfilm, a five-day course that teaches media literacy and puts film-oriented teens in contact with film professionals, who come in and talk about their jobs in the industry. The jurors want you to know that the reel includes one of the scariest shorts they’ve ever seen (so they watched it three times) and some of the funniest. Ages 13+

—John Morrison

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1:30 PM

LARK

ZAYTOUN

WORLD CINEMA

UK/ISRAEL 2012 • 110 MINS

Director Eran Riklis Producers Fred Ritzenberg, Gareth Unwin Screenwriter Nadir Rizq Cinematographer Dan Laustsen

Editor Herve Schneid Cast Stephen Dorff, Abdallah El Akal Print Source Strand Releasing

In English, Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. In this tender and hopeful twofor-the-road political thriller, a 12-year-old Palestinian refugee (Abdullah El Aka) and a wounded Israeli fighter pilot (Steven Dorff) are unlikely partners. Mutually suspicious but forced to traverse the dangers of the border between Israel and Lebanon, they need each other to get back to their shared homeland. As in Lemon Tree (MVFF 2008), director Riklis tells a compelling story with a beloved tree at its center. Fahed wants to plant his dead father’s precious olive tree ( zaytoun, in Arabic) on the plot of land his family was forced to abandon. In addition to two sensitive lead performances, Homeland’s Loai Nofi provides comic relief as a zany taxi driver. The accurate recreation of Beirut prior to the 1982 war evokes all the complexity of the human experience, with the double tenderness of a young boy emerging with an olive tree as a gesture of hope for all.

—Sandy Handsher

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 3:15 PM SEQUOIA 1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2:00 PM RAFAEL 2

PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL AND PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH ISRAEL CENTER

ACTIVE CINEMA

QUESTION ENGAGE TRANSFORM QUESTION ENGAGE TRANSFORM

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

MVFF36 ACTIVE CINEMA FILMS

AL HELM: MARTIN LUTHER KING IN PALESTINE

Directed by Connie Field

THE HUMAN EXPERIMENT

Directed by Dana Nachman and Don Hardy

Presented in association with Teens Turning Green

LION ARK

Directed by Tim Phillips

Presented in association with Animal Defenders International

MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE

Directed by Michele Josue

Presented in association with Facing History and Ourselves

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS: FROM CHICAGO TO THE KAROO

Directed by Will Parrinello, John Antonelli and Tom Dusenbery

Presented in association with Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance (GAIA)

THE ORGANIC LIFE

Directed by Casey Beck

Presented in association with Local Harvest

STANDING ON SACRED GROUND

Directed by Christopher McLeod

Presented in association with Marin American Indian Alliance and Marin Interfaith Council

TOXIC HOT SEAT

Directed by Kirby Walker

Presented in association with San Francisco Fire Fighters Cancer Prevention Foundation

THE TROUBLE WITH BREAD

Directed by Maggie Beidelman

Presented in association with Celiac Community Foundation of Northern California

UNFAIR GAME: THE POLITICS OF POACHING

Directed by John Antonelli

Presented in association with Wildlife Works

Active Cinema: Other ﬁlms of Interest

12 YEARS A SLAVE

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB GRIGRIS WORKERS

ACTIVE CINEMA: HIKE AND IDEAS EXCHANGE NETWORKING IN NATURE

Saturday, October 5, 10:15 AM—12:30 PM, Free Hike: Meet at 10:15 AM at Tennessee Valley trailhead parking lot/ picnic area. Hike to the ocean, return within an hour or so. Join Festival staff and guests for a hike and skills exchange. Meet, hike and exchange ideas and wisdom on filmmaking, filmmaker resources, activism and strategies. Some of the best information is garnered in peer-to-peer connections. Bring water, sunblock, wear good hiking shoes. Get some fresh air and connect with filmmakers, friends and cinephiles during an hour-long hike through beautiful terrain. All are welcome! Hike Hosts include Jessica Abbe, Andrew Black, Toby McLeod, Will Parinello and Wendy Slick.

Tennessee Valley information: http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm

CINEMASPORTS

Sunday, October 6, 9:00 AM, Filmmakers’ kickoff, Old Mill Park, Mill Valley

FREE on a ﬁrst-come, ﬁrst-served basis. Sign-up required. Sign up online: www.cinemasports.com

Public Screening Sunday, October 6, 8:00 PM $10 142 Throckmorton

MVFF’s popular collaboration with Cinemasports’ Jin Joo returns with an international tournament. Arrive with your crew equipped to create, shoot and edit your masterpiece by the same-day deadline. Teams will vie to ﬁnish a short ﬁlm or music video before sundown with three mandatory Active Cinema–inspired “ingredients.” These might include a loaf of bread, a lion or a sacred site! Films made on the same weekend with the same ingredients by international teams from England, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain and more will screen alongside local productions.

ACTIVE CINEMA ON FACEBOOK

Join Active Cinema ﬁlmmakers and supporters on Facebook and stay connected year-round.

www.facebook.com/milly.valley

GET ACTIVE!

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

MOVIES LAB

INSIGHT: DAVID THOMSON A MASTER CLASS CONVERSATION

Saturday, October 5, 12:00 PM, $20, Rafael

David Thomson is a nationally recognized writer, film historian and film critic for the New Republic. His seminal New Biographical Dictionary of Film, now in its fifth edition, and 2012’s The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies are textbooks for film lovers. Thomson will read from his latest book, Moments That Made the Movies, and share candid observations in a master-class conversation with Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center Director of Programming Richard Peterson. Q&A will follow.

THE STATE OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA REDUX, OR, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Sunday, October 6, 11:00 AM, $20, Rafael

The future is now. Theaters have completed the digital transition. Films like Margin Call and Arbitrage grossed more money on VOD than in theaters. Smart TVs are the next big thing destined to fill holiday stockings this year.

Despite all these changes, the industry is still in flux. Adapting is critical to survival in the world of independent film. Some of the most experienced independent film veterans in the areas of production, acquisition, distribution and exhibition will discuss the steps you need to take—whether you’re still putting pen to paper, in development or in the final stages of post-production. Join us for a lively and informative panel on how to adapt and succeed in this ever-changing industry.

INVITED GUESTS

BOB BERNEY is founder of Picturehouse, who will distribute Nimród Antal’s Metallica Through the Never in theaters on September 27 exclusively in IMAX and theaters everywhere on October 4. He has overseen the US theatrical releases of blockbusters My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Insidious, as wel as high-profile art house films Pan’s Labyrinth, La Vie en Rose and Drive.

TED HOPE, executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, has produced films for Ang Lee, Hal Hartley and Todd Field, among others. Among Ted’s 23 Sundance entries, three have been Grand Prize winners: The Brothers McMullen, American Splendor and What Happened Was…..

GARY RUBIN, executive vice president at the Cohen Media Group, Gary Rubin has over 25 years of experience in the motion picture and television business, including acquisition and distribution. Prior to his current position, he formed and ran First Independent Pictures, a specialty distribution company. Gary teaches a popular production class at UCLA.

MARK FISHKIN (moderator), is the executive director and founder of the California Film Institute and the director and founder of the Mill Valley Film Festival. Under Mark’s helm, the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center was renovated and reopened in May 1999.

NETWORKING RECEPTION TO FOLLOW.

INSIGHT: JAN TROELL and YOHANNA TROELL

A MASTER CLASS CONVERSATION

Wednesday, October 9, 5:30 PM , $20, Rafael

Please see program note, page 47.

Following a film screening, master filmmaker Jan Troell will be joined by his daughter, filmmaker Yohanna Troell, in conversation with Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center Director of Programming Richard Peterson. Q&A will follow.

SCALING UP: Breaking Barriers & Advancing Opportunities for WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY

Saturday, October 12, 1:00 PM, $20, Rafael

Working creatively in independent film can be as challenging as it is rewarding, but for women, maintaining a career in film remains an uphill struggle. Recent studies by institutions like the Sundance Institute and USC Annenberg have highlighted ways to address barriers and opportunities for women in the industry. What resources support a creative life? What role models, onscreen and off, have helped pave the way? This diverse panel of women offers a wealth of wisdom and experience.

INVITED GUESTS

STACY L. SMITH, PH.D. (moderator) has been working for the last five years with a team of USC Annenberg students to assess portrayals of men and women in popular media. Her new research study, focusing on the barriers and opportunities for women in independent film, was presented at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Dr. Smith˙s research has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, Newsweek and Variety, among other places.

DAKOTA FANNING is an actress currently appearing in Effie Gray and Motel Life ( both MVFF, 2013). Other work includes the Twilight series and The Secret Life of Bees (MVFF Opening Night, 2008).

VERA FARMIGA is an actress and director currently appearing in At Middleton (MVFF, 2013). She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Up In The Air (MVFF 2009).

PRATIBHA PARMAR is an award-winning producer and director whose works include Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (MVFF, 2013), Warrior Marks (1993) and Doctors

OSNAT SHURER is vice president of development and producer at Walt Disney Animation Studios. She has previously worked as a producer (One Man Band, Boundin’ ) at Pixar Animation Studios, Intuit Films and Aardman Animations.

FOR OTHER PANELS, PLEASE SEE:

STANDING ON SACRED GROUND 1 & 2, page 58

All New Movies Lab participants subject to change; updates at mvff.com.

PANEL SPONSORED BY

SHUTTLE SERVICE

MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SHUTTLE

LEAVE YOUR CAR AT HOME!

Use the COMPLIMENTARY MVFF shuttle service for easy direct access to and from Festival venues. Shuttle service runs Saturdays and Sundays, October 5–6 and October 12–13 from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm with regular stops.

MILL VALLEY/SAN RAFAEL LOOP

MILL VALLEY

Leaving regularly: Downtown Mill Valley at the MVFF Mill Valley Box Ofﬁce.

The MVFF Shuttle also stops at this hotel:

SAN RAFAEL

Leaving regularly:

Directly in front of the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center and MVFF San Rafael Box Ofﬁce.

Shuttle space is limited and available on a ﬁrst-come, ﬁrst-served basis. Allow plenty of time in case you have to wait for the next service.

The MVFF Shuttle provides alternative and equal transportation for all individuals. For an ADA-accessible shuttle, please call

between 11:00 am and 11:00 pm on Oct. 5–6 and Oct. 12–13, or ask a Festival staff member for assistance.

CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE EDUCATION

CFI Education provides children and young people of diverse backgrounds the oppor tunity to learn about themselves and the world through ﬁlm.

For 36 years, the Mill Valley Film Festival and the California Film Institute have pioneered creative film programs for youth, providing year-round screenings, interactive sessions with film professionals and hands-on workshops to introduce students to film as a vibrant tool of creativity and communication, and as a rich cultural experience. CFI Education serves students as well as families, teachers and adults throughout the Bay Area.

A PLACE IN THE WORLD

A six-film, seven-month curriculum for 100 repeating students from diverse schools in Richmond, Oakland, San Francisco and Marin. Students examine international films addressing universal coming-of-age issues with filmmaker Q&As and small breakout discussions.

ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH FORUM

Two days of films for grades 1–12, with filmmakers, speakers and panels examining environmental issues, and with films on all three screens at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center.

EDUCATION SCREENINGS AT THE MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

CFI Education hosts free screenings of eight to ten films followed by Q&A sessions with guest filmmakers. CFI also invites local and international filmmakers into Bay Area classrooms.

COMMUNITY CINEMA

These multigenerational monthly screenings feature hard-hitting, topical documentaries followed by discussions with special guests. Attendees include school groups as well as the community at large. Presented in partnership with ITVS and PBS’s Independent Lens series.

MY PLACE

A series of five-day intensive workshops for at-risk youth using film as a storytelling technique. Youth are recruited through community social service agency referrals. Each student writes and films his or her own personal story, fostering a sense of empowerment. Programs take place in Marin, San Francisco and the East Bay. Starting this year, My Place 2.0 brings graduates of My Place back to hone their filmmaking skills in a professionally oriented curriculum.

SUMMERFILM AND THE YOUTH JURY

An annual five-day intensive workshop held in July for youth ages 13 to 18 to learn critical thinking and film curating skills and an understanding of moviemaking techniques. Film industry professionals, many of them Emmy- and Academy Award®–winning filmmakers, teach seminars. Selected students critique a selection of youth-produced films to be screened during MVFF.

THE FUTURE PROFESSIONALS

This year we’re bringing an extended Summerﬁlm model to Latino students in the San Rafael and Novato areas. Partnering with schools and social service agencies, the program features lectures, workshops and ﬁlm-viewing opportunities at the Rafael and during MVFF for participants and their families.

MAJOR SUPPORTERS OF CFI EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Fenwick Foundation

Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation

Nancy and Rich Robbins

VENUES

FESTIVAL VENUES

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH RAFAEL

FILM CENTER

1118 Fourth St., San Rafael

CINÉARTS@SEQUOIA

25 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley

142 THROCKMORTON THEATER

142 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley

CENTURY CINEMA

41 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera

LARK THEATER

549 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur

CORTE MADERA TOWN CENTER

770 Tamalpais Dr., Corte Madera

ELK’S LODGE

1312 Mission Ave., San Rafael

FARMSHOP

2233 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur

FRANTOIO

152 Shoreline Hwy., Mill Valley

GUIDEBOAT

153 Miller Ave., Mill Valley

IMAGEFLOW

401 Miller Ave., Suite A, Mill Valley

SCREENING VENUES/BOX OFFICES

MILL VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

85 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley

ODALISQUE CAFE

1335 4th St., San Rafael

ROOM ART GALLERY

86 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley

STERLING BANK & TRUST

1104 Fourth St., San Rafael

SWEETWATER MUSIC HALL

19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley

TIBURON TAVERN

1651 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon

SAN RAFAEL MILL VALLEY

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

From US 101, take the Central San Rafael exit and proceed west to 1118 Fourth Street.

LEAVE YOUR CAR AT HOME!

Ride the free MVFF shuttle provided by Bauers Intelligent Transportation. The weekend-only shuttle stops in downtown Mill Valley, San Rafael and at the Mill Valley Holiday Inn, once every hour from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM See page 68 for details. We also encourage taking Golden Gate Transit to our screenings and events.

DOWNTOWN MILL VALLEY

From US 101, take the Tiburon/East Blithedale exit and proceed west on East Blithedale toward downtown Mill Valley. Turn left onto Throckmorton Avenue.

PARKING

Parking is limited and metered near Festival venues. Please note the parking time limits as cars will be ticketed and could be towed.

TICKET PRICES FOR REGULAR SHOWS*

$14 General Admission

$11.50 California Film Institute (CFI) Members

$12.50 Seniors (65+)

$12.50 Students

$10 Children’s FilmFest (all ages)

$8 5 @5 Programs

*unless otherwise indicated

For Opening Night, Closing Night, Centerpiece, Tribute, Spotlight, live music events and other special programs or parties, please see speciﬁc event information and pricing.

Tickets go on sale to CFI Members before the general public; on-sale dates are determined by membership level.

HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Opening dates and hours for ticket sales are listed below.

ONLINE: MVFF.COM

There is a $1.75 convenience fee added to each online ticket purchased. Your tickets will be available at Will Call (located at the box ofﬁces). Tickets delivered via mail (USPS) incur a $3.75 convenience fee.

BY PHONE: TOLL-FREE 877. 874.MVFF (6833)

NOTE: If you have trouble purchasing online and cannot purchase tickets in person, leave a message on box ofﬁce voicemail: 877.874.6833. The convenience fee for phone sales is $10.00 per order. Tickets delivered via mail (USPS) incur a $3.75 convenience fee.

IN PERSON:

SAN RAFAEL TICKET OUTLET

Sterling Bank & Trust

1104 Fourth St., San Rafael (next to Smith Rafael Film Center)

Sept 8: 2:00–6:00 pm (members only)

Sept 9–Oct 2: 5:00-9:00 pm

October 3-13:

Mon–Thurs, 11:00 am to 15 minutes after last show starts

Fri–Sun, 10:00 am to 15 minutes after last show starts

MILL VALLEY TICKET OUTLETS

ROOM Art Gallery

86 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley

Sept 15–Oct 2: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

SOLD OUT?

TRY THE RUSH LINE

Rush tickets often become available even after advance tickets have sold out. The rush line forms outside each venue beginning one hour before showtime. Approximately 15 minutes prior to the screening, available rush tickets are sold on a ﬁ rst-come, ﬁ rstserved basis. No discounts. Cash only. Last year, many of our guests had great success buying last-minute tickets via the rush line.

THE FINE PRINT

All orders are ﬁ nal. No refunds, exchanges, substitutions or reprints. MVFF is not responsible for lost, stolen, forgotten or damaged tickets, or tickets misdirected by the post ofﬁ ce. To pick up tickets at Will Call, you must bring a valid photo ID that corresponds to the name on the credit card used to purchase the tickets. Processing fees are nonrefundable. The convenience fee for online sales is $1.75 per ticket. The convenience fee for phone sales is $10 per order. Ticket h o l ders must arrive at the venue 15 minutes prior to showtime to be guaranteed a seat.

MVFF Fast Pass, Premier Patron and Cinema Benefactor Members

Sunday, September 8, at 2:00 pm

Director’s Circle Members

Monday, September 10, at 5:00 pm

Gold Star and above Members

Tuesday, September 10, at 5:00 pm

All CFI Members

Thursday, September 12, at 5:00 pm

General Public

Sunday, September 15, at 11:00 am

Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce 85 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley Festival Hours, October 3–13: Mon–Thurs, 1:00 pm to 15 minutes after last show starts Fri–Sun, 10:00 am to 15 minutes after last show starts

CORTE MADERA CENTURY CINEMA, LARK THEATER, 142 THROCKMORTON THEATRE

All other venues with on-site box ofﬁces open one hour before ﬁrst screening of the day.

PATRON COURTESIES

• A ll s eats are general admission, and multiple seat-saving is not permitted.

• While waiting in line, please be considerate of our neighbors and local businesses.

• Please refrain from wearing perfumes and other scented products so that attendees with environmental sensitivities can enjoy the ﬁlms in comfort. Thank you.

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

ACCESSIBILITY

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

FILM AND PROGRAM INDEX

10,000 Hours ...........................................................65

12 Years a Slave.......................................................34

3020 Laguna St. in Exitum ......................................33

5@5: Black Angel + Fest Faves...............................31

5@5: Children’s Story ..............................................32

5@5: Circus ..............................................................32

5@5: How’s It Gonna End ........................................32

5@5: Innocent When You Dream.............................33

5@5: New Coat of Paint ...........................................33

5@5: World Keeps Turning .....................................33

Active Cinema Hike .................................................66

Adrift ........................................................................43

Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine .............34

Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth.................................34

All Is Lost .................................................................35

Alone ........................................................................65

Along the Roadside .................................................35

The Amber Amulet ..................................................32

At Middleton ............................................................35 At the Bar .................................................................33

August Fools ...........................................................36

August: Osage County ............................................36 The Battle of the Jazz Guitarist..............................33 Beatrice Coron’s Daily Battles ...............................32

Bends .......................................................................37

Greed

Grigris

Hans

The

Insight: David Thomson ...........................................67

Insight: Jan Troell ..............................................47,

“John Brown’s Body” at San Quentin Prison ..........47

Just Like You ...........................................................65

Keep a Tidy Soul ......................................................42

Keeper of the Beat: A Woman’s Journey into the Heart of Drumming ................................47

Killers ......................................................................65

King of Norway ........................................................32

Lambing Season .....................................................32

The Last Sentence ..................................................48

Laugh Clown Laugh ................................................33

Life in Pink ...............................................................65

Like Father, Like Son ..............................................48

Lion Ark ...................................................................48 A Long and Happy Life .............................................49

Love 60+ ....................................................................47 Luminosa .................................................................32 Lumumba .................................................................49

Luna Ladies ..............................................................47 Make It Out ..............................................................65

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom ............................49

Marcel, King of Tervuren ........................................32

Roadhouse

A Marin County dining mainstay. Try the famous Oysters Bingo, housesmoked BBQ baby-back ribs and more! 415.331.2600

BuNG alo W 44

edgy California cuisine, fantastic cocktails, a gorgeous fireplace, big boy booths, live music every Wednesday night, right next to the MV Movie Theater.

Photo

Tommy Lau