MVFF38 Program 2015 by CAFILM

Stars in our eyes. Popcorn in our teeth.

It must be the Mill Valley Film Festival.

Wells Fargo is proud to return as the Opening Night Sponsor of the 38th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival. Proud sponsor

38 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

OCTOBER

WELCOME TO THE 38 TH MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL!

Thirty-eight years ago, when we began this celebration of film, there weren’t so many film festivals. The population has since swelled and seems to grow by the year. Clearly, festivals have captured the imagination of the public and are, perhaps, as important as ever. But why? Why in an era when theatrical exhibition is dominated by big blockbusters are film festivals, which are devoted to a more human-scaled experience, so vital? I can only speak for MVFF, but there are things about this festival that I think resonate with audiences.

People have a hunger for storytelling that has a universality to it. Good storytelling has the power to take the lives of its characters beyond the page or screen and expose our common humanity. That’s as true of a Hollywood film like Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, as it is for the more intimate Guatemalan drama Ixcanul

In the fall of 2014, the California Film Institute received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in support of MVFF, part of which is to reach underserved communities. Giving voice to the marginalized or voiceless is a mission we take seriously. This year, we are putting a special focus on one group that has long been neglected by Hollywood: women filmmakers. MVFF38 has 27 features by women, both narrative and documentary. Among the slate of veterans and newcomers is 1999 MVFF tributee Gillian Armstrong with Women He’s Undressed, and her fellow Aussie Jocelyn Moorhouse with her first feature in 18 years, The Dressmaker. Among those making their feature debuts is Jeanne Herry with Number One Fan and Gabrielle Demeestre with Yosemite. We are also pleased to present Sarah Gavron’s highly anticipated Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter as women agitating for the right to vote—an important topic at a time when women’s rights are once again under assault.

And while Todd Haynes’ Carol was directed by a man, it is very much a women’s picture. It was also one of the winners at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where star Rooney Mara shared the Best Actress prize. It isn’t the only film to come to us with prizes from Cannes. Jacques Audiard’s Dheepan won the Palme d’Or; László Nemes’ Son of Saul captured the Grand Prix; the Icelandic comedy Rams received the Prize of Un Certain Regard; The Assassin took directing honors for the great Hou Hsiao-hsien; and Ciro Guerra’s Embrace of the Serpent won the top prize at Directors’ Fortnight. Other prizewinners include Iranian master Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, winner of the Berlinale’s Golden Bear, and Dagur Kári’s Virgin Mountain, a triple winner at Tribeca, and Creative Control, which won the Special Jury Recognition Award for Visual Excellence at SXSW this year. In addition, two Israeli films,

Princess (2014) and Tikkun (2015) won top honors at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

Every year, MVFF pays tribute to filmmakers and artists whose work enriches our filmgoing experience. Returning guests this year include Tom Hooper, who was here in 2010 with The King’s Speech, and whose film The Danish Girl will be featured on Opening Night. The film stars Eddie Redmayne, who was feted with an MVFF Spotlight program last year with The Theory of Everything , a performance that went on to win him an Academy Award ® . Tom McCarthy, who was here in 2003 with The Station Agent, returns with our other Opening Night film Spotlight, a fabulous ensemble piece.

Among our honorees this year is the legendary director Marcel Ophuls, whose epic 1969 documentary The Sorrow and the Pity will screen, along with his 2013 autobiographical portrait Ain’t Misbehavin’. We are pleased to honor comedian Sarah Silverman in a year in which she firmly establishes herself as a dramatic actress in the indie drama I Smile Back . Our Centerpiece program features talented director/producer Barbet Schroeder (Reversal of Fortune, Barfly ) with his film Amnesia. We also honor director Catherine Hardwicke with her film Miss You Already ; rising star Brie Larson with the powerful film Room; and Carey Mulligan with an evening of clips and conversation before the following night’s screening of Suffragette, which will close our 38 th MVFF.

Music has always played a big role at MVFF; we continue that tradition this year with nine nights of music at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley. The stellar lineup includes two extraordinary benefit concerts: one for the Seva Foundation with special guests, and a rousing gospel show led by musical director Narada Michael Walden.

I believe strongly in the power of film. In my late 20s, I believed I could change the world with one film. I realized later that that is not going to happen, but film does have power. Cinema stimulates people and can open minds. Those are the films we’ve showcased at MVFF for 38 years. Whatever you choose to see, we hope to thrill you, intrigue you, and encourage you to consider life and the world in a different way.

Going into our 11-day dance, I would like to express my gratitude to those people and institutions that make the Mill Valley Film Festival what it is. To our donors, corporate sponsors, and the foundations that support us; our peerless staff and board of directors; the filmmakers whose art illuminates our world; and, of course, to our audience, united by a love of storytelling: Thank you and happy festivaling.

MARK FISHKIN MVFF Founder/Director

Please join Capital One®, a proud sponsor of CODE, Debugging the Gender Gap, in congratulating the Mill Valley Film Festival for 38 years of magic!

Glassdoor proudly supports the and the Mind the Gap series, recognizing the contribution of women in film.

38th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival

Learn more about jobs website Glassdoor, a North Bay Best Place to Work, and see our open jobs.

FOUNDER/ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mark Fishkin

FOUNDING BOARD

Rita Cahill

Mark Fishkin

Lois Kohl Shore

CFI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EMERITUS BOARD

Ann Brebner

Rita Cahill

Sid Ganis

Gary Meyer

Gordon Radley

Christopher B. Smith

Henry Timnick

Barbara Boxer

Stewart Boxer

Drusie Davis

Jeff Fisher

Peter Flaxman

ADVISORY BOARD

Linda Gruber

Jessica Igoe

Peggy Haas

Michael Klein

Roxanne Klein

KC Lauck

CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JENNIFER MACCREADY PRESIDENT

RICHARD IDELL SECRETARY

KENNETH BROAD VICE PRESIDENT

ZACH ZEISLER TREASURER

PARKER VICE PRESIDENT

DR. JOEL SKLAR VICE PRESIDENT

DOLTON JIM DAVIS

Andrew McGuire

Mary Poland

Eric Schwartz

Michael Schwartz

Skip Whitney

LYNNE HALE

MICHAEL DYETT

BRUCE KATZ

AMY KEROES

JONATHAN

CATHY NOURAFSHAN

JANN STANLEY

SUSAN SCHWARTZ

DOUGLAS

2015 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

SIGNATURE

CHRISTOPHER B. AND JEANNIE MEG SMITH

MAJOR

OFFICIAL AIRLINE PREMIERE MEDIA

2015 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

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GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, HIGHWAY, & TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT

OFFICIAL SERVICE PROVIDER

2015 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

EVENTS & VENUE PARTNERS

ARTWORKS DOWNTOWN

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KNIGHT VISIONS

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LE GRAND COURT Â GE LIFEFACTORY

MARIN FRENCH CHEESE COMPANY

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MON RÊVE PATISSERIE

MR. PICKLE’S SANDWICH SHOP

NAPOLI PIZZA & PASTA

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SPECIAL SUPPORT

CFI SUPPORTERS

THIS VITAL GROUP OF SUPPORTERS BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF INDEPENDENT FILM TO INSPIRE, ENGAGE, AND TRANSFORM. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. IT IS ESSENTIAL IN ENSURING THAT INDEPENDENT CINEMA CONTINUES TO THRIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

Christopher B. and Jeannie Meg Smith

Jennifer Coslett MacCready

INVESTOR CIRCLE

Ken and Jackie Broad Family Fund

Drusie and Jim Davis, Drusie Davis Family Fund

Gruber Family Foundation

Michael and Susan Schwartz Fund

PLATINUM CIRCLE

Kamala Geroux-Berry and David Berry

Jim Boyce Trust and Kris Otis

The Jay Pritzker Foundation

Eric Schwartz, EAS Fund

Lois and Mel Tukman

Christine Zecca Foundation

GOLD CIRCLE

Alex and Elizabeth Aal

Gail and Doug Dolton

Lorrie and Mark Fishkin

Margaret E. Haas

Andree and John Jansheski

Nancy and Rich Robbins

Vickie Soulier

Saul Zaentz Trust

SILVER CIRCLE

Anonymous

BRONZE CIRCLE

Liz Hume and Jay Jacobs

Arch & Stella Rowan Foundation

CFI SUPPORTERS

FAST PASS | CFI

Anonymous

The Allen Family Fund

Beverly Butler

Alice Corning

Sharon A. Fox

Lynne Hale

Katz Family Foundation

Jim Kennedy

Labe and Roberts

Karen and Gregg Lund

FAST PASS | MVFF

Nancy Abodeely

Brian and Nina Arellanes

Laurie Bautista

Jane Bay

Jill Benioff and Alex Petrov

Inez Brooks-Myers

Marc and Robin Bussin

Joe and Sue Carlomagno

Tom Cohen and Kristi Denton Cohen

Brian and Marie Collins

Joel and Justine Coopersmith

Suzette deVogelaere

Stephanie DiMarco

Joanne Dunn

Julie Erickson and Art Rothstein

Dennis P. Fisco and Pamela Polite Fisco

Catherine and Peter Flaxman

Janet Fox

Dee Fratus

Frank Gaipa

Kenneth and Joan Gosliner

Lisa Graeber

Mera Granberg

Larry and Carie Haimovitch

Jill Hamer

Leslie Hansen

Peggy Harrington

Ann-Eve Hazen

Whitney Miller

Stephen and Mary Mizroch

Maggie O’Donnell Floum

Gertrud Parker

Jonathan and Deborah Parker

Gordon Radley

Marjorie Swig

Patricia Tanoury

Henry O. Timnick

Russell and Susan Holdstein

Elisabeth and Howard Jaffe

Willa Jefferson-Stokes

Daniel Kenyon and Michelle Marchetta Kenyon

Amy Keroes and Jeff Fisher

Roxanne Klein

Andrea Manson Krueger

K.C. and Steve Lauck

Cynthia Maram

Cindy and John McCauley

Catherine and Ted McKown

Kenneth and Vera Meislin

James Mochizuki

Monahan Parker, Inc.

Linda Morgan

Russell and Suki Munsell

Cathy and Robert Nourafshan

Mark and Dorian Polite

Heidi Richardson and Michael Dyett

Karen and Harry Rosenbluth

Jack and Judy Sherman

Susan and Joel Sklar

Jann Stanley and Soren Dalsager

Elliott and Shayna Stein

Lucinda Watson and Ted Bell

Kate Wilson

Paul Zaentz

Zach and Marlies Zeisler

WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS AND OTHER CONTRIBUTORS WHO HELP MAKE THE MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE EVERY YEAR!

Remembering Under the Tuscan Sun with Tuscan Sun™ pendant & earrings by Garfolo.

4th Generation Mill Valley

“A

Tuscan Sun™ 18k yellow gold fancy cognac colored zircons.

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

Congratulations to Mill Valley Film Festival.

OFFICE SUITE LEASES 150 SF & Up

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

EDITING SUITES

Affordable leases for expanding production needs

SCREENING

ROOM

For industry, educational and private use

FANTASY STUDIOS

Professional post production for your film

BERKELEY FILMMAKERS SCREENING SERIES

Monthly series showcases independent cinema

CELEBRATE FILM

24 FRAMES PER SECOND | 365 DAYS A YEAR

THE CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE CELEBRATES FILM YEAR-ROUND AT THE NONPROFIT CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER, THROUGH CFI EDUCATION, AND DURING THE ANNUAL MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL.

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

B. SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER | MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL | CFI EDUCATION

CFI EDUCATION

PROVIDING BAY AREA STUDENTS OF ALL AGES WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THE WORLD THROUGH THE ART OF FILM

Film has the power to inspire, to educate, and to create community. For 38 years, CFI Education has been building the next generation of filmmakers and film lovers through its creative film programs for Bay Area students, serving 6,500 young people annually.

CFI Education offers free Festival screenings for school groups and their families, as well as year-round cinema-centric programs, including hands-on filmmaking workshops and seminars that introduce students to the power of film.

MVFF38

THE FILM FEST CONTINUES YEAR-ROUND AT THE SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

Experience the best of contemporary and classic independent film, world cinema, and special event screenings with filmmakers in attendance at Marin’s premier non-profit art house venue.

We thank you for your continued support throughout the year.

The Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center is owned and operated by the California Film Institute,

WE’RE PROUD TO SUPPORT

the

FILM FESTIVAL

CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE

& MILL VALLEY

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

BRAVO!

THE CENTER

Focus Features proudly congratulates

Carey Mulligan on her extraordinary performance in and for receiving the Mill Valley Spotlight and Award at this year’s festival.

OPENING NIGHT

THE DANISH GIRL

US/UK 2015, 120 min Director Tom Hooper

Following his Oscar ® winning crowd-pleaser The King’s Speech (MVFF 2010), director Tom Hooper explores another remarkable story from 20th-century European history with The Danish Girl, the story of renowned painter Lili Elbe, one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Marvelously played by Academy Award ® -winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything , MVFF Spotlight 2014), Lili, born Einar, is in a happy marriage with fellow painter Gerda (rising star Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina ) in this drama set in 1920s Copenhagen. When Gerda’s model doesn’t show up for one of her portrait sessions, Einar takes her place, dressing in women’s clothes for the first time, discovering a brand-new identity as Lili, and subsequently creating a new, complex dimension to the marriage. Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone ), Sebastian Koch (Black Book ), and Ben Whishaw (Skyfall ) also star in this beautifully lensed portrait of one of the pioneers of the transgender movement.

Thursday, October 8, 7:00pm & 7:15pm Century Larkspur

Program & Gala | $125 general | $110 CFI members

Program Only | $60 general | $55 CFI members

Gala Only | $90 general | $75 CFI members

OPENING NIGHT SPONSOR

Special Guest: Tom Hooper

OPENING NIGHT

SPOTLIGHT

US 2015, 128 min Director Tom McCarthy

Director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, MVFF 2003) and an impeccable ensemble cast recreate the true events of 2001, when The Boston Globe broke open the massive child molestation scandal within the local Catholic Archdiocese—and the shocking Church cover-up that kept it a dirty secret for decades. Spurred by the paper’s new (and first Jewish) editor, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton) leads a crack team of investigative journalists (Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, and Brian d’Arcy James), who uncover a story of corruption and betrayal beyond their wildest imaginations. In a Church-dominated town, where parishioners equate their priests with God, their investigation is tantamount to blasphemy, and the Church will do everything in its power (of which it has plenty) to stop it in its tracks. Spotlight is a riveting, heart-wrenching drama that reminds us how the pen truly can be mightier than the sword. It is the All the President’s Men of our generation.

Thursday, October 8, 7:00pm & 7:15pm

Cinéarts Sequoia

Program & Gala | $125 general | $110 CFI members

Program Only | $60 general | $55 CFI members

Gala Only | $90 general | $75 CFI members

OPENING NIGHT GALA

9:00pm–Midnight

MARIN COUNTRY MART | 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur

Food provided by Farmshop, Belcampo, Miette, El Huarache Loco, Big Jim’s BBQ, Sol Food, Johnny Doughnuts, Fiorello’s Artisan Gelato, The Grand Meringue, Pizza Antica, Mon Rêve Patisserie Beverages provided by Bartenders Unlimited, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Scott Family Estate, Lander Jenkins Wines, Predator Wines, Dark Horse Wines, Hangar 1 Vodka, Equator Coffees & Teas

Live music by Los Pingous

Additional music by The Crackerjack DJs

GALA SPONSOR

Special Guest: Tom McCarthy

AMNESIA

Switzerland/France 2015, 96 min Director Barbet Schroeder

Crafted from events in his mother’s life, master filmmaker Barbet Schroeder (Barfly, Reversal of Fortune ) revisits his decades-long cinematic examination of moral culpability and the complexities of human nature. In Amnesia, Martha, a mysterious German expat (iconic Marthe Keller, Marathon Man, Dark Eyes) conducts her solitary life far from Ibiza’s 1990s club scene. Having left the Heimat before the War, she refuses to speak her native tongue, drive a VW, or play the musical instrument she mastered as a girl. Her young neighbor Jo, an aspiring club DJ (Max Riemelt, The Wave, MVFF 2008), begins to break through her barriers with his boyish curiosity and growing desire until the arrival of Jo’s father (Bruno Ganz in a masterful performance) calls Martha’s past and present into question with surprising and revelatory results. Amnesia is a profound cross-generational exploration of historical memory and morality, set against the stark and spectacular Ibizan landscape. Unforgettable. In German, Spanish, and English with English subtitles • US PREMIERE

Tuesday, October 13, 7:00pm Smith Rafael Film Center

Program & Party | $85 general | $75 CFI members

Program Only | $45 general | $40 CFI members

CENTERPIECE RECEPTION 9:00pm–11:00pm

RECEPTION SPONSOR

901 A Street, San Rafael

CENTERPIECE SPONSOR

Special Guest: Barbet Schroeder

CLOSING NIGHT

SUFFRAGETTE

UK 2015, 106 min Director Sarah Gavron Profoundly moving, Suffragette tells the story of women who were foot soldiers in the fight for the right to vote in the early 20th century, ordinary women who risked all—their jobs, homes, children, even their lives. One such is Maud (Carey Mulligan): A laundry worker since childhood, she joins the evolving suffrage movement in hopes of breaking the cycles of injustice, poverty, and abuse that so many women endure. With peaceful protest a long-gone option, the suffragettes are forced underground. Guided by Edith (Helena Bonham Carter, MVFF Tributee 1998) and inspired from afar by the charismatic Mrs. Pankhurst (Meryl Streep), Maud’s involvement escalates despite huge personal loss. Increasingly hounded by the authorities, she realizes that “war’s the only language men listen to.” An homage to the working women whose passion and vision gained British women the vote, Suffragette is an inspiring and powerful reminder that change is worth fighting for.

Special Guests: Carey Mulligan, Sarah Gavron, Faye Ward

Sunday, October 18

5:00pm & 5:15pm | CinéArts Sequoia 5:00pm | Smith Rafael Film Center

Program & Party | $85 general | $75 CFI members

Program Only | $45 general | $40 CFI members

Party Only | $50 general | $45 CFI members

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

7:00 pm–11:00pm

TERRAPIN CROSSROADS

100 Yacht Club Drive, San Rafael

Food provided by Terrapin Crossroads

Beverages provided by Lagunitas Brewing Company and Dark Horse Wines

Live music by Monophonics | Additional music by The Crackerjack DJs

CLOSING NIGHT SPONSOR

Special Guest: Sarah Gavron

You are part of a greater communit Y.

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

Union Bank is proud to sponsor the 38 th Mill Valley Film Festival.

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

unionbank.com

Mill Valley Branch

Michael O’Shea

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

Strawberry Village Branch

Herman Badgett

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

Tiburon/Belvedere Branch

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

SPECIAL PREMIERES & PARTY

ANGELICA

US 2015, 95 min Director Mitchell Lichtenstein

Forbidden to make love to her husband after the difficult birth of their daughter, young mother Constance Barton (Jena Malone) begins to see nightmarish visions that threaten her and her child. With ravishing art direction and a careful balance of chills and dramatic suspense, Angelica is a haunting tale of unfed appetites and the damage they can wreak.

Special Guests: Mitchell Lichtenstein, Jena Malone

Saturday, October 10, 8:00pm | Sequoia

A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET

US 2015, 90 min Director Valerie Weiss

College-bound Beth is torn between the prospects of either attending her dream school or sticking closer to home to care for her mother who is struggling to stabilize her bipolar disorder in this broody, wistful, and edgy coming-of-age drama, starring Taryn Manning (Orange is the New Black ) and rising star Madison Davenport.

Special Guests: Valerie Weiss, Taryn Manning

Saturday, October 10, 8:15pm | Sequoia

A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET PROGRAM & PARTY SPONSORED BY

Program and Party | $75 general | $65 CFI members

Program Only | $35 general | $30 CFI members

SPECIAL PREMIERE PARTY 9:30pm - Midnight

PARTY SPONSOR

STAR WARS SCREENING EVENT

STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI

US 1983, 134 min Director Richard Marquand

Star Wars returns! Although it first appeared a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away, Return of the Jedi remains a cultural touchstone for those who first thrilled to its intergalactic adventures, as well as for subsequent generations of sci-fi thrill-seekers.

In preparation for the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December, come see the preceding chapter in the original Star Wars trilogy just as it was made to be experienced—on the big screen. Nothing less than the survival of the universe is at stake!

Bring family and friends of all ages to this special screening.

Special activities include:

Costume parade—Dress up as your favorite Star Wars character and join the Imperial March.

Prizes and giveaways

Sneak peek trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Post-screening Q&A with special guests

SPONSORED BY Monday, October 12, 6:00pm Century Cinema, Corte Madera

Photos: R. Staudt

Young participants in the Imperial March at MVFF 2014

LINDA FURST MAYNE

MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL AWARD

Inaugurated in 2007, the Mill Valley Film Festival Award is a specially designed bronze sculpture created by Mill Valley artist Alice Corning, each one individually cast for the recipient in a numbered, limited edition. The MVFF Award is presented to the recipients of Tributes and Spotlights, our special programs honoring and celebrating the work of distinguished artists and innovators in the filmmaking community.

TRIBUTES

An MVFF Tribute program celebrates lifetime achievements in the career of a significant film artist.

PAST MVFF AWARD RECIPIENTS

2014 Laura Dern

2014 Chuck Workman

2013 Geoffrey Rush

2013 Ben Stiller

2013 Costa-Gavras

2012 Dustin Hoffman

2012 Mira Nair

2011 Glenn Close

2011 Gaston Kaboré

2010 Annette Bening

2010 Edward Norton

2009 Anna Karina

2009 Uma Thurman

2009 Woody Harrelson

2008 Eric Roth

2008 Harriet Andersson

2008 Paul Schrader

2008 Alfre Woodard

2007 Ang Lee

SPOTLIGHTS

An MVFF Spotlight program celebrates exceptional work by a film artist in their most current work. Honorees may be in early, mid, or late career.

PAST MVFF AWARD RECIPIENTS

2014 Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything )

2014 Elle Fanning (Low Down)

2013 Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

2013 Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave )

2013 Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave )

2012 John Hawkes (The Sessions)

2012 Billy Bob Thornton (Jayne Mansfield’s Car )

2011 Michelle Yeoh (The Lady )

2011 Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene )

2011 Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin )

2010 James Franco (127 Hours)

2010 Alejandro González Iñárritu (Biutiful )

2009 Clive Owen (The Boys Are Back )

2009 Jason Reitman (Up in the Air )

2008 Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky )

2007 Jennifer Jason Leigh (Margot at the Wedding )

2007 Terry George (Reservation Road)

“The purpose is to show the power and dignity of a human being…as it is with great work in film.”

— Alice Corning

SARAH SILVERMAN

A bold stand-up comedian who has never shied from addressing controversial topics, Silverman has used her singular voice to reach across multiple platforms, including television (Saturday Night Live, The Sarah Silverman Show, Mr. Show ), autobiography (The Bedwetter ), and film (Wreck-It Ralph, Take This Waltz ). Her latest role in I Smile Back showcases new dramatic territory for the accomplished performer.

I SMILE BACK

US 2014, 85 min Director Adam Salky

Sarah Silverman makes a groundbreaking departure from her comedic roots with this astonishing portrait of a troubled woman desperately looking for a path to redemption. Playing a New Jersey housewife in thrall to addiction and compulsive behavior, the actress is a revelation, delivering a courageous, bare-all performance.

Our Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with Sarah Silverman, a screening of I Smile Back , and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of her breakthrough performance. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Pizza Antica in Mill Valley.

Friday, October 9 | 7:00pm Rafael

Program & Party | $85 general | $75 CFI members

Program only | $45 general | $40 CFI members

RECEPTION SPONSOR

800 Redwood Hwy Mill Valley

SARAH SILVERMAN: A BRAVE NEW ROLE

For the past 25 years, Sarah Silverman has been a staple on the entertainment landscape. First making her mark in comedy as a bold and unapologetic performer, she has gone on to expand her career into acting, writing, and producing. She has appeared in box-office smashes like the Oscar® -nominated Wreck It Ralph (2012) and critically acclaimed TV shows, including Masters of Sex , Saturday Night Live, The Larry Sanders Show, and The Simpsons

Comedy has been in her blood since she was a young child. Born to Don and Beth Ann Silverman, Sarah grew up in New Hampshire. At the age of three, her father taught her swear words, and soon young Sarah found approval in the “shock and delight” of the captive audience that was her family. By the age of 19, Silverman was performing in Manhattan’s comedy clubs alongside the likes of Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, and Louis C.K.

She worked her way up the ladder and quickly went from passing out flyers for the local comedy clubs to stealing the stage from comics twice her age. At the young age of 22 she was invited to audition for Saturday Night Live (SNL ) and earned a coveted spot on the 19th season of the show, joining Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Al Franken, and Phil Hartman. Much to her dismay, over the course of the year not one of the sketches she wrote made it onto the show, and she was not asked back for the following season. She later gained strength from the experience, and there was really nothing that could faze her after that.

a series regular on Mr. Show with Bob and David, and gleaned life lessons from her idol Garry Shandling on the set of The Larry Sanders Show. She was also a frequent guest on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and his follow-up Real Time with Bill Maher. Pulling no punches, she quickly earned a reputation as an outspoken social commentator unafraid to wade into political waters and willing to debate anything, from the power of irony in racial humor to abortion rights.

“I love playing self-centered in comedy. There’s a self-centeredness to this character (Laney) that is not fun, but it’s the same kind of thing where …there’s no room for anybody else.”

While continuing her stand-up career, Sarah began acting in films, including There’s Something About Mary (1998), The Bachelor (1999), and School of Rock (2003). The breakout success of Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic , first as an off-Broadway show and then as a 2005 film, ignited a new chapter in her career and pushed every boundary of decency imaginable. While many found the show offensive, Sarah defended the irony at the heart of her work, recalling in a 2005 interview with NPR, “I’ve been called edgy, but, you know, in all honesty, I think that there is a safety in what I do because I’m always the idiot. And unless you’re listening to the buzzwords, and not really taking into account the context or the content of it, you see that I’m the idiot always—the ignoramus in the scenario.”

Despite the setback on SNL , Sarah thrived on television. She appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Seinfeld, was

The success of Jesus Is Magic led to her next project The Sarah Silverman Program (2007), which ran on Comedy Central for three seasons and earned her an Outstanding Actress in a Comedy nomination at the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards. The actress once again played a more ignorant, more arrogant version of herself, and the result was the first truly crass female sketch comedy show. Tad Friend of The New Yorker called it

“the meanest sitcom in years—and one of the funniest.”

In 2014, she won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for her HBO comedy special Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles (2013), which was also nominated for Outstanding Variety Special, earned her nominations at both the WGA Awards and the Grammy Awards, and garnered her an invitation back to Saturday Night Live to host.

Sarah chose understated roles for her foray into more dramatic projects. In 2011 she played a recovering alcoholic in Sarah Polley’s film Take This Waltz (2011) and currently appears in the Showtime hit series Masters of Sex as a 1960s-era lesbian.

SARAH SILVERMAN

These dramatic roles have paved the way for her most impressive performance to date in I Smile Back , based on Amy Koppleman’s novel of the same name. In the film, Sarah plays Laney, an alcoholic, drug-addicted, mentally ill wife and mother who travels through what Scott Foundas of Variety calls an “Olympian gauntlet of self-abuse, reckless endangerment, and public humiliation.” Only very real danger will force her to face the painful roots of her destructiveness and its crumbling effect on those she loves.

While past dramatic projects have called for subtler acting, I Smile Back required a raw and powerful performance, leaving no room for even the slightest bit of comedy. Sarah notes, “There really is no evidence of ‘me the comedian’ in this movie.” Indeed, her performance is vulnerable and soul-baring, and Sarah found herself more affected by the weight of Laney’s story than she had anticipated.

Through this pivot to such a rigorous dramatic role, Sarah sees a connection between her onstage persona and the character of Laney: “I love playing self-centered in comedy. There’s a self-centeredness to this character (Laney) that is not fun, but it’s the same kind of thing where …there’s no room for anybody else.” She claims she doesn’t painstakingly plan her career steps, but it seems possible that the wild antics over the last two decades of Sarah Silverman the comedian were always meant to lead to this role.

So what does the future hold for the woman who has proven she can do it all? Well, a little bit of everything, of course. She continues to perform stand-up, will star in Ashby this fall, and she recently wrapped production on Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone’s Judd Apatow-produced comedy, The Top Secret Untitled Lonely Island Project , due out in 2016.

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BRIE LARSON

After winning the role of Toni Collette’s daughter in United States of Tara, Brie Larson has actively built an impressive career, rich in critical praise and major studio attention (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, Short Term 12, Trainwreck ). Her star continues to rise with the Oscar® buzz currently humming around her performance in Room

ROOM

Ireland 2015, 118 min Director Lenny Abrahamson Room is the entire world to five-year-old Jack, but for his Ma it’s a prison, one from which she’s desperate to free her child, whatever the cost. Stellar performances from Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson are the emotional engine behind this riveting adaptation of the best-selling novel by Emma Donoghue.

Our Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with Brie Larson, a screening of Room, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of courageous work in a career-changing role. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Green Chile Kitchen in San Rafael.

Wednesday, October 14 | 7:00pm Rafael

Program & Party | $85 general | $75 CFI members

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BRIE LARSON: MAKING ROOM

by Atissa Manshouri

It might be tempting to call Brie Larson’s performance in Room a breakthrough, but the truth is that she has been breaking through for a few years now, bewitching audiences in the process with her thoughtful, humorous, and vulnerable performances. In role after role, on the big and small screen, Larson shines with an easygoing naturalism, a genuine sense of curiosity and compassion, and that indefinable factor that makes it impossible to take your eyes off of her.

Whether she’s a sharp, feisty teenager (Kate in The United States of Tara ), a vampy rock star (Envy Adams in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ), or the steely yet fragile supervisor in a group home for troubled youth (Grace in Short Term 12 ), Larson’s expressive brown eyes channel the hopes, dreams, and demons that make these women so compelling.

Those eyes also reflect humor remarkably well, and her intelligent sparkle has made her a standout in some very funny movies like 21 Jump Street and Trainwreck . She commits to her roles, often going deep into her characters’ back stories through research and real-life experience. Yet, for all the effort and intention, her work feels light and unburdened, as if it required no effort at all.

It’s a powerful combination of tools to have in one’s toolbox, especially at such a young age. It was no surprise that director Lenny Abrahamson looked to Larson for the role of Ma when casting the screen adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s bestselling 2010 novel Room

Room is a heart-wrenching, pulse-pounding, soul-lifting story of a mother’s love, but it is a tale of undeniable darkness as well, set primarily in a tiny, confined space, where protagonists Ma and her son Jack have been held captive for years. There are too many spoilers to reveal any more of the plot, but it is safe to

say that for those who are unfamiliar, Room is a novel that commands a fierce and loyal contingent of admirers.

They are readers (like me, I confess) who hunched tense shoulders through the wee hours of the night in order to reach the book’s conclusion, only to have those shoulders heave with sobs upon realizing that they’d left the world of Room

They are readers who tried—desperately in some cases—to extend the emotional intensity of that world by seeking out fellow readers to discuss it, in person or online, and if they couldn’t find any, by forcing the book upon their nearest and dearest. They are readers who formed, over the course of the novel, a deep and lasting connection to the world that Donoghue created.

It is a good thing, then, that Room found its leading lady in Larson, an actor whose profound curiosity enabled her to embody Ma in all her broken and beautiful layers. Larson herself hadn’t read Room before word of the film project made its way to her, but when she finally launched into it, she too became one of those readers—shoulders tense, then heaving.

“I hadn’t cried like that over a book since I read Where the Red Fern Grows as a child,” she tells me, by phone from Los Angeles. It is late August when we speak, just a few short weeks before she will embark on a promotional tour with the movie ahead of its October release. I ask her what she’s most looking forward to now that audiences will finally see the film.

“I really can’t wait to hear what people want to talk about afterwards [at the Q&As].” Room, she says, was one of those books that is “just so full of ideas and choices,” and it made readers want to talk about it afterwards. She hopes that the film will inspire the same impulse for conversation and connection.

The making of Room, as one might imagine, was intense, both physically and emotionally demanding. In order to play a young

ROOM

woman who has been held captive for years in a windowless room, Larson had to lose weight and stay out of the sun. She also forced herself to experience some of the psychological isolation that Ma suffered by depriving herself of outside contact for about a month, holing herself up at home with no phone signal. Even knowing that her situation was both temporary and self-imposed, it was still a harrowing ride. “I just felt so alone and trapped after a while,” she says.

Room ’s singular narrative voice offered its own set of challenges. In the book, the story is told in the voice of Jack, Ma’s five-year old son. Jack has lived in the 11x11-foot room on their captor’s property for his entire life, and it’s the only world that he has ever known.

BRIE LARSON

One of the loveliest things about the character of Ma is that despite her dire circumstances, she manages to find the strength to create an inspiring, visually stimulating world for her son. A few meager objects take on almost mythical importance and become the touchstones of a life that, while diminished, still offers comfort, safety, and unconditional love.

”That relationship between Ma and Jack is really what makes this movie unique. I’ve never worked so closely with another actor before. ”

Author Emma Donoghue chose to tell the story from the child’s point of view precisely for that reason: Unlike Ma, Jack has no reason to be sad about living in Room, for he has never known anything else. Abrahamson and Donoghue, who wrote the screenplay herself, knew they needed to preserve the sense of wonder and innocence that Jack’s voice and point of view brought to the novel. They also needed to create a sense of intimacy between Ma and Jack in order to bring the world of Room alive.

As Larson describes it, that child’s-eye perspective was incorporated into the film in myriad ways, including through meticulous production design that brought a tiny space to vivid life and involved having the actors create arts-and-crafts projects out of the set materials in order to create realistic waste and detritus from Ma and Jack’s scant supplies.

So did Larson and her on-screen son Jacob Tremblay (who turned eight during the production) form a genuine bond? Absolutely, she says—over Lego® sessions during pre-production and silly downtimes once the film began shooting.

“That relationship between Ma and Jack is really what makes this movie unique. I’ve never worked so closely with another actor before. I think Jacob is just a miraculous, wonderful person.”

To gain an understanding into Ma’s mental state and how she taps into such a deep well of creativity, Larson spoke extensively to a trauma counselor about brain functioning in extreme conditions, and how the brain can shut down certain areas in order to promote survival. This led her to more general research into abuse against women, a topic that was front and center in the news throughout the film’s production. Larson says she felt the emotional weight of playing such a dark role, “but there was never a moment when I couldn’t find a million reasons to go out and do it.”

Her instincts for realism and that deep commitment to researching and inhabiting her characters’ worlds have paid off in spades in this latest role and those that came before it, increasing her profile and offering her fresh opportunities. Her winning turn as Kate on The United States of Tara gained her legions of fans over the three seasons that it aired on Showtime. She popped up in delightful cameos in cult TV comedies like The League and Community. She won critics’ awards and endless accolades for her performance in Short Term 12, and landed a plum role as Amy Schumer’s sister in this summer’s hit comedy Trainwreck . In addition to Room, Larson has three other movies set for release over the next year, and has just begun preproduction on her first big studio tent pole: Kong: Skull Island, alongside Tom Hiddleston.

So if her role in Room is indeed (another) breakthrough, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be, then her forward momentum continues apace. The spotlight on Brie Larson won’t be going out anytime soon.

Atissa Manshouri is a freelance writer living in Mill Valley,

CA.

MARCEL OPHULS

The renowned documentarian (The Sorrow and The Pity, The Memory of Justice, Hotel Terminus, November Days) learned the filmmaking craft under the guidance of his father Max, John Huston, and François Truffaut, among others. In February 2015, he was honored with the Berlinale Camera Award for his celebrated body of work. MVFF welcomes Ophuls for a tribute to his essential and ongoing contributions to cinema.

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’

France 2013, 106 min Director Marcel Ophuls

Documentary legend Marcel Ophuls assumes the mantle of mischievous raconteur in this peripatetic, unexpected autobiography that combines anecdotes, conversations, and clips from vintage movies in a seductive whirl. Ophuls revels in stories of his childhood in Europe and young adulthood in Hollywood, wittily illustrated with scenes from beloved films.

In French, Spanish, and English with English subtitles.

Our Tribute program will feature an onstage conversation with Marcel Ophuls, a screening of Ain’t Misbehavin’, and the presentation of the MVFF Award. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Il Davide Cucina Italiana in San Rafael.

Thursday, October 15 | 7:00pm Rafael

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MARCEL OPHULS: AN APPRECIATION

by Peter L. Stein

There’s a running joke in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall in which his morose character, Alvy Singer, keeps dragging his reluctant girlfriend on movie dates to see Marcel Ophuls’ groundbreaking, magisterial opus The Sorrow and the Pity…or as Annie Hall dismisses it, “a four-hour documentary on Nazis.” (It’s actually four hours, 11 minutes, and deals with Occupied France.) After their breakup, Alvy wistfully observes one positive sign of his lasting impact on Annie: She’s now taking her new boyfriend to see the same film. Alvy may have lost her for good, he seems to say, but at least Annie now has Marcel Ophuls in her life.

If only most Americans could be as lucky as Annie Hall: falling early into a deep relationship—perhaps even a kind of sober love—with one of the seminal documentary filmmakers of the genre. Most of us may know Ophuls only from those glancing references to his lengthy masterwork, or from the fact that a later documentary film of his— Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie —not only won an Academy Award ® but helped expose the widespread postwar government collusions that allowed Nazi war criminals to hide in safety. But Ophuls’ career and work have far transcended the pigeonhole of “Nazi chronicler;” now 87 years old, his film subjects, which have ranged from the Vietnam War to Northern Ireland and most recently to the Israel-Palestine conflict, can be finally appreciated for the moral lens through which they view the most painful episodes of human conflict: “their chief target,” as film writer David Thomson puts it, “is nationalist confidence, and the crimes done in its name.”

Marcel Ophuls’ life trajectory parallels some of the most momentous upheavals of the 20th century, so it may not seem surprising that he turned his lifelong artistic energy to weighty political subjects. But that was not his early intention at all. Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1927, his father was the heralded German Jewish film director and romanticist Max Ophuls (himself

born Max Oppenheimer, changing his name first to Ophüls as a stage name, and then dropping the umlaut in later years to reflect French pronunciation, as well as perhaps an anti-German bias; his son, born Hans Marcel Oppenheimer, would adopt the same surname and spelling).

Marcel was only five years old when Hitler came to power, but the impact on the family was immediate; joining the first wave of German Jewish artistic exiles in 1933, they fled first to France, becoming naturalized citizens there, and upon the German occupation in 1940 were forced to flee once again through Spain, arriving in Hollywood in 1941. Max struggled at first to find a professional foothold, but young Marcel seemed to take quickly to life in America: He attended Hollywood High School, served in the US Army just after World War II in Japan, attended UC Berkeley for a time, and became a US citizen in 1950—the same year his father returned to France to begin a spectacular string of features, including La Ronde, The Earrings of Madame de…, and Lola Montès

As a young man, Marcel set about to follow his father into entertainment, first as an actor (appearing as a teenager in Frank Capra’s Prelude to War ) and then behind the scenes, assisting John Huston on Moulin Rouge and his father on Lola Montès His first solo directorial efforts were in scripted genre material—a short romance (Love at Twenty ) and a madcap suspense caper (Banana Peel, starring Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo). It was only when he started working for French television that his wide-ranging political interests found expression in his films.

In the late 1960s he began shooting interviews and scenes that reconstruct the story of one French town, Clermont-Ferrand, during the German occupation. The resulting film, The Sorrow and the Pity (see page 146), would prove to be groundbreaking, myth-shattering, and career-making. Ophuls began the film in the aftermath of tumultuous political unrest in 1968 Paris (during

which, amongst many upheavals, Ophuls and other progressive journalist colleagues went on strike from the government-controlled broadcaster ORTF and were not allowed back to work for months). Whether as an outgrowth of this turmoil, or as part of Ophuls’ own reckoning with the trauma of his family’s experience in Vichy France, his quietly insistent interviews began to pull back the curtain on what historian Stanley Hoffmann has called “the Official Version” of wartime France that had persisted for decades—that of a country uniformly engaged in a noble resistance, save for a few outlying and reviled collaborators.

Instead, Ophuls reveals Vichy France in far more troubling complexity: through the recollections not only of highly placed military men and ministers but of everyday farmers, soldiers, shopkeepers, and hairdressers, he weaves an intricate tapestry of human failings interrupted by occasional acts of great courage. The prospect of challenging the Official Version was so upsetting to the French national self-image that the documentary was for a time banned from French airwaves. Retired President Charles de Gaulle was even consulted on the matter; when informed that the film reveals “unpleasant truths,” de Gaulle is said to have replied, “France does not need truths; what France needs is hope.”

director that he would treat the film with “respect and admiration.” “Never mind the respect and admiration,” Ophuls wrote back. “Just make it funny.”

”It was such non-junk in a sea of mediocrity, with no attempt to be popular or commercial. It’s to the documentary what tragedy is to drama.”

Woody Allen

That kind of directness, tempered by occasional flashes of humor, would continue to characterize Ophuls’ nonfiction films. After the success of The Sorrow and the Pity, he turned his unflinching camera onto other flashpoints in world affairs, deploying thoroughness and nuance and managing to avoid the pitfalls of preachy, smug, or tendentious filmmaking. Instead, he searches for the humanity of his subjects, even when their actions are contemptible, and for the complexity of events, even when we would prefer simplicity. In The Memory of Justice (1975), he examines the Nuremberg trials— by most accounts a high point in American human rights and humanitarian values—but views them through the lens of the Vietnam War, asking us to consider the fraught nature of moral authority in the hands of a victorious nation. And in Hôtel Terminus, another staggering four-hour-plus investigative film, Ophuls, as narrator-interviewer, departs from the calm solemnity of his voiceovers and becomes by turns sarcastic, ironic, a dogged detective, and an impatient interlocutor. It is a bravura performance by a director in a supporting role.

Despite the initial backlash at home, The Sorrow and the Pity would be universally hailed as a milestone in documentary filmmaking. Breaking boundaries of traditional length to tell a large story; juxtaposing, without apology or qualification, conflicting accounts to develop tension within the film; using popular songs and period footage both to bolster and occasionally undercut the unfolding history; and incorporating his own gentle but piercing questions of his interview subjects, Ophuls created a new set of standards for nonfiction narrative, one that would be quoted (Shoah ), imitated (Reds), and eventually parodied (from This Is Spinal Tap to The Office ) for decades to come.

One of the film’s greatest admirers, Woody Allen, recalled its early impact: “It was such non-junk in a sea of mediocrity, with no attempt to be popular or commercial. It’s to the documentary what tragedy is to drama.” When writing Ophuls for permission to use clips of it in Annie Hall, he took pains to reassure the

The mischievous side of Ophuls is far less known and appreciated than his gravitas, but despite the weightiness of his films he retains a buoyant, puckish streak—clearly on view in his autobiographical film, Un voyageur (“a traveler”), which he insisted on releasing in English under the cheeky title Ain’t Misbehavin’ (see page 116). Generously peppered with clips from his favorite films, raucous memories of his father, and reminiscences by notable players in his career, it is a fond and desultory amble through a remarkable life.

Even now as he approaches his 90s, the messy world of human affairs is never far from his mind. His current film—still in production—wades into the sticky politics of the Middle East, positioning the half-Jewish, former refugee Ophuls in conversation—or perhaps engaged argument—with his co-director, the unabashedly secular and self-critical Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan. Ophuls seems to enjoy not making things easy. With a nod toward de Gaulle’s pronouncement about The Sorrow and the Pity, and as an apt summation of the work he has committed into our consciousness over an extraordinary career, he has chosen a fitting title for his upcoming film: Unpleasant Truths How fortunate we are that Marcel Ophuls has continued to tell those truths—unpleasant, necessary, funny, unavoidable—in such particular fashion, and with such universal resonance, for a world much in need of hearing them.

Peter L. Stein is a Peabody Award-winning documentary maker and a frequent writer, producer, and presenter of film, television, and arts programming. He is the former Executive Director of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival and currently Senior Programmer for Frameline.

CATHERINE HARDWICKE

After years of successful production design (Tombstone, Three Kings, Vanilla Sky ) Catherine Hardwicke shook up the independent film world and earned the 2003 Directing Award at Sundance for Thirteen. She followed up with Lords of Dogtown (2005) and Twilight (2008), which broke box-office records as the highest grossing opening weekend for a film by a female director. Mill Valley Film Festival celebrates the work of this exceptionally talented and tenacious director.

MISS YOU ALREADY

UK 2015, 112 min Director Catherine Hardwicke

Catherine Hardwicke assembles an impeccable all-star cast for an intimate, honest portrayal of the highs, lows, and heartaches of female friendship. In this poignant, often comedic tale, Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette play lifelong best friends who manage to remain, in good times and bad, each other’s ultimate soulmate.

Our Tribute program will feature an onstage conversation with Catherine Hardwicke, a screening of Miss You Already, and the presentation of the MVFF Award. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Tiburon Tavern in Tiburon.

Saturday, October 10, 7:30 pm Rafael

Program & Reception | $85 general | $75 CFI members

Program Only | $45 general | $40 CFI members

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CATHERINE HARDWICKE: IN THE ZONE

by Lauren Schiller

It’s not everyday you come across a working female director in Hollywood. And it’s even rarer to find one who’s been in the business for over 30 years—and still working. After establishing herself as a production designer, Catherine Hardwicke made her directorial debut with the movie Thirteen in 2003 and attained blockbuster status directing Twilight in 2008. She has six more film credits to her name, including her latest film, Miss You Already. And this wasn’t even her first career.

LAUREN SCHILLER: Who or what would you say was your greatest influence growing up?

CATHERINE HARDWICKE: My parents. They encouraged us to be creative. We lived in a remote, rural town in South Texas. My dad was a farmer, my mom a schoolteacher. We didn’t have much money, so we had to be creative. Dad would literally come home with a gift for us that would be just a big mountain of carrot dirt—the dirt that clings to the carrots from the farm. You had to make something out of it, like dig tunnels, and build houses, and weird things. I think it really inspired me to be creative and make up stuff. I’d say my dad was a really great influence on me.

LS: In real human size? Actual people are living in them?

CH: Oh yeah. I was a full-fledged architect. Then I switched and came out to film school. Of course when I said, “I want to switch careers,” my parents also encouraged me. They were always very positive like that.

LS: Your first 15 years in film was as a production designer. What does that entail?

”...as a director you have to find your own style that helps you stay in your creative zone, keeps you focused, but still you have to be a leader, too.”

CH: People were telling me, “Oh, you’re an architect. You should production design this movie.” Because I already had to do all kinds of drawings, and sketches, and pre-visualization as an architect, it was a fun translation. Except as an architect, you’re creating new buildings that are sleek and fabulous. Then as a production designer, you’re actually helping build characters. You had to rethink design, but I loved it, just getting into characters and how the buildings can tell a story. That was a great transition, and I was lucky enough to work for all of these wonderful directors like David O. Russell and Richard Linklater and Cameron Crowe and Lisa Cholodenko, so I had like a front-row seat. I was one of their key department heads working with them on these very cool movies. That helped me a lot when I decided to become a director.

LS: I wonder if he knew that it would lead you to this career.

CH: He was excited when I went to architecture school. I think he loved that because it was almost a direct inspiration from building little towns in carrot dirt to building a whole subdivision that he and I built together. We got to put in a lake, the pool, the tennis courts, made all of the houses solar energy-oriented and everything. That was pretty neat. There are still 120 townhouses in South Texas. We did all that.

LS: I was going to mention Lisa Cholodenko, because she is one of the few women directors that you worked with at that time, on Laurel Canyon. Did working with her have any impact on your intent to become a director or how you wanted to be as a director?

CH: Actually, right after architecture school, I came out to UCLA for grad school. At UCLA, basically, everybody is a director. You finance your own film. You direct it. You make the sandwiches.

CATHERINE HARDWICKE

You do the costumes. You do everything. So I made my own little short films, but I needed to make money.

Then people said, “You could make money as a production designer.” That led me on a sidetrack for 15 years. And between every job, long before I met Lisa, I would be writing my own screenplays and making short films, taking acting classes, directing classes, budgeting films. I was doing everything I could to get a movie made.

Then, of course, as a director you have to find your own style that helps you stay in your creative zone, keeps you focused, but still you have to be a leader, too. It’s a huge crazy skill set to pull off, being a director.

LS: How do you stay calm and focused?

CH: Sometimes you don’t. I’ve been on sets where the director lost his temper and got in a fight with the main actor, or I’ve been on a movie where the director fired 92 people, and on movies where we’ve gone way over budget. We’ve shut down films. There are a thousand things that can happen. But for me, as I do more movies, I feel like, “Okay, somehow I can survive this. Try to stay calm. Breathe through it.” I made a new mantra on my last film, which is “dolphins, dolphins, dolphins.” Whenever something went wrong, I would just try to say that to myself.

LS: There’s a video going around from the website Funny or Die called “The Real Reason Women Don’t Direct More Action Movies,” which features three businessmen asking ridiculous questions of talented female directors, including you. Have you been in meetings that were actually like this?

CH: Usually, the executives aren’t quite that entertaining, but I am usually laughing to myself on the inside in some of these meetings with some of the questions I get asked or some of the little insidious, built-in prejudices. That is, if I can even get into the meeting, because the truth is most women don’t even get called for those stories or for those films.

LS: Have you had other experiences in your career that might help explain why women directors are so rare?

CH: Oh, yeah. Certainly not just the action movies. As we know, [male directors] can make as many female-oriented movies with female leads or based on novels or a screenplay written by a woman. All the Hunger Games were directed by men. Diver-

gents were directed by men. All the Twilights were directed by men, except for mine. All those were written by women and had female leads.

It is just common knowledge or commonly accepted that men can direct emotional stories about women. They can direct Sex and the City. They can direct any story about a woman, but women cannot direct stories about men.

LS: Why do you think there is this bias towards male directors?

CH: There is a very extensive study that was just done by the Sundance Institute in cooperation with Women in Film. They hired a USC professor to try to answer this exact question. They did all these interviews with studio executives, agents, heads of studios, asking them, “Why don’t you hire more women?”

Another study that I read…when you see a man in a uniform as a soldier, as a policeman, as a doctor, in any traditional male role, your brain just accepts it. It doesn’t have to work hard. When you see a woman in uniform as a pilot or whatever, your brain actually has to work a little harder to process the image. You actually have to think, “Is that woman really a pilot?” Let’s translate it: “Is she really the director, the boss of 150 guys on set?” So we just have to work harder to overcome that and change that kind of thinking, which is a good challenge.

LS: Would you say that things have picked up for you in the last few years?

CH: I would say that I am working as hard as I can every single day to get projects done, as many directors—male and female— do. We’re writing our own scripts, meeting with financiers, doing everything to try to get something to happen. There are so many prejudices against female directors and so many challenges that I’ve been diversifying. I’ve done two TV episodes, two TV pilots that both went to series. I’ve just written a screenplay. I’ve done this movie [Miss You Already ]. I think I—and every other female director—we just have to keep trying. No one’s going to hand you anything easy. If it seems too good to be true, it’s probably not true.

LS: This is such a tough business. What keeps you going?

CH: I’ve grown up as a creative person—I like to be making things all the time. I like to be making my little tiny towns in the dirt piles, or doing drawings, or writing a screenplay, or painting something. I don’t like to sit still. I’m not a leisure-oriented person. I like to create.

LS: Thank you so much for everything that you’re creating.

CH: Thank you. I appreciate it. Let’s get more female directors out there making interesting movies.

Inflection Point with Lauren Schiller features interviews with women who are changing the status quo. It is a public radio show produced in partnership with KALW 91.7FM in San Francisco. This is an edited version of her interview with Catherine Hardwicke. The full interview can be found on iTunes and at inflectionpointradio.org

SIR IAN MCKELLEN

Sir Ian McKellen’s lauded career spans decades and genres, garnering countless awards and honors. A celebrated thespian of stage and screen, he has delivered commanding performances in everything from Shakespeare to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy to the popular X-Men series, most recently inhabiting the quintessential role of Sherlock Holmes in Mr. Holmes. A passionate advocate for equality, McKellen admirably utilizes his role in the media to champion the rights of all.

Our Tribute program will feature an onstage conversation with Ian McKellen, clips of his many film roles, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in honor of his lifetime achievements. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Il Fornaio in Corte Madera.

Sunday, October 11 | 7:30pm Rafael

Program & Party | $85 general | $75 CFI members

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JENNIFER COSLETT MACCREADY

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SIR IAN MCKELLEN: A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER

Sir Ian McKellan spoke with Dave Davies on Fresh Air with Terry Gross on July 20, 2015. These are excerpts from their interview.

DAVE DAVIES: One of the things I noticed in the film [Mr. Holmes] was how convincingly you captured someone who is 93. The breathing, the pitch of the voice. You want to talk about preparing physically to deliver that?

IAN MCKELLEN: I’ve been preparing all my life because I’m now 76 years old, so I’m closer to 93 than I’ve ever been before. It’s acting, you know, it’s imagining. It’s exaggerating feelings of mortality that we all have.

DD: I read your father was a lay preacher and your grandfathers were preachers, and I wondered if you picked up anything about performance, about commanding attention, from them.

IM: Yes. My grandfathers—one was a professional, had his own church, and the other one was a Baptist lay preacher. He was the

great performer. He used to point beyond the congregation’s heads and say, “I see the children of Israel.” And he’d point and all the heads in the congregation would turn around to see what he was pointing at, but, of course, there’s nothing there. He was acting.

”It’s extraordinary, isn’t it? I didn’t do anything, other than coming out, and my closest friends said, ‘You’ve become a better actor’.”

That self-confidence of being able to do what not many people can do, which is talk to a room full of strangers, off the cuff, is a bit reflected in what I do for a living. I’m at home in that situation, as he was at home, so I think I may have inherited that. But the side of the preaching that I eventually surprised myself in wanting to do was when I came out as a gay man and found myself on platforms, making a case, pleading with people to understand shouting on occasion about the certainties of my life. And there are also a lot of teachers in my family, and these days I go around schools quite a lot, talking about what it was like to grow up gay when it was illegal. And so I’ve turned into a teacher, as well. And I think it’s on that side of my life, rather than the acting, where I feel myself to be part of a tradition.

DD: You recently were the grand marshal in the New York City Gay Pride March, but for a lot of years you were not openly gay. Although I read that you revealed yourself to your acting friends many years before the public knew. Back then, did people in the media know and respect your privacy, or was it something that you feared was going to get out?

IM: You know the phrase “to out someone”? It was a phrase invented by William Henry III. He was a critic for Time magazine. He revealed to me just before he died that he was gay himself, although happily married. And he said, of the dilemma when you know someone’s gay, “Can you say that about them? Just as you know they dye their hair, can you say that about them? They’ve got a secret. You know it. They’ve revealed it to you, maybe. Do you have a responsibility to lie on their behalf?”

This is the dilemma of outing, and it’s not an easy one to solve. But coming out is a bit of a journey you go on. It can be short, or it can be long, as it was in my case. You come out to yourself first and then reveal it to people close by. And I, frankly, just responded to the situation at the time I was living. Yes, it was perfectly easy in the British theater to be openly gay at work. Nobody gave a damn. Yes, I could live openly with another man and be surrounded by straight and gay friends. No, we could not show any affection in public because we might be accused of causing a breach of the peace if someone took objection to us and threw a stone at us. No, I didn’t tell my parents because we didn’t talk about important matters of the heart. And, no, I didn’t talk to the media about it because if I did, I would be identifying myself as a criminal, because when I started acting

it was against the law for me to have sex. So I wasn’t very brave. I didn’t make the connections with other people who weren’t as privileged as I was to live fairly openly as a gay man. And all this only became evident to me when I felt the need to come out to the media and therefore had to come out to my close blood family, and then my coming out was complete. And that all happened because there was a very bad anti-gay law going through Parliament that I took exception to.

DD: Before you came out, when you were—in public, at least— having to pretend to be something different, did keeping the secret or eventually shedding it change you as an actor?

IM: Yes, absolutely. And if I’d known that, maybe I would’ve come out earlier on professional grounds. I think one of the reasons that so many actors—at least in the past—have been gay secretly is that they are robbed of everybody else’s birthright, which is to be themselves and to celebrate their relationships, to send out wedding invitations, to show pictures of children, which confirm heterosexuality. Because as a gay person, you couldn’t get married, and you didn’t have children, and it was against the law, so you kept quiet. But within the confines of a play or a screenplay, or a script, or a piece of fiction, you could indulge your emotions, which you weren’t allowed to do publicly as an ordinary person.

Now, once I came out, once there were no restrictions on being myself, once I could hold hands with somebody I loved in public, once I could draw attention to my feelings, acting for me changed from being about disguise and came to be about revelation, about telling the truth. It’s extraordinary, isn’t it? I didn’t do anything, other than coming out, and my closest friends said, “You’ve become a better actor.” Because I’m dealing with the reality of my emotions, not the character’s emotions.

So you won’t meet a single gay person who ever regrets coming out, and I’m another one to confirm that. And everything becomes better in your life. Your relationships become better because they’re based on honesty. Your self-confidence grows because you’re your own person.

DD: In those days when you were not yet out, did you have any concerns about being cast in a love scene with a woman?

IM: I did. I thought I wouldn’t be very good at it because I hadn’t had any experience of it. I also used to say to myself, “I can’t let people know I’m gay, otherwise they won’t be able to accept me as being straight in the play or the movie.” Well, it’s not true. I don’t care about any actor’s private life. Their sexuality is of interest, but the point is, is the character they’re playing convincing? Do I believe them? So I think it was just an excuse. I didn’t want to cut myself off from the possibility of playing Macbeth or King Lear or many of the Uncle Vanya-type parts that are resolutely straight. And that would be, for me, cutting off my nose to spite my face.

However, the first job I took as an actor after having come out was to play as resolute a heterosexual as I could find. And that was a disgraced British politician called John Profumo, in the movie Scandal. My first job was to appear to be having sex with Joanne Whalley-Kilmer. This would’ve been a joyful scene for any straight actor to play. She’s extremely beautiful and a lovely person, and I didn’t know what to do with her. So I went to a friend, Edward Petherbridge, the actor, who knows about these things, and I said, “Edward, I’ve got to do this love scene. Can you explain to me, can you draw me a little diagram?” So he gave me some stick figures, showed me what was possible. So I’m now an expert on the missionary position, and everything went well.

DD: You’ve had such a terrific acting career, so much of it in theater, but many people know you best for your role as the wizard Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. You hear that actors, when they are figuring out how to portray a new character, try and find something of that character within themselves. What part of you is Gandalf the wizard?

IM: I think, perhaps, the man who, when he knows he’s right, wants everyone else to accept it and get on with doing what’s right themselves. That aspect. But, you know, (whispering ) Gandalf was a rather easy part. I listened to Tolkien reading The Hobbit out loud. What a show-off. If anyone thinks that he wouldn’t have enjoyed the movies, I think that recording would prove them wrong because he clearly likes the idea of his story being theatrical-ized. But once I listened to that, and then they put makeup on me—the false nose, the wig, the wrinkles —and twinkling through that mask, there he was. And once I’d see him—poof—that was the end of any problem.

DD: Did you and a bunch of the other actors come away with identical shoulder tattoos?

IM: Yes, it’s on my upper arm, my tattoo, and it says nine in Elvish—nine members of the Fellowship, of course. But I don’t know what the word is, and I can’t read it because I can only see it upside down when I look down at it. And from my vantage point, it seems to spell Gucci. Anything less appropriate for Gandalf to have on his arm, I can’t imagine.

Fresh Air is produced at WHYY in Philadelphia and distributed by NPR. Podcasts are available at www.npr.org/podcasts and at iTunes.

Marin’s News

CAREY MULLIGAN

Carey Mulligan exploded onto the independent film scene in 2009 with her unforgettable performance in Lone Sherfig’s An Education, and her career has gathered momentum ever since. A constantly in-demand actress, her work in the films Drive, Shame, The Great Gatsby, and Inside Llewyn Davis has won praise from audiences and critics alike, a trend sure to continue with her latest film, Suffragette

Our Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with Carey Mulligan, a clip reel of her many film roles, clips from Suffragette, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of exceptional artistry. Join us after the program for a celebratory dinner at Frantoio Ristorante in Mill Valley.

Saturday, October 17, 6:00pm Rafael

Program and Reception | $85 general | $75 CFI members

Program Only | $35 general | $30 CFI members

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CAREY MULLIGAN THROUGH THE EYES OF HER DIRECTOR AND SCREENWRITER

by Zoë Elton

First impressions of Carey Mulligan’s luminous presence onscreen seem to be indelible, even when she is playing a minor Bennet sister (Kitty) in Pride and Prejudice (MVFF 2005). In separate conversations, I asked Sarah Gavron and Abi Morgan, the director and screenwriter of Suffragette, Mulligan’s newest film, about their first memory of seeing her onscreen. Both recall her performance in Pride and Prejudice as striking—as well as other British television work like Bleak House

lowed “herself to feel the pain and use it. What’s so amazing is she can calibrate very quickly in a scene and she just exposes herself. She’s very good. She somehow allows herself to be incredibly transparent. For a writer, that’s what you want. You want somebody who will align the material and to live and be as raw as it can be, and she just does that.”

”She doesn’t just play the line, she plays the whole world.”

And then, of course, for Gavron, “as with the rest of the world, the time she made a real impact was playing her role in An Education. That was astonishing.” That marker in Mulligan’s career brings up another memory: “I remember I was developing already Suffragette —terrifyingly, because it took six years for us to get the script to a point where we went out to finance. I remember someone mentioning her to me, very early on, even before An Education came out, that she is extraordinary—and then I saw the film.”

Adding Never Let Me Go to the list of Mulligan’s notable early work, screenwriter Abi Morgan describes her as “compelling and heartbreaking”—qualities that perhaps led to her being cast in Shame (which Morgan co-wrote with director Steve McQueen). The performances of the leads in this brilliant, compelling film are committed, almost painfully raw. About Sissy, Mulligan’s character, Morgan says, ”We knew it had to be somebody who could be quite mercurial and in many ways quite flaky on the surface that actually would have sort of a center and a heart and would be able to peel herself in layers, as any great actress can.”

Morgan describes one scene where Mulligan hurt her elbow as she jumped out of the bath. Although she was in pain, she al-

— Abi Morgan

Of Mulligan’s performance in Shame, Gavron notes: “Just seeing the range of her performance...I remember thinking, watching her vulnerability in that, the boldness of that performance. We had her in mind [for Suffragette ] for those six years. We didn’t approach her. I didn’t dare to!”

Initially, the script of Suffragette was about another character, as Morgan explains: “In truth, when we first wrote the script, we were focused on the character of Alice, played by Romola Garai. The more research we did, it just became apparent that this was a movement that was driven by the working women. I felt I’d seen the aristocratic take: For example, Mrs. Pankhurst alone, her life is extraordinary, but I just felt I wanted to cast the light into the shadows and draw out those women who really were the foot soldiers of the movement.”

One such is Maud, a young laundry worker who becomes one of the unsung heroes of the movement to gain votes for women. Once Maud was established as the central character, Morgan says, “we knew that we would need a really authentic, really raw actress, and so Carey came on board pretty quickly after that.”

Gavron continues: “She was the first cast member that we went to. And I remember we sent [the script] to her on a Thursday or Friday. And on Sunday I got a call saying she’s up for meeting. And I went to meet her, and within 15 minutes of the conversation, she said, ‘I want to do this.’ [I was] delighted and ex-

hausted…I had nothing else to say for the rest of the meeting! Thank goodness she wanted to do it. And then we built the cast around her.”

The cast they built is an extraordinary ensemble: Helena Bonham Carter (MVFF Tributee, 1998), Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw, Brendon Gleeson, Meryl Streep. Gavron describes Mulligan as a real team player, with both crew and cast. She and Bonham Carter “couldn’t be more different in terms of their personalities. But they really clicked and they got on to be friends. Helena’s a real hoot… It’s impossible not to have giggles when you’re around her because she’s very, very funny. [She and Carey] really, really set each other off. But in a great way.” She bonded with Anne-Marie Duff, who plays another foot soldier of the movement. And she confessed to a “talent crush” on Ben Whishaw, who plays her husband. Interestingly, it was Mulligan who proposed Meryl Streep to play the small but important role of Emmeline Pankhurst, the iconic leader of the Suffragettes—“an icon to play an icon,” as Gavron observes. She continues that Streep “…is really, really, a very, very lovely generous woman…She really wants to help Carey in her career, really believes in her.”

CAREY MULLIGAN

little circle of trust between the two of them. That’s what Carey brings. She doesn’t just play the line, she plays the whole world.”

”I hope and imagine and believe that she will go on to be one of our great actors...”

— Sarah Gavron

She plays the whole world. In this notion, there is also, perhaps, the exploration of getting to the truth, a theme that Gavron notes in her experience directing Mulligan: “But there is something extraordinary about her, I think. There are a number of things to say about her. One is that she’s this incredibly intelligent actress and also that she gets to the truth of the performance...She kept doing take after take until she felt that she’d reached something that’s absolutely truthful.” Of their work on set, Gavron says it was “almost like stripping away acting, which seems like a bizarre thing to say.” But in this film, the intention was to create something very real, that would lead audiences “through what life was like for this working woman on the streets of London and didn’t distance you, and there was no veneer or any barrier to watching it. We wanted the audience to be emotionally connected with every beat of her journey.”

That belief is perhaps something shared by actors, directors, and writers alike. Securing Mulligan also helped inform the writing process for Morgan: “Having written for her before, it reminded me that less is more with her. You don’t need to give her the big monologue. You don’t need to give her the tricksy line. There’s a purity to her. She’s so good at playing under the line. She’s got brilliant timing; her timing’s exquisite. I could really trust a scene that might look like two or three lines on the page, she would do a lot with.”

Morgan’s observations give a rare insight into the way both the writing and acting process can work: “If you look at the way she interacts with George, her little boy, you know, I wrote that so lightly. I would write, “She looks at him as if forever” or “This woman shines in his presence.” Or it would be just a line, and she just inhabits that. I loved watching her on set with George because when the camera wasn’t rolling, she stayed in character with him and she was just playful with him, and there was a real

Maud’s character emerges bit by bit, in subtle shifts. Gavron continues: “She often doesn’t have much to say, particularly in the early scenes. What I realized in watching the rushes, when I was in the edit suite, is that there was more going on than I’d realized even standing on the set, that she’s doing these tiny little nuanced expressions, shifts and such, that are conveying emotion, and that you’d see in close-up on the screen, which I think make her a very wonderful cinema actor, because she can convey so much. Just by her presence, she’s so watchable.”

Morgan, too, speaks to the subtlety of Mulligan’s work: “I’ve watched her again and again and I don’t see her tricks. An actress may have tricks. That’s no disrespect for them, it’s just they become very known and so you start to recognize mannerisms. For me, Carey sort of reinvents for every role. I think she’s a very unique talent, really. I love actors who really own a character because they’re the keepers of that character. She plays true to the character, but she allows idiosyncrasy to come through. She finds idiosyncrasy of the character. Again, it helps authenticate it for me.”

Getting the insider’s eye on Carey Mulligan’s work confirms much of the experience of her onscreen: that she has a wisdom beyond her years, that she is fearless and insightful, intelligent and intuitive, playful and delightful. She embraces characters like Maud and Sissy, whose lives are full of undercurrents that are tricky to navigate emotionally as well as to personify. As Gavron notes: “I think that’s a real testament to her, that she’s not just taking the easy route. Those are her choices. I hope and imagine and believe that she will go on to be one of our great actors, that she’ll have a long, long career, because she makes interesting choices and she’s so committed to doing good work. I can see it lasting with her.” Morgan corroborates: “I think Carey really is proving herself to be one of the greats and will go on. I’m really excited about [Maud]. I hope I can continue to write for Carey, but I think there is just an amazing career ahead of her still.”

Zoë Elton is a writer, curator, and MVFF’s Director of Programming.

CENTENARY

The following Ingrid Bergman films will be screened at the Smith Rafael Film Center during the course of the exhibition:

INGRID BERGMAN—IN HER OWN WORDS

Monday, October 12, 8:00pm

AUTUMN SONATA (35mm print)

Sunday, October 18, 8:15pm

CASABLANCA

Monday, October 19, 7:15pm

NOTORIOUS (35mm print)

Tuesday, October 20, 7:15pm

Double Bill: JOURNEY TO ITALY

A WOMAN’S FACE (EN KVINNAS ANSIKTE )

Wednesday, October 21, 6:30pm

Double Bill:

INTERMEZZO (Swedish version, with English subtitles)

JUNE NIGHT (JUNINATTEN )

Thursday, October 22, 6:30pm

THE SAGA OF INGRID BERGMAN

Friday, Oct 9 Thursday, Oct 22

1020 B Street, San Rafael

This exclusive exhibition from Sweden celebrates the magnificent, three-time Oscar ® -winning actor Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) on the centennial of her birth. Consisting of 30 photographic prints and a multimedia installation, the exhibition chronicles the path of Bergman’s remarkable life and career, from her early work in Sweden through Hollywood stardom, followed by a period of controversy and her ultimate renaissance.

The photographic prints include work by Hollywood’s most prominent studio photographers as well as such world-renowned artists as Robert Capa, Gordon Parks, and Lennart Nilsson, among others. The multimedia installation includes film clips and interviews.

The Saga of Ingrid Bergman was commissioned by Strandverket Art Museum, Marstrand, Sweden. Our presentation is made possible with support from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation; the Consulate General of Sweden, San Francisco; the Embassy of Sweden; and the Swedish Institute, Stockholm.

We thank Monahan Parker, Inc. for contributing the exhibition space, with special gratitude to Jonathan Parker and Cathy Ferrari.

NOTORIOUS

INGRID BERGMAN

I Am Ingrid

by Richard Peterson

I’m going to keep this diary and hide it away forever. I’m 14 years, two months and three days old.

I was born on the twenty-ninth of August 1915. My parents were Friedel Adler and Justus Bergman. I was baptized Ingrid.

I was spirited, irritating, stubborn, and wild.

In 1929, when she wrote these lines, Ingrid Bergman had already lost both parents—her father in recent memory, and her mother when she was still a toddler. Surely her father, who owned a photographic studio, helped spark her passion for acting, having made numerous portraits and home movies of the little girl who loved to pose and play before the camera.

If she enjoyed a rapid rise as an actor in her native Sweden, her transition to Hollywood stardom was instantaneous by comparison. In 1939, producer David O. Selznick (at the time working on Gone with the Wind ) saw Bergman in the Swedish romance Intermezzo and imported her to California for what would be a nearly identical remake.

Selznick initially experienced buyer’s remorse when he saw how tall she was and encountered her absolute rejection of heavy makeup, plucked eyebrows, and several Hollywood conventions of glamour. When Selznick changed gears and decided instead to promote her as a natural beauty, it was apparent that Ingrid’s self-styled “stubbornness” had served her well. Selznick called her “the most conscientious actress with whom I have ever worked.”

Despite the growing difficulties of wartime travel, Bergman eventually reunited in America with her husband, Petter Lindström, and their baby daughter, Pia. Her career quickly became the stuff of legend: Casablanca, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Gaslight (her first Oscar ®), The Bells of St. Mary’s, Spellbound, Notorious, Joan of Arc , and many more. Loved by American audiences, she was Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite leading lady of the 1940s and was pursued by other top directors. She took her work seriously and tried to be as selective as Hollywood would allow.

In 1949, overwhelmed by the intensity and honesty of the neorealist masterpiece Rome, Open City, Bergman wrote to director Roberto Rossellini and offered to travel to Italy to work with him. Their first film, Stromboli, was far removed from Hollywood glamour. In addition to a movie, they produced a son—Roberto—resulting in a divorce from Petter and a painful separation from her daughter Pia. The public scandal even echoed in the halls of Congress, where Colorado Senator Edwin C. Johnson called her “a horrible example of womanhood and a powerful influence for evil.”

Bergman and Rossellini married and produced twin daughters, Isabella and Isotta Ingrid, as well as five more films that had scant exposure in the United States. They divorced in 1957,

and shortly before their union dissolved, Bergman accepted the lead in Anastasia, a Hollywood production filmed in Europe. Cast against the studio’s wishes, she won a second Best Actress Oscar at the 1957 Academy Awards®. Ingrid was back. Later, she would win a third Oscar, for Murder on the Orient Express. She would remark, “I’ve gone from saint to whore and back to saint again, all in one lifetime.”

Ingrid Bergman In Her Own Words (see page 132) is Stig Björkman’s extraordinary new documentary timed to observe the centenary of her birth. The film’s original Swedish title is Jag är Ingrid, which translates as “I Am Ingrid.” It follows her public life, but focuses on the private person through her words, her extensive home movies, and the testimony of the children who wished they had had more of her. While she forged a brilliant career, the “spirited, stubborn” little girl inside her always grappled with the anxiety of separation.

One of her final projects brought her together in 1977 with Sweden’s other world-famous Bergman. In Autumn Sonata she played a celebrated pianist who hadn’t seen her daughter (Liv Ullmann) in seven years. As Ullmann recalls, Ingrid and Ingmar butted heads throughout rehearsals. Often irritable and already struggling with the cancer that would claim her on her birthday in 1982, she railed against his script: “What mother would go so long without seeing her daughter?” In the end, Autumn Sonata was a beautiful film, a homecoming for Ingrid that earned Academy Award nominations for both her performance and Ingmar’s screenplay.

The Saga of Ingrid Bergman, a centennial exhibition from Sweden on display during the Mill Valley Film Festival, portrays multiple facets of this proud, passionate woman who was an exceptional artist. Thanks to the movies, we can rewrite a signature line from Casablanca: We’ll always have Ingrid.

PHOTO: LOUIS HUCH

proud to partner with the MVFF

Alain Pinel Realtors

Taking its longstanding commitment to female filmmakers one step further, MVFF38 is launching a festival-wide focus on inspiring women in film.

When USC’s Stacy Smith revealed her research results on women working in Hollywood at MVFF36, we realized things hadn’t changed in decades: 7% women directors is not enough! Hence, Mind the Gap—both a celebration and a call to action, the initiative aims to elevate the conversation on women at work in film by raising awareness about those who make films and those whose stories are being told.

The festival’s curators have been tracking and identifying the creative teams behind the films—directors, writers, and producers—and the characters driving the stories. Mind

the Gap programs will be presented across the festival: in screenings and onstage conversations; in our big nights and festival honors; in panels and master classes; and in our educational screenings.

And, why “Mind the Gap”? Referencing those famed London Tube signs that warn passengers there’s a hazardous gap between the edge of the subway platform and the train door, MVFF’s Mind the Gap similarly calls our attention to the persistent gender gap between those who get to ‘ride that train’ and those whose talents are left behind on the platform. It’s time to close the gender gap—because we do mind it!

Look for this icon to identify Mind the Gap programs throughout the festival.

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

ROLE MODELS & HEROINES

AN INSTALLATION

by Zoë Elton

Drawing from her extensive collection of archival film posters and memorabilia, MVFF Director of Programming Zoë Elton explores the importance of role models and the ways that female characters are portrayed in cinema. Whether iconic (think the sword-wielding Uma Thurman in Kill Bill ) or laconic (Barbie…as a film director?), a single image can speak volumes: What is sparked in our imagination can last a lifetime. Who was your onscreen role model when you were growing up? Visit this fun installation at the Seager Gray gallery, and let us know!

OCTOBER 6–18

Tues-Sat 11:00am–5:30pm | Sun 12:00–5:00pm

Also on exhibit in the main gallery: INEZ STORER: STORIES FROM THE BACK LOT Seager Gray Gallery 108 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley This exhibit is made possible by the generous support of Donna Seager and Suzanne Gray.

A CONVERSATION ABOUT WOMEN . WORK . FILM MIND THE GAP

MVFF Director of Programming, Zoë Elton, sat down in August with Lauren Schiller, host of the radio program Inflection Point, to discuss the issue of women in film and MVFF’s new Mind the Gap women’s initiative. This is an edited version of that interview.

LAUREN SCHILLER: Even though at least half of moviegoers are women, the multibillion-dollar business is still a bit of a boys’ club, and it’s not because women aren’t interested in the business. About half of film school graduates are women, yet only 7 percent of directors, 13 percent of writers, and 20 percent of producers are female. That’s according to a 2013 study by Stacy Smith at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC.

have to ratchet up the conversation about film. We have to raise people’s awareness about the way they approach filmmaking and storytelling, and raise awareness about who’s making them and whose stories are being told.

”Because we kind of do mind that there’s a gap.”

LS: I’m wondering about the number of women in film, how that’s changing, and whether the industry is starting to see a bit of a business case for it. I read a study that shows that when films pass the Bechdel test—the test designed by cartoonist Alison Bechdel that asks whether the film has at least two named women in it who talk to each other about something besides a man—that these films actually have an equal return on investment than those that don’t. What do you think?

When it comes to acting, women only get 28.4 percent of speaking roles, and of those who do speak, their roles are highly stereotyped and not reflective of the progress women have actually made in the real world. The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media claims that for nearly 60 years, gender inequality on screen has remained largely unchanged and unchecked.

To make a dent in the problem this year, the Mill Valley Film Festival will focus a significant portion of their content on inspiring women in film.

Why did you decide to focus on women in film for this year’s film festival?

ZOË ELTON: I think you just nailed it. I think that Stacy’s study lit some light bulbs in my brain. Even though we’ve been doing programming by and about women for many years, the numbers haven’t changed. I remember doing a panel 20 years ago and doing a little research on what the percentages were, and they were very similar. It made me do some soul-searching and say, “If it hasn’t changed in 20 years, why is that, and what are the action points?” What can we do to change it?

As a film festival curator, I’m looking at what we can actually do. Part of that is obviously to show women’s films, but I think we

ZE: I think generally it’s true. As you said, women make up 50 percent of the population. They’re a significant part of our audience, and the Bechdel test, although it came out of a cartoon from the ‘80s, more and more people know what it is now, and it’s a great way of elevating the conversation about film.

It’s one of the things that we’ve been using as we’ve been choosing films for the Festival this year. We’ve been looking at whether films are directed by women, written by women, women are the primary creatives involved in the creation of the story. We’ve also been going through what the stories are about.

We’ve been applying the Bechdel test, and then we’ve been seeing if films are passing what we’ve been calling the “agency test.” Do the female characters have agency? Are they driving the story? Are they active rather than reactive?

LS: Have you a name for this package of programming?

ZE: “Mind the Gap.” As somebody who grew up in Britain, the tube stations are redolent with the phrase “Mind the Gap,” so, pun intended, mind the gender gap. Because we kind of do mind that there’s a gap. It was a whimsical way of looking at women working in film this year.

LS: Is there any correlation between films that do well at festivals and their success in the mainstream, particularly when you’re looking at male-directed films versus female-directed films? How do they fare after a festival like yours or Sundance?

ZE: The films themselves will often get a stamp of approval by being at a significant film festival. One of the things that I think has been noted with films that go to Sundance, is that, of the people who win the dramatic competitions, it’s more likely, if you’re a man, that you’ll be offered a high-budget Hollywood film to direct than if you’re a woman. The old boys’ club holds still.

There are a lot of organizations that have been coming up, like Film Fatales, that are really trying to have women work together. Networking is obviously a key thing, and really being a support to each other is a key thing.

LS: I’ve read a couple of examples of that. Meryl Streep recently announced her writers’ lab for women over 40, with the idea that if you have more women in the position of writing, maybe you see more of them in the film, represented with agency, if you will. Then Rose Byrne started an all-women Australian production company called The Dollhouse Collective. It seems like if you’ve got more women taking control of their own destiny, that that might be one way that more women are elevated who might not already hold that power.

MIND THE GAP

still has to be good, so it’s not just about filling a quota, it’s not just about, “I got the film made because I’m a woman”? What comes into play if you just set that hard line of 50 percent?

ZE: I don’t feel that, in looking to raise awareness about women filmmakers, we’ve diminished the quality of the work we’re showing at all. From the programmatic point of view, a part of it is how we look at films. You have to come back to yourself. You have to say, “What are my biases? What are the things that stop me from seeing that as a compelling story? Do I need to educate myself?”

Especially when you’re programming an international film festival. I don’t live in Iran; who am I to judge an Iranian film? You have to try and figure out ways that you can look at work, be open to it, and bottom line, if a film is compelling, it’s compelling. I would say from my experience that the stories are out there, and women are making them. Are they making them in as great numbers as men? They’re not. So how do you make that happen? That’s the conundrum.

LS: You just have to work a little harder to find them.

”We tell stories so we can remember the truth about ourselves. We want to be able to see

ourselves.

If there are no women that you’re seeing, then you’ve lost 50 percent of the stories right there.”

ZE: It is about holding the power. As we’ve been going through the selection process at Mill Valley, we’ve been tracking how many of the documentaries, how many of the American narrative features, how many of the international features, how many of our shorts, are directed, written or produced by women, and it was intriguing to see that the U.S. was lagging behind in the narrative section, both from the number of films we had submitted and the number of films we’ve been researching.

LS: What do you think is happening? What do you think is creating that gap?

ZE: Making a film is a phenomenal thing to do, for anybody. One of the things in the U.S. is that there’s no support governmentally. There’s very little support for narrative filmmakers who are coming up.

I was at a panel at the Berlin Film Festival this year, and the woman who’s the CEO of the Swedish Film Institute completely upped the ante. The majority of feature filmmaking in Sweden is funded by government funds, so she took... I was going to say the bull by the horns, and I should probably say the cow by the tail... and said, “We are going to give 50 percent of our funding to women.”

LS: What about the argument that they still need to be qualified, and they still need to have the talent and the idea, and the story

ZE: Definitely. In approaching this with a notion of raising people’s awareness about films, going back to story, it’s so important for any human being to see something of themselves on screen. We tell stories so we can remember the truth about ourselves. We want to be able to see ourselves. If there are no women that you’re seeing, then you’ve lost 50 percent of the stories right there.

LS: What has it been like for you to be a woman who has the opportunity to influence what gets featured?

ZE: It was interesting to embark on the “Mind the Gap“ program, because initially we said it was going to be like a women’s focus, but typically if you do a focus in a festival, it’s half a dozen films at the most—geographically defined or thematically defined—and we realized that what we were doing was something that was quite radical, because it actually crosses the whole festival.

Where I would like to get to is 50 percent. I see so many other festivals saying, “We have 30 percent women directors,” and I feel like we’re just playing with numbers. I don’t want to just play with numbers. I really want to elevate the conversation, and I would like us to get to the point where we see 50 percent women directors. We’re not there yet, but we can, right?

LS: We can. We definitely can.

HEADING BEHIND THE SCREENS

Panels | Master Classes | Conversations

MASTER CLASS

BOBBY ROTH: A DIRECTOR PREPARES

Saturday, October 10, 10:00am–1:00pm

Sunday, October 11, 10:00am–1:00pm

Sweetwater | $65 per day | $115 both days

Bobby Roth has directed more than 80 episodes of television (Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Revenge ), 25 television movies and 13 feature films, and he has been teaching film seminars around the world for the last ten years. His master class demystifies the craft of directing, handing over all the tools aspiring filmmakers need to feel comfortable walking onto a set and calling “Action!”

ACTIVE CINEMA HIKE NETWORKING IN NATURE

Saturday, October 10, 10:00am–12:00pm Tennessee Valley | FREE See page 107 for details.

PANEL + RECEPTION GIVE US A BREAK!

FILM SCREENING + PANEL OPEN YOUR EYES

Saturday, October 10, 5:30–7:15pm

CinéArts Sequoia (film ticket required) See pages 107 and 139 for details.

MASTER CLASS

A CONVERSATION WITH CATHERINE HARDWICKE

Sunday, October 11, 12:30–2:00pm Rafael Film Center

What do Twilight, Thirteen, and Tank Girl have in common? MVFF38 Tributee Catherine Hardwicke. The director with production designer roots has proven over and over that it is possible to sustain a viable creative life in the film industry: inspiring! More than that, her work spans from insightful, independent, original works like Thirteen to the blockbuster adaptation Twilight —the latter making her the most commercially successful woman director. Hear more about her remarkable career in what promises to be a highlight of MVFF38’s Mind the Gap program.

CATHERINE HARDWICKE, director (Miss You Already, Twilight, Lords of Dogtown, Thirteen ), screenwriter (Thirteen ), production designer (Laurel Canyon, Three Kings, Vanilla Sky )

Interviewer: MELISSA SILVERSTEIN, writer; speaker; founder, Women and Hollywood

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE WOMEN’S FILM INSTITUTE

MASTER CLASS

THE HEROINE’S JOURNEY: WRITING AND SELLING THE FEMALEDRIVEN SCREENPLAY

Saturday, October 17, 11:00am–12:30pm Rafael Film Center

How do you write authentic female characters? What is the difference between the character arcs of female and male protagonists? Through discussion and film clips, screenwriter PAMELA GRAY ( A Walk on the Moon, Music of the Heart, Conviction ) and story consultant TOM SCHLESINGER (Prom Night in Mississippi, Nowhere in Africa, A Small Act ) will guide you through the stages of the Heroine’s Journey as a template for writing screenplays that will attract top actresses. You will also see how your inner journey when writing helps you connect with your audience on a deep, universal level.

Except where noted, tickets for all Behind the Screens programs are $15 general | $12.50 CFI members.

BEHIND THE SCREENS

PANEL + RECEPTION

MVFF STATE OF THE INDUSTRY CONVERSATION

Saturday, October 17, 1:00–2:30pm Rafael Film Center

What do today’s new technologies and DIY distribution models mean for the independent filmmaker? How can you connect with your audience in an increasingly crowded entertainment landscape? The rules are currently being rewritten, and there’s never been a better time to explore new sustainable business models that enable filmmakers to thrive.

Reception to follow | Vin Antico, 881 Fourth St, San Rafael

Invited Guests:

ED ARENTZ, co-founder/managing director, Music Box Films

RUSS COLLINS, director, State & Michigan Theaters, Ann Arbor, MI; founder/director, Art House Convergence

IRA DEUTCHMAN, president, Deutchman Company Inc.; marketing and distribution consultant; producer (Kiss Me, Guido; 54 )

BOUS DE JONG, producer, Daniel Film (How to Change the World, BBC’s Classic Albums Series)

KOMAL MINHAS, producer, writer, investor (Dream, Girl; Without Love It Ain’t Much )

Moderator: MARK FISHKIN, founder/director, MVFF

VARIETY CONTENDERS CONVERSATION

THE MAKERS OF SUFFRAGETTE

Saturday, October 17, 2:00–3:30pm Rafael Film Center

The powerhouse trio behind our Closing Night film, Suffragette, discusses its genesis, creation, and journey to the screen. One of the fall season’s most anticipated films, Suffragette is notable as that rare production that is driven by women in key positions, as well as a story driven by female characters. This Variety Contenders’ Conversation is a case study where the director, screenwriter, and producer will offer insights into the collaboration and creative process behind their production.

Invited Guests:

SARAH GAVRON, director (Suffragette, Brick Lane, Village at the End of the World )

ABI MORGAN, screenwriter (Suffragette, The Hour, The Iron Lady, Shame (with Steve McQueen), Brick Lan e)

FAYE WARD, producer (Suffragette, Jane Eyre, Toast, The Other Boleyn Girl )

Moderator: Steve Chagollan, senior features editor, Variety

The celebration of Suffragette continues with a Spotlight on Carey Mulligan (see page 79) and our Closing Night screenings (see page 37).

IN ASSOCIATION WITH BAY AREA WOMEN IN FILM & MEDIA

FILM SCREENING + PANEL

CODE: DEBUGGING THE GENDER GAP

PANEL

THE FUTURE OF FILM AND TECHNOLOGY

MVFF MUSIC

New for 2015, MVFF Music is nine nights of live music exclusively curated for the Mill Valley Film Festival at the landmark Sweetwater Music Hall. Rock, pop, roots, folk, swing, and much more provide a dynamic soundtrack for MVFF38, right in the heart of Mill Valley.

DEAN WEEN GROUP

Master guitarist Dean Ween’s (Voodoo Lady, Bananas and Blow, Piss Up a Rope ) real name is Captain Michael “Mickey” Melchionado, Jr., and whenever he’s not leading deep-ocean fishing tours (he really is a captain), he joins up with his daring crew of music-making band-mates (4/5 of the original band will be performing), captivating audiences with harmonic theatrics, off-thewall lyrics, and an outrageous stage presence.

Friday, October 9

Doors 8:00pm | Show 9:00pm | $40

Tapestry Productions presents

SING OUT FOR SIGHT

A Benefit for Seva Foundation and Mill Valley Film Festival This spectacular musical event celebrates World Sight Day, the premiere of the documentary Open Your Eyes (see page 139), and Seva’s four-millionth sight-saving surgery. To raise funds for this valuable work, a star-studded ensemble of musicians will team up for a night of great tunes. Visit mvff.com/music or seva. org for more information and artist updates.

Saturday, October 10

Doors 7:00pm | Show 8:00pm | $175

THE MOTHER TRUCKERS

Featuring Shawn Sahm of the Texas Tornados

Following the first screening of Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove (see page 145), Shawn Sahm, the son of the late Doug Sahm (the subject of the film) will join The Mother Truckers to celebrate the life and legacy of the legendary musical madman and founder of the psychedelic Sir Douglas Quintet.

Sunday, October 11

Doors 7:30pm | Show 8:30pm | $22

THE BROTHERS COMATOSE

Having built a tremendously loyal (and large) following with their lively concerts and upbeat folky-bluesy string band tunes, the locally bred Brothers Comatose have returned from inaugurating their self-named Sierra mountain music festival, Comatopia. They bring their hot licks and hootenanny magic to Mill Valley, where there is guaranteed to be at least one enormous singalong before the party ends.

Monday, October 12

Doors 7:00pm | Show 8:00pm | $22

MVFF MUSIC

OLIVE AND THE DIRTY MARTINIS

These ’60s-and-’70s cover-song specialists are an outrageous crew, including one educator/theater company founder (Steve Riffkin) one brain surgeon/rocket scientist (Eric Lyons), one writer/director/filmmaker (James Redford), and two actual musicians, Justin Ganz and “Olive” herself, Stefanie Coyote. Celebrating the MVFF screening of Redford’s documentary Paper Tigers (see page 45), this fun-loving ensemble slinks into the Sweetwater with an irresistibly danceable show that is a lot like its name—cool, dry, and a little dirty.

Tuesday, October 13

Doors 7:30PM | Show 8:30pm | $14

TOMMY IGOE

He’s a global drumming icon, known locally for the Tommy Igoe Groove Conspiracy but best known as the founder of the Birdland Big Band, of New York City’s legendary Birdland Jazz Club. Igoe brings an all-star sextet, specially “curated” for this show, featuring sax sensations Marc Russo (Doobie Brothers) and Tom Politzer (Tower of Power), with Dan Parenti (Michael Brecker) on bass, Colin Hogan (Larry Graham) on keyboards, and Karl Perzazzo (Santana) on percussion.

Wednesday, October 14

Doors 8:00pm | Show 9:00pm | $50

STROKE 9

Hard rocking and high-spirited, the Bay Area alternative band Stroke 9 formed as a high school “senior project” at Marin Academy, with a number of hit records, including the catchy youth anthem Little Black Backpack and the hard-driving Kick Some Ass, prominently employed in Kevin Smith’s film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back . Still rocking, Stroke 9 brings its guitar-driven act to the Sweetwater for much more than a high school reunion.

Thursday, October 15

Doors 9:30pm | Show 10:00pm | $20

THE GREAT MILL VALLEY GOSPEL SHOW

A Benefit for CFI Education

Featuring Narada Michael Walden, Jeanie Tracy, Emma Jean Foster, members of The Love Center Choir, and special guests

In celebration of the documentary Mavis! —about the acclaimed gospel and blues singer Mavis Staples (see page 135)—multiple Grammy-winning musician, producer, and musical director Narada Michael Walden brings together some of the top gospel musicians in the Bay Area for a night of spirit-moving, hand-clapping musical power covering songs by Mavis, Aretha, and more. Hallelujah!

Saturday, October 17

Doors 7:30pm | Show 8:30pm | $75

SHOW TO BE ADDED FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 | CHECK MVFF.COM/MUSIC FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tickets for all MVFF Music shows are available online at mvff.com/music or in person at the Sweetwater box office. MVFF Music tickets are not available at the MVFF Box Office.

No Festival badges, except the MVFF Music Pass, will grant admission to MVFF Music shows.

ACTIVE CINEMA

QUESTION | ENGAGE | TRANSFORM

Transforming ideas into action is what Active Cinema is all about. MVFF’s Active Cinema films are united in their commitment to explore the world and its issues, engage audiences, and transform society. Join us for screenings throughout the Festival, support the grassroots activism of filmmakers, and engage with admirable work by special guests, co-presenters, and partners.

ACTIVE

CINEMA HIKE: Networking in Nature

Saturday, October 10 | 10:00am–12:00pm Free Meet at the Tennessee Valley trailhead parking lot

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

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

FILM SCREENING + PANEL DISCUSSION

Saturday, October 10, 5:30–7:15pm | Sequoia

*film ticket required

Join us for the world premiere of the short documentary Open Your Eyes (page 139), followed by a post-film discussion on what it takes to make films that rock the world. Can documentaries elevate the social agenda? Join a group of game-changers whose commitment to the power of storytelling in film is helping to open hearts and minds and raise awareness on the compelling issues of our time.

Sara Bernstein, senior vice president, HBO documentary films

Sandy Herz, director of global partnerships, Skoll Foundation

Irene Taylor-Brodsky, director (Open Your Eyes, The Final Inch)

MODERATOR : Larry Brilliant, MD, MPH; chairman, Skoll Global Threats Fund; co-founder Seva Foundation; producer (Open Your Eyes)

ACTIVE CINEMA PROGRAMS

Look for this icon to identify Active Cinema programs throughout the Festival.

CODE: DEBUGGING THE GENDER GAP

In association with Women Who Code DOGTOWN REDEMPTION

In association with St. Mary’s Center

IN DEFENSE OF FOOD

In association with The Bigger Picture: Youth Speaks/ UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations/SFGH IXCANUL

In association with Canal Alliance

A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET

In association with Bring Change 2 Mind

THE MESSENGER

In association with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Marin Audubon Society

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

In association with The Goldman Environmental Prize OPEN YOUR EYES

In association with Seva Foundation

THE PAWN (LA PRENDA)

In association with KIND (Kids In Need of Defense) and Legal Aid of Marin

See film descriptions starting on page 113.

OPEN YOUR EYES

ACTIVE CINEMA HIKE

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

Tour the world with your family at the MVFF Children’s FilmFest, celebrating its 21st year of showcasing the finest family films from around the world

5@5: DOODLIN’

THE AMAZING WIPLALA with special guest: director Tim Oliehoek

A DOZEN SUMMERS

THE SATELLITE GIRL AND MILK COW

SHANA: THE WOLF’S MUSIC with special guests: Sunshine O’ Donovan and Delilah Dick

THE WIZARD OF OZ

For complete program descriptions, see film listings starting on page 113.

AGE RECOMMENDATIONS Please bear in mind that the age range suggested for each children’s film program is a suggestion only. It may refer only to the film’s subject matter, and cannot adequately address everyone’s sense of appropriate or inappropriate content. Each child is different, and each parent has different standards.

ABOUT SUBTITLES To enhance our very young viewers’ appreciation of foreign-language movies, actors will read subtitles aloud of foreign language films recommended for children under 10.

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

SHANA: THE WOLF’S MUSIC

THE SATELLITE GIRL AND MILK COW

THE AMAZING WIPLALA

PAPA (5@5 DOODLIN’ SHORTS PROGRAM)

A DOZEN SUMMERS

CATEGORIES | FOCUSES | PREMIERES

SPONSORED BY

US CINEMA

A showcase of new films by master and emerging American filmmakers who share a talent for independent storytelling

SPONSORED BY JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS

SPONSORED BY

WORLD CINEMA

Stories from six continents that foster a new understanding of our global neighbors and ourselves

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

The latest in documentary filmmaking, from heartfelt stories of activism to historical profiles, current events, and more

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

A sampling of cultures and adventures for young people (and their families) that nurture their love of film

5@5

SHORTS

Collections of short cinematic gems from every genre including narratives, documentaries, animation, family films and youth works

FOCUS | THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN)

Films that scale the musical heights of classical, rock, metal, hip-hop, and soul

BREAKING A MONSTER BROOKLYN, PARIS

HEART LIKE A HAND GRENADE

THE HI DE HO SHOW KILL YOUR FRIENDS MAVIS!

FOCUS | CINEMA BELLISSIMO

THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE SHANA: THE WOLF’S MUSIC SIR DOUG AND THE GENUINE TEXAS COSMIC GROOVE WE DID IT ON A SONG

The very best in new Italian cinema, featuring many multi-awardwinning maestros

GREENERY WILL BLOOM AGAIN MEDITERRANEA MY MOTHER

FOCUS | LIT FLIX

WONDROUS BOCCACCIO YOUTH

Films that celebrate the written word in poetry, prose, and print

BADDDDD SONIA SANCHEZ

THE GIRL IN THE BOOK

HOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE NATION

LOVE BETWEEN THE COVERS

ROBERT BLY: A THOUSAND YEARS OF JOY SPOTLIGHT

WORLD PREMIERES

AN ACT OF LOVE

BEYOND MEASURE

DIRTY WOLVES

DOGTOWN REDEMPTION

HEART LIKE A HAND GRENADE IN DEFENSE OF FOOD INTERWOVEN

A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET

A NEW COLOR: THE ART OF BEING EDYTHE BOONE

OPEN YOUR EYES

PERMISSION TO TOUCH

ROBERT BLY: A THOUSAND YEARS OF JOY

SACRED BLOOD

SURVIVING SKOKIE

UNDER THE SAME SUN

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES

CINEMA: A PUBLIC AFFAIR JOURNEY TO ROME LA TIERRA ROJA NENA

THE SATELLITE GIRL AND MILK COW US PREMIERES THE AMAZING WIPLALA AMNESIA ANGELICA

BODY THE DRESSMAKER THE GIRL KING GOLDEN KINGDOM HERE IS HAROLD THE IDEALIST

KILL YOUR FRIENDS MACBETH THE MESSENGER MUSTANG MY MOTHER ONE FLOOR BELOW THE PAWN THE PREPPIE CONNECTION SECOND COMING SPOTLIGHT

TIKKUN

WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED YOU’RE UGLY TOO

5@5 BRAND NEW ME

5 @ 5

Total Program 70 min

“See the same old faces, look at the same old skies. See them all with brand new eyes.” A treasure trove of shorts from around the world, all about women and directed by women. A woman has an unexpected encounter when camping in Clara Aranovich’s Primrose (US 2015, 5 min). In Charlotte Schiøler’s By Any Means Aveilable (France/Denmark 2014, 17 min), an apartment hunter goes to unusual lengths to find the perfect flat. A high school girl faces her classmates the day after a graphic picture of her goes viral in Pippa Bianco’s Share (US 2015, 11 min). First dates can be minefields of decorum and double standards in Rory Uphold’s Traction (US 2015, 5 min). In Parisa Barani’s powerful Ablution (Iran/Canada/US 2015, 16 min), a religious fundamentalist finds her beliefs at odds with her family and environment. And Emily Towers has a few surprises in store when she depicts an awkward reunion as a daughter and dad celebrate Father’s Day (US 2015, 16 min).

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Fri Oct 16 5:00pm Throck Sat Oct 17 9:30pm Rafael

5@5 BREAKFAST IN BED

@ 5

Total Program 69 min

“Don’t be shy, you’ve been here before. Pull your shoes off, lie down, and I will lock the door.” Love, desire, and impulse are indulged and denied in this playful set of international shorts. A hermetic loner sparks an unlikely connection with a free-spirited neighbor in Deborah Attoinese’s Snail (US 2014, 13 min). A simple late-night hookup in a car turns into an adventure in voyeurism for a young couple in Tian Guan’s unpredictable Drama (China/US 2014, 11 min). Cultural differences threaten to undermine a marriage proposal in Marcelo Mitnik’s charming In the Clouds (Argentina 2014, 20 min). One mishap after another follows a waitress on an unforgettable work night in Joey Ally’s acerbic Minimum Wage (US 2015, 15 min). And when disaster strikes, a fantasy-prone woman reevaluates her relationship with her psychoanalyst in Heather Jack’s humorously apocalyptic Let’s Not Panic (US 2015, 11 min). This is an ideal date night collection for the romantic in all of us.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Mon Oct 12 9:15pm Rafael Tue Oct 13 5:45pm Lark Wed Oct 14 12:00pm Sequoia

Total Program 68 min

“I enjoy procrastinating ‘cause I’m busy while I’m waitin’, doodlin’ away.” An international reel of 15 shorts designed for a child’s delight, but guaranteed to entertain adults too. In fact, a meeting of the generations takes place in Bunny New Girl (Australia 2015, 6 min), The Broken Wand (US 2015, 3 min), In the Forest (US 2015, 4 min), Niéta (Argentina 2015, 5 min), and Papa (US 2015, 6 min). Artists figure dominantly in many of the films: cartoonists in Cartoon Away (Brazil 2013, 4 min) and The Fly (Italy 2015, 7 min); pastry makers in Decorations (Japan 2014, 7 min). The program is alive with animals doing crazy things: penguins in Can’t Fight This Feeling (Zimbabwe 2015, 5 min), a dolphin in The Winner Takes It All (Zimbabwe 2015, 5 min), and a herd of giraffes in the amazing 5m80 (France 2014, 5 min). Star Wars invades the program, too, with local short Artoo in Love (US 2015, 4 min). Finally, MVFF’s long-term connection to Croatia’s children’s animation workshop is represented with the films The Leaf (Croatia 2015, 1 min) and The Tree (Croatia 2015, 2 min), along with another Croatian child-produced film, Durica (Croatia 2015, 4 min)—a title that means “pouty.” All films are nonverbal or in English, with the exception of Durica . Ages 5+

—John Morrison

Sun Oct 11 11:30am Throck Sat Oct 17 11:00am Rafael

5@5 DOODLIN’

5@5 LITTLE BY LITTLE

5 @ 5

Total Program 64 min

“I don’t know where to turn, don’t know what to do. I’m walking on thin ice.” Kids— some criminal, others merely resourceful—face a variety of hurdles in these captivating shorts. A high school underground cheating network risks exposure by its own school paper in Nick Weiss-Richmond and Rachel Cole’s Big Cheat (US 2014, 16 min). A young African boy has his hands full trying to make ends meet for his family in Richard Card’s vibrant Zawadi (Kenya/US 2014, 13 min). A children’s birthday party is the source of sinister doings in David A. Bornstein’s tragicomic A King’s Betrayal (US 2014, 9 min). The apprentice to a desperate door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman decides to call on an unusual customer far off their normal route in Kate Marks’s mystical Miracle Maker (US 2014, 13 min). And a preteen Bonnie and Clyde go on a very stylish crime spree in Fidel Ruiz-Healy’s love letter to ‘60s cinema, A Band of Thieves (US 2015, 14 min).

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Fri Oct 9 5:30pm Throck Sat Oct 10 3:30pm Rafael

5@5 MY COLOURING BOOK

5@5 THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE

5 @ 5 5 @ 5

Total Program 61 min

“A most unusual colouring book. The kind you’ll never see. Crayons ready?” This year’s animated shorts program encompasses stop-motion, hand-drawn, and CG techniques with a rambunctious cast of wickedly macabre and sardonic characters. Kicking off the titillating ride, Mirror in Mind (Seung Hee Kim, South Korea 2014, 2 min) explores the inner mind with unique experimentation, followed by the vengeful Edgar Allan Poe tale, The Cask of Amontillado (William Joyce and Joe Bluhm, US 2014, 10 min). Submarine Sandwich (PES, US 2014, 2 min) yarns a tasty hero, while Eggplant (Yangzi She, US 2015, 8 min) masters his mixed-bag emotional face. In Palm Rot (Ryan Gillis, US 2015, 8 min), a mysterious crate ruins an old crop duster’s day, followed by rusty machinery yearning for the sun in Golden Shot (Gökalp Gönen, Turkey 2015, 9 min). Unholy light is shed in Day 40 (Sol Friedman, Canada 2014, 6 min), a satirical take on Noah’s Ark. Finishing the program is the Bay Area premiere of legendary visual effects and stop-motion craftsman Phil Tippett’s next darkly creepy and creative installment of his mad scientists and monsters series, Mad God Part 2 (US 2015, 18 min).

—Amanda Todd

Fri Oct 9 9:30pm Rafael Thur Oct 15 9:30pm Rafael

Total Program 62 min

“So as you go to find yourself, don’t look too hard, you may pass yourself by.” These true-life tales begin with A Passion of Gold and Fire (Belgium 2014, 6 min), Sébastien Pins’ touching profile of a beekeeper who worries about the future of his hive. In Nicholas Cole’s The House Is Innocent (US 2015, 12 min), Tom and Barbara discover their new home has a notorious past. Marathon (US 2015, 9 min), by Theo Rigby and Kate McLean, introduces us to an Ecuadorean immigrant whose dream is to run in the New York City Marathon. Chris Siracuse’s delightful Found (US 2015, 9 min) profiles an Oakland-based artist who finds purpose by turning junk into imaginative kinetic sculptures. With Meg Smaker’s Boxeadora (US 2014, 16 min), we follow one woman’s quest to become Cuba’s first female boxer and achieve Olympic glory. In Jim Bird: Portrait of an American (US 2015, 4 min), Nik Kleverov takes us on a trip to Alabama to meet a man who makes sculptures out of large hay bales. Douglas Gautraud’s My Mom’s Motorcycle (US 2014, 6 min) provides us with an inside look at how objects can connect us to people, places, and ideas.

—Kelly Clement

Mon Oct 12 5:00pm Throck Tue Oct 13 2:45pm Rafael

5@5 WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND

5 @ 5

Total Program 68 min

“Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel.” Time and reality are fractured with lives changed and perceptions altered in these memorable shorts. A mother in a housing project has a date with destiny when two soldiers come to call on her in Moon Molson’s powerful The Bravest, the Boldest (US 2014, 16 min). Ollie Verschoyle’s examination of interconnectedness takes a riff on Proust in his sweetly mysterious Madeleine (UK/US 2015, 10 min). A grocery store trip is an exercise in empathy for an elderly couple in Lee Briggs’ Baby (US 2014, 7 min). Early morning can be the best time for ruminations on God and produce in Jonathan Patch’s funny and observant Deep Breakfast (US 2015, 7 min). And a man is caught in an insidious time loop from which he must escape or die trying in Tali Barde’s inventive DOT (Germany 2014, 27 min).

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Sat Oct 10 9:30pm Rafael Sun Oct 11 5:00pm Throck

5@5 YOUTH REEL

5 @ 5

Total Program 90 min

Young people get their first taste of curating a film program with our annual youth reel, a collection of short youth-produced films culled from over 100 entries and chosen by teens, aged 13-16, taking part in the Young Curators program, a part of CFI Education’s Summerfilm program. Students take a comprehensive look at films and filmmaking for five days with mentoring from 19 industry artists, then go on in the next week to jury the reel. Shorts from CFI Education’s My Place/My Story, Harvard-Westlake School, San Francisco Art and Film, and Santa Rosa High School are among the 15 films in the program. The films run from one minute to 11 minutes long and, in addition to California, hail from Washington, Louisiana, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Croatia: 20 Ways to Be the Perfect Man ; Hands ; Cut the Tall Trees: The Killing Power of Words ; Gray Matter ; Collision ; Year of Plenty ; Aqui Te Amo; The Second Right Off Main Street ; C-Men ; Wonderful World ; Trouble Comes Running ; Curt Lowens ; I’m Not Interested in Anything ; Elliot ; Resilient . Recommended for ages 13+ for some language and sexual situations.

—John Morrison

Sat Oct 17 11:00am Throck

45 YEARS

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2015 • 93 min

Director/Screenwriter Andrew Haigh Producer Tristan Goligher

Cinematographer Lol Crawley Editor

Jonathan Alberts Cast Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine James, Dolly Wells, David Sibley, Sam Alexander, Richard Cunningham Print Source IFC Films

Exquisite performances by Tom Courtenay (Geoff) and Charlotte Rampling (Kate) in this portrait of a marriage seen from the vantage point of its impending 45th anniversary make Andrew Haigh’s film a revelation in every way. When Geoff receives a letter saying that his late girlfriend’s body has been found frozen into a glacier in the Swiss Alps after a fall in the 1960s, the bedrock of his marriage is shaken. As previously untold details of his earlier relationship are gradually revealed, Kate and Geoff circle the questions, spoken and unspoken, that an image frozen in the past brings up. It’s like a chamber piece performed by two actors on top of their form, with a subtlety and insight both moving and poignant. Based on a short story, it brings to mind Joyce’s The Dead . Appropriately, Courtenay and Rampling were each rewarded with Best Actor awards at the 2015 Berlinale.

—Zoë Elton

Fri Oct 9 5:30pm Sequoia Mon Oct 12 2:30pm Rafael

AN ACT OF LOVE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 86 min

Director/Screenwriter Scott Sheppard

Producers Kate S. Logan, Scott Sheppard Cinematographers Scott Beer, Ross Hockrow Editors Scott Sheppard, Miranda Yousef Print Source

Autorickshaw Pictures

The recent US Supreme Court decision upholding same-sex marriage rights may have settled the matter in the public realm, but in the bitterly contentious arena of American churches, the issue is far from over. This gripping documentary plays out like a courtroom drama as it charts the years-long struggle of Frank Schaefer, a Pennsylvania minister in the United Methodist Church, who was defrocked after officiating at his son’s same-sex wedding. Schaefer’s case, told here with raw candor by participants on all sides of the issue, moves from a small-town squabble over a controversial local pastor into an agonizing, church-wide referendum pitting traditionalists against reformers. Throughout his trials—both literal and spiritual—Schaefer’s clear-eyed sense of spiritual duty remains unshaken, even as his career prospects and faith in his church are severely tested. The film chronicles both his family’s personal struggle and the drama of a mainstream church facing sea changes in American moral attitudes. WORLD PREMIERE

—Peter L. Stein

Fri Oct 9 5:45pm Rafael Mon Oct 12 2:45pm Throck

IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRAMELINE and SAN FRANCISCO LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER

AFERIM!

WORLD CINEMA

Romania/Bulgaria/Czech Republic 2015 • 108 min

Director Radu Jude Producer Ada

Solomon Screenwriters Radu Jude, Florin Lazarescu Cinematographer Marius Panduru Editor Catalin Cristutiu Cast Teodor Corban, Mihai Comanoiu, Cuzin Toma, Alexandru Dabija Print Source Big World Pictures

In Romanian with English subtitles ~ A Gypsy slave has run away from his Romanian master circa 1835; a constable (Teodor Corban) and his slow-witted son (Mihai Comanoiu) are hired to find him and bring him back. The duo heads out across the Ottoman Empire, encountering everyone from anti-Semitic holy men to trash-talking merchants (“May you be three days away from death, including yesterday!”). When they find the lad and return him to his “owner,” things take an unexpected turn. Part Eastern-European Western and part Jarmusch road movie, Radu Jude’s gorgeous blackand-white opus—Romania’s Best Foreign Language Oscar ® contender—proves that the Romanian New Wave has not yet fully crested. Unlike the intimate post-Ceausescu dramas that have made the country a world-cinema hotspot, this old-school epic plays out on a huge historical canvas. But like those socially conscious contemporary classics, Jude’s exploration of the distant past offers a biting commentary on the here and now.

—David Fear

Fri Oct 9 2:45pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 8:00pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ROMANIAN FILM FESTIVAL

AIN’T

MISBEHAVIN’

(UN VOYAGEUR)

WORLD CINEMA

France/Switzerland 2013 • 106 min

Director Marcel Ophuls Producer Frank Eskenazi Cinematographer Pierre Boffety

Editors Sophie Brunet, Pascale Alibert Print Source Wide

TRIBUTE: MARCEL OPHULS In French, Spanish, English, and German with English subtitles ~ Approaching his 88th birthday, Marcel Ophuls’ legacy as a filmmaker, a witness to history, and the conscience of Europe is assured. He assumes the mantle of mischievous raconteur in this peripatetic, unexpected autobiography that combines anecdotes, conversations, and loads of clips from vintage movies in a seductive whirl. The son of the great German-Jewish director Max Ophuls ( La Ronde ), Marcel was five when the family fled Germany for France and then California. He inevitably gravitated to the movie business in France, directing Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo in Banana Peel (1963) before finding his path as a documentarian with The Sorrow and the Pity (see page 146). Moreau and Frederick Wiseman are among the peers who join Ophuls on camera, but he’s less interested in revisiting his career than recounting stories of his childhood in Europe and young adulthood in Hollywood. An entertaining capstone to a stellar career, Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a treat for movie lovers.

—Michael Fox

Thur Oct 15 7:00pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM INSTITUTE

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

ALIAS MARIA

WORLD CINEMA

Columbia/Argentina/France

2015 • 92 min

Director José Luis Rugeles Gracia

Producer Federico Duran Amorocho

Screenwriter Diego Vivanco

Cinematographer Sergio Iván Castaño

Editor Delfina Castagnino Cast Karen Torres, Carlos Clavijo, Erick Ruiz, Anderson Gómez, Lola Lagos, Fabio Velásco Print Source UDI

In Spanish with English subtitles ~ Child soldiers risk their lives to ferry their commander’s newborn baby to safety in director José Luis Rugeles’ tense drama. The children are part of a band of leftist guerrillas battling right-wing paramilitaries in the Colombian jungle. Thirteen-year-old Maria; her boyfriend, Mauricio; Afro-Colombian Byron; and Yuldor, a scrawny preteen, face constant danger in trying to protect an infant whose very cries could alert the enemy to their presence. The pressure on Maria is even greater as she tries to hide her own pregnancy from her comrades. In her screen debut, Karen Torres makes palpable Maria’s terror, tenderness, and determination, while Rugeles’ camera captures both the claustrophobia and lush beauty of the jungle. No mere war drama, Rugeles and writer Diego Vivanco made Alias Maria to draw attention to the plight of the thousands of children— according to Human Rights Watch—recruited to fight in Colombia’s decades-long civil strife.

—Margarita Landazuri

Sat Oct 10 6:30pm Rafael Mon Oct 12 5:30pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

ALL EYES AND EARS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 90 min

Director/Screenwriter Vanessa Hope Producers Geralyn White Dreyfous, Ted Hope, Vanessa Hope Cinematographers Magela Crosignani, Laura Hudock Editors

Paul Frost, Todd Holmes, Michael Taylor Print Source Roundabout Entertainment, Inc.

In English and Chinese with English subtitles ~ This timely documentary is a story of three people: Gracie Mei Huntsman, a teenager whose adoptive father’s job takes her back to the nation where she was abandoned to an orphanage at birth, the victim of China’s one-child policy and preference for boys; newly appointed US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, Jr., who inherits the job at a time of rising tensions between the two countries; and Chen Guangcheng, a blind lawyer whose activism led to China putting him under house arrest and who now seeks US asylum. China itself becomes a fourth character, a world superpower engaged in a volatile relationship with its western counterpart, the United States. In her feature documentary debut, director Vanessa Hope’s foreign-policy and prior filmmaking experience in China, comes into play as she gracefully weaves the disparate strands of her characters’ stories into an exciting and constantly changing saga of politics, ideology, identity, and high-stakes diplomacy.

—Frako Loden

Sun Oct 11 8:15pm Lark Sun Oct 18 2:00pm Sequoia

THE AMAZING WIPLALA

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg 2014 • 100 min

Director Tim Oliehoek Producers Burny Bos, Jani Thiltges Jacqueline de Goeij Screenwriter Tamara Bos Cinematographer Rolf Dekens Editor Bert Jacobs Cast Géza Weisz, Sasha Mylanus, Kee Ketelaar, Peter Paul Muller Print Source BosBros

A family adventure that mixes Honey, I Shrunk the Kids slapstick with heartfelt bonding between a lonely boy and his grieving father and sister, The Amazing Wiplala is a winning tale based on a popular Dutch children’s book. Nine-year-old Johannes is adrift after losing his mother. His sister treats him like a pest; his father is distracted and absent. A bump in the night leads Johannes to discover a tiny intruder who has magical powers (though he is decidedly not a leprechaun). Chaos ensues as “Wiplala” demonstrates his prowess at zapping others down to his own four-inch size. Trouble is he can’t reverse the spell, and once the whole family is miniaturized, they’re launched on a slapdash odyssey that takes them from Amsterdam’s treacherous streets to the top of the Royal Palace. Wiplala and Johannes band together to save the day, learning to harness the true magic of believing in oneself. Ages 7+. In Dutch with English subtitles read aloud. US PREMIERE —Deanna Quinones

Sat Oct 17 11:00am Rafael Sun Oct 18 11:00am Lark

ASSOCIATION WITH

YOUTH IN ARTS

AMNESIA

WORLD CINEMA

Switzerland/France 2015 • 96 min

Director Barbet Schroeder Producers Ruth Waldburger, Margaret Menegoz Screenwriters Emilie Bickerton, Peter Steinbach, Susan Hoffman, Barbet Schroeder Cinematographer Luciano Tovoli Editor Nelly Quettier Cast Marthe Keller, Max Riemelt, Bruno Ganz, Corinna Kirchhoff Print Source Les Films du Losange

CENTERPIECE In German, Spanish, and English with English subtitles ~ Crafted from events in his mother’s life, master filmmaker Barbet Schroeder ( Barfly, Reversal of Fortune ) revisits his decades-long cinematic examination of moral culpability and the complexities of human nature. In Amnesia , Martha, a mysterious German expat (iconic Marthe Keller, Marathon Man , Dark Eyes ) conducts her solitary life far from Ibiza’s 1990s club scene. Having left the Heimat before the War, she refuses to speak her native tongue, drive a VW, or play the musical instrument she mastered as a girl. Her young neighbor Jo, an aspiring club DJ (Max Riemelt, The Wave , MVFF 2008), begins to break through her barriers with his boyish curiosity and growing desire until the arrival of Jo’s father (Bruno Ganz in a masterful performance) calls Martha’s past and present into question with surprising and revelatory results. Amnesia is a profound cross-generational exploration of historical memory and morality, set against the stark and spectacular Ibizan landscape. Unforgettable! US PREMIERE

—Rod Armstrong

Tue Oct 13 7:00pm Rafael Wed Oct 14 12:30pm Rafael

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

ANGELICA

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 95 min

Director/Screenwriter Mitchell

Lichtenstein Producer Joyce Pierpoline

Cinematographer Dick Pope Editors Lee Percy, Andy Hafitz Cast Jena Malone, Janet McTeer, Ed Stoppard, Tovah Feldshuh Print Source Angelica Film Productions

Sexual repression and supernatural entities make uneasy bedfellows for Constance Barton (Jena Malone) in this playfully twisted period drama. It’s not that Constance doesn’t want to make love with her husband Joseph (Ed Stoppard); it’s that she’s been forbidden to after the difficult birth of their daughter, Angelica. Overwrought by this enforced physical separation, the young mother sees nightmarish visions taking shape in the house and threatening her and the child, so she turns to a formidable spirit hunter named Mrs. Montague (Janet McTeer, who steals every scene she’s in) for assistance. Based on the novel by Arthur Phillips, Lichtenstein’s film revels in the psychosexual turmoil of its heroine while making pointed references about the predicaments of women in the Victorian age. With ravishing art direction and a careful balance of chills and dramatic suspense, Angelica is a haunting tale of unfed appetites and the damage they can wreak. US PREMIERE

—Rod Armstrong

Sat Oct 10 8:00pm Sequoia* Sun Oct 11 8:00pm Rafael

*Special Premiere Event: See page 39 for details.

THE ASSASSIN (NIE YINNIANG)

WORLD CINEMA

Taiwan 2015 • 105 min

Director Hou Hsiao-hsien Producers Hou Hsiao-hsien, Liao Ching-Song Screenwriters Chu Tien-wen, Hsieh HaiMeng, Zhong Acheng Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping Bing Editors Huang ChihChia, Liao Ching-Song Cast Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Zhou Yun, Satoshi Tsumabuki Print Source Well Go USA Entertainment

In Mandarin with English subtitles ~ Legendary Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiaohsien (Cannes 2015 Best Director winner) returns with his first feature in eight years— an intimate, ninth century-set wuxia epic that blends period drama, political intrigue, and inter-generational storytelling elevated to dizzying heights. Yinniang ( Millennium Mambo ’s Shu Qi) excels in the art of killing. An act of mercy angers her handler, who punishes the beautiful assassin with a special assignment to dispatch a powerful governor (Chang Chen). But what exactly is the backstory between the killer and her target? And who’s that mysterious masked woman in the frame? Like his masterpiece Flowers of Shanghai , Hou’s latest is filled with stunning imagery, lush set design, and the sort of elegant tracking shots that sends cinephiles to the moon—and beyond. While The Assassin has its share of lightning-fast fights, it prizes atmosphere as much as action in a way that transcends the genre. In a word—breathtaking!

—David Fear

Thur Oct 8 6:15pm Cent. Larkspur Sat Oct 17 8:30pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA (CAAM)

SPONSORED

SPONSORED BY

THE AUTOMATIC HATE

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 97 min

Director Justin Lerner Producers Alix Madigan, Lacey Leavitt Screenwriters

Justin Lerner, Katharine O’Brien Cinematographer Quyen Tran Editor Jeffrey J. Castelluccio Cast Joseph Cross, Adelaide Clemens, Deborah Ann Woll, Ricky Jay, Richard Schiff, Yvonne Zima, Vanessa Zima, Catherine Carlen, Caitlin O’Connell Print Source Film Movement

Davis and his girlfriend, Cassie, are going through a rough patch in their relationship. They’ve been dating for two years, and lately there have been...complications. Now, in the middle of the night, an attractive woman with an uneven temperament has shown up at their apartment, claiming to be Davis’ cousin. Problem is, his dad was an only child. They tell their mystery visitor to scram, but something about her sticks with Davis—is there something to her claim? Is he attracted to her? Family secrets, rivalries, attractions, and several shades of bad decisions come to a head in Justin Lerner’s ( Girlfriend , MVFF 2011) film. It’s a feast of rich and nuanced performances, although special note should be made of Ricky Jay’s incredible turn as a (maybe?) deposed patriarch. The Automatic Hate is a twisty and twitchy dark comedy that will make you run home and double-check your family tree.

—Mike Keegan

Thur Oct 15 8:45pm Sequoia Sat Oct 17 2:15pm Lark

BADDDDD SONIA SANCHEZ

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 •

91 min

Directors/Producers Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon Cinematographers Daniel Traub, Peter Brownscombe, Bobby Shepard Editor Sabrina Schmidt Gordon Print Source Attie & Goldwater Productions

FOCUS: LIT FLIX BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez is, in her own words, a “woman with razor blades between her teeth.” A comprehensive portrait of the poet, playwright, scholar, teacher, and social activist, this performance-rich film explodes with life and the words that love Sonia while she loves them back. An architect of the ‘60s Black Arts Movement, Sanchez has stood as a persistent voice for equality when, as the film reveals, many preferred to stand down. Hers is a mighty, loud, sassy, and strong Black female voice. The performances of Sanchez’ poems light up the screen. This is especially true when she performs as a paramount jazz player of her own words. Sanchez is a revelation when backed by her band, as she “plays” the words in intricate rhythmic phrases and virtuosic solos that resonate long after the film ends. With appearances by Ruby Dee, Nikki Giovanni, Amiri Baraka, Haki Madhubuti, Questlove, and more. —Melissa Howden Fri Oct 16 7:30pm Throck Sat Oct 17 6:30pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA and THE WOMEN’S FILM INSTITUTE

BEASTS OF NO NATION

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 133 min

Director/Screenwriter/Cinematographer Cary Fukunaga Producers Riva Marker, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Cary Fukunaga Editors Pete Beaudreau, Mikkel E.G. Nielsen Cast Idris Elba, Abraham Attah Print Source Bleecker Street

In Twi and English with English subtitles ~ “I am a good boy, from a good family,” says young Agu (newcomer Abraham Attah), about the simple life he once knew with his parents, brothers, and sister. But being good is not the measure of survival when you live in a country embroiled in a brutal civil war. After militants raid his West African village, tear apart his family, and kill his father, he is forced to join a group of rebel fighters led by a ruthless warlord known only as Commandant (a fearsome Idris Elba), who takes Agu as his “charge.” Agu becomes part of his battalion of jungle-based child soldiers—armed with machine guns and grenade launchers—where fresh trauma is easily manipulated into murderous rage. Told from Agu’s pre-adolescent point of view, writer/director Cary Fukunaga’s ( True Detective, Season 1; Sin Nombre ) adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 book of the same name is a powerful marker of just how easily violence breeds violence.

—Joanne Parsont

Thur Oct 15 7:45pm Cinema

SPONSORED

BEYOND MEASURE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 85 min

Director/Producer Vicki Abeles

Screenwriters Vicki Abeles, Jeffrey Friedman, Mitzi Mock Cinematographer

Mark Smith Editor Jeffrey Friedman Print

Source Reel Link Films

For students, parents, educators, and anyone who cares about the future of the American education system, Beyond Measure is a call to action that demonstrates how innovation can and does work to break the stifling status quo. Director-producer Vicki Abeles has crafted a smart companion piece to her award-winning Race to Nowhere (MVFF 2009) that challenges the current education model of cookie-cutter teaching methods and a narrow, test-driven culture that leaves little room for creativity. Following a diverse group of educators across the country who are successfully pioneering fresh and often radically new approaches in their schools, the film showcases the viewpoints of faculty, students, and renowned thought leaders in the education field. It offers a collective “yes, we can” in answer to the big question of whether individuals and communities can drive the US teaching system back to the vital business of helping kids learn how to learn. WORLD PREMIERE

—Deanna Quinones

Sun Oct 11 11:45am Sequoia Sat Oct 17 5:15pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH BAY AREA WOMEN IN FILM & MEDIA

BIG FATHER, SMALL FATHER AND OTHER STORIES

(CHA VÀ CON VÀ)

WORLD CINEMA

Vietnam 2015 • 102 min

Director/Screenwriter Di Phan

Dang Producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc

Cinematographer K’Linh Nguyen Editor

Julie Béziau Cast Hai Yen Do Thi, Hoang Le Cong, Vinh Truong The, Phong Nguyen

Ha, Viet Mai Quoc, Hoang Le Van Print

Source UDI

In Vietnamese with English subtitles ~ Director Phan Dang Di follows his first film Bi, Don’t Be Afraid! with another gorgeously photographed meditation on distant fathers and wayward sons. While his debut prize-winning feature viewed the chaotic adult world through the voyeuristic eyes of a boy in Hanoi, Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories unfolds through the lens of Vu, an adolescent poised on the threshold of manhood in late 1990s Saigon. Studying photography and living on his father’s boat on the Mekong River, Vu clings naïvely to Thang, an effortlessly charismatic hunk who tends bar and deals drugs at a club that caters to all sexual preferences. But when some of his friends become desperately indebted to a local gangster, Vu invites them to lay low in the jungle Eden of his hometown. There he, Thang, and the others spend a season of unbridled sensuality, even as Vu faces ongoing conflicts with his father.

—Frako Loden

Wed Oct 14 8:30pm Sequoia Fri Oct 16 2:30pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA (CAAM) and FRAMELINE

BLACK

GIRL (LA NOIRE DE…)

WORLD CINEMA

France/Senegal 1966 • 65 min

Director/Screenwriter Ousmane

Sembène Producer André Zwoboda

Cinematographer Christian Lacoste

Editor André Gaudier Cast Mbissine

Thérèse Diop, Anne-Marie Jelinek, Robert Fountaine, Momar Nar Sene, Ibrahima Boy Print Source Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna

In French with English subtitles ~ Masterdirector Ousmane Sembène first illuminated international screens in 1966 and the results have only grown more powerful and relevant with time. With Black Girl , his first feature film, Sembène exhibits all the power, beauty, and signature style of an already-formed auteur. The story centers on Diouana, a vivacious young Senegalese woman with high hopes for the future who leaves home for employment and adventure but quickly finds herself captive in a strange and sterile environment called France. Working as a domestic servant for a French bourgeois married couple, Diouana’s silent acquiescence to the day-to-day drudgery of housecleaning and childcare is sharply contrasted by her resistant inner voice—the voice of a woman and, metaphorically, an entire culture that will not submit to subordination or indignity. Deceptively simple in its beautifully spare, minimalist style but subtly nuanced and devastatingly powerful in its impact, Sembène’s film is essential viewing for every cinephile.

—Karen Davis

Restored in 2015 by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Sembène Estate, Institut National de L’Audiovisuel, INA, Eclair Laboratories, and Centre National de Cinématographie. Restoration carried out at Cineteca di Bologna/ L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory.

Wed Oct 14 6:00pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

SPONSORED

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

BLUE BLOOD

(SANGUE AZUL)

WORLD CINEMA

Brazil 2014 • 119 min

Director Lírio Ferreira Producer Renato Ciasca Screenwriters Lírio Ferreira, Felipe Barbosa, Sérgio Oliveira

Cinematographer Mauro Pinheiro

Jr. Editor Mair Tavares Cast Daniel de Oliveira, Caroline Abras, Sandra Corveloni, Rômulo Braga Print Source Picture Tree International

In Portuguese with English subtitles ~ Mythological themes are mined from petty human dramas when the circus travels to a volcanic archipelago two hundred miles off Brazil’s northeast coast. Exiled as a child by his mother, the Cannon Man returns home to find the years have not diminished the taboo attraction between him and his sister. Natural opposites—the brother is shot into the air in nightly performances while the sister spends her days deep-sea diving—their reunion completes a cycle of fate. Director Lírio Ferreira hails from Pernambuco, the Brazilian state currently incubating a spare, compelling regional cinema, but his inspiration seems to come from elsewhere, borrowing the make-believe aesthetics of Fellini and the soap-operatic intensity of Cacá Diegues. Conscious of its theatricality, the film employs disorienting camera angles, direct address, and stock characters (including a ghost rider and a blind seer played by Cinema Novo’s Paulo César Peréio and Ruy Guerra) to ensure the fulfillment of preordained destinies.

—Shari Kizirian

Tue Oct 13 8:00pm Lark Thur Oct 15 2:00pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

BODY

WORLD CINEMA

Poland 2015 • 92 min

Director Małgorzata Szumowska Producers Jacek Drosio, Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert Screenwriters Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert Cinematographer Michał Englert Editor Jacek Drosio Cast Janusz Gajos, Maja Ostaszewska, Justyna Suwala, Ewa Dalkowska, Adam Woronowicz, Tomasz Zietek Print Source Memento Films International

In Polish with English subtitles ~ As suggested by the title, corporeality is at the crux of this striking, darkly funny Polish dramedy, whether focusing on the bodies examined by widowed prosecutor Janusz or the disappearing frame of his anorexic daughter Olga. Even the disembodied have a presence, channeled by therapist Anna, who is helping Olga manage her grief over the death of her mother. When father and daughter discover Anna’s unique gift, a surprising course is set for all three to try and transform their individual suffering into something that can be shared and thus assuaged. Despite the serious elements at its heart, Body is leavened by flashes of quirky humor, from the man who gets up and walks away from the tree he was hanging from to Anna falling asleep while trying to summon a ghost. Ultimately, Malgorzata Szumowska’s delightfully unpredictable film explores how bodies reveal and betray their owners, while also giving solace and helping to heal. US PREMIERE —Rod Armstrong

Fri Oct 16 6:00pm Lark Sun Oct 18 2:45pm Throck

IN ASSOCIATION WITH WWW.POLONIA. SF.COM

BREAKING A MONSTER

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 93 min

Director Luke Meyer Producers Tom Davis, Molly Smith, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill Screenwriters Luke Meyer, Brad Turner Cinematographers Ethan Palmer, Hillary Spera Editor Brad Turner Print Source SeeThink Films

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) Malcolm, Jarad, and Alec are talented musicians on the brink of rock-god stardom. They have an agent, a record contract, and have performed in front of thousands of screaming fans. They’re also in middle school. These boys are Unlocking the Truth, a Brooklyn metal band who gained a massive online following after posting videos of their street-corner performances. Breaking a Monster follows the band over the course of a yearlong industry roller coaster ride. These are thoughtful kids who often seem more down-to-earth than the giddy record execs. The film documents UTT’s passion and excitement and witnesses absurd versions of music business tropes (like agent Alan Sacks putting his foot down when his guitarist demands more Coke…the kind in a red-and-white can). Through everything the band’s spirit shines through. This is more than a portrait of three artists as young men; this is the future of rock.

—Laura Henneman

Sun Oct 11 2:15pm Throck Mon Oct 12 12:00pm Sequoia

SPONSORED

BRIDGE OF SPIES

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 135 min

Director Steven Spielberg Producers Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt, Kristie Macosko Krieger Screenwriters Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Cinematographer Janusz Kami ń ski Editor Michael Kahn Cast Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Scott Shepherd, Amy Ryan, Sebastian Koch, Alan Alda Print Source Dreamworks Pictures

A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of historic events, Bridge of Spies is the story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the nearimpossible task of negotiating the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. Screenwriters Matt Charman and three-time Academy Award ® -winners Ethan Coen and Joel Coen weave this remarkable experience in Donovan’s life into a story inspired by true events that captures the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life. Directed by threetime Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg, Bridge of Spies stars twotime Academy Award winner Tom Hanks as James Donovan; three-time Tony Award ® winner Mark Rylance as KGB agent Rudolf Abel; Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan as James’ wife, Mary; and Academy Award nominee Alan Alda as Thomas Watters, a partner at Donovan’s law firm.

Tue Oct 13 6:00pm Cinema

BRIDGEND

WORLD CINEMA

Denmark 2015 • 104 min

Director Jeppe Rønde Producer Michel Schønnemann Screenwriters Jeppe Rønde, Torben Bech, Peter Asmussen Cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof Jønck Editor Oliver Buggecutté Cast Hannah Murray, Steven Waddington, Josh O’Connor, Adrian Rawlins, Patricia Potter, Nia Roberts, Aled Thomas Print Source New Europe Film Sales

The mist-drenched Welsh valley of Bridgend exudes an ineffable force that has compelled scores of young adults to end their lives in its midst. What made them do it? That question haunts this unforgettable coming-of-age tale, based on fact but suffused with brooding subjectivity. Hannah Murray (Game of Thrones) stars as a wideeyed teenaged outsider drawn into the insular culture of Bridgend’s mystery. While her peers carry out their private rituals, gathering in the woods and online chat rooms to pay tribute to the dead, Sara’s detective father searches for answers. Is this some kind of cult? Is the Internet to blame? Escalating in tone from romantic realism to impressionistic nightmare, acclaimed Danish documentarian Jeppe Rønde’s first fiction feature is less an investigation than an empathetic evocation of ordinary adolescent desires—for love, identity, belonging— driven to inexplicable extremes. As one boy tells the detective, with that retort of teens everywhere: “You’ll never understand.”

—Juliet Clark

Sun Oct 11 8:45pm Rafael Tue Oct 13 3:00pm Lark

BROOKLYN

WORLD CINEMA

UK/Ireland/Canada 2015 • 112 min

Director John Crowley Producers Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey Screenwriter Nick Hornby Cinematographer Yves Bélanger Editor Jake Roberts Cast Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Braodbent, Julie Walters Print Source Fox Searchlight

Where is home? It’s the burning question at the heart of every immigrant story. For Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), the solo journey from Ireland to America is both a search for home and for self. Young, smart, and industrious, Eilis is also humble, tentative, and homesick. On her own in 1950s New York, having left her mother and sister Rose behind, she struggles with conflicting feelings of hope and loss—the intoxicating possibilities of her new world versus the familial comfort of the old. Inevitably, young men and romance factor into the equation, but Eilis’s choices are, ultimately, hers to make. With extraordinary subtlety, Ronan radiates exquisitely from scene to scene, conveying every nuance of emotion Eilis must endure. Written by Nick Hornby from Colm Tóibín’s bestselling novel, Brooklyn is a masterful work of storytelling that transcends the traditional tale of the poor immigrant making it in the big city. This is life, pure and profound.

—Joanne Parsont

Sat Oct 10 4:45pm Rafael Mon Oct 12 6:30pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO IRISH FILM FESTIVAL

SPONSORED

BROOKLYN, PARIS

WORLD CINEMA

France 2014 • 83 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Pascal Tessaud Cinematographer Fabien Rodesch Editors Nicolas Milteau, Amandine Normand Cast KT Gorique, Rafal Uchiwa, Jalil Naciri, Liliane Rovere, Veronique Ruggia, Blade MC Print Source The Festival Agency

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) In French with English subtitles ~ In an effort to better her life, 22-year-old Coralie (KT Gorique) leaves Switzerland for Paris with big dreams of making it as an MC in the city’s underground hip-hop scene in this music-infused drama. Settling in the rough Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, Coralie introduces her pseudonym “Brooklyn” and first tests her skills before an audience at a poetry slam. As her star rises, she garners the attention of scene luminary Issa (Rafal Uchiwa), whose advances fall into a gray area between romantic courtship and jealous rivalry. With a touch of Cassavetes mixed with an unmistakably French style and a rousing, spectacular soundtrack featuring real-life Parisian hip-hop artists (all of whom appear in the film as fictional versions of themselves), Brooklyn, Paris marks the arrival of two up-and-coming artists: Gorique, a successful MC making her first big-screen appearance, and writer/director Pascal Tessaud, who makes a dynamic, nuanced feature debut.

—Joe Bowman

Wed Oct 14 6:30pm Rafael Thur Oct 15 11:30am Rafael Fri Oct 16 2:30pm Sequoia

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

CAROL

US CINEMA

US/UK 2015 • 118 min

Director Todd Haynes Producers Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Christine Vachon Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy Cinematographer Edward Lachman

Editor Affonso Gonçalves Cast Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler Print Source The Weinstein Company

From its first moment, what we experience through and in the eyes of Carol ’s two brilliant leads opens the door to an incredibly rich cinematic experience, beautifully rendered by Todd Haynes ( I’m Not There , MVFF 2007). It’s Christmas, early 1950s: In the bustling department store where she works, Therese (Rooney Mara) is struck by an impeccable, well-heeled woman who’s shopping for her daughter. A brief, unspoken, love-at-first sight moment. After Carol (Cate Blanchett) absent-mindedly leaves behind her gloves, Therese returns them, opening the door to romantic connection. Carol leaves her already-foundering marriage to Harge (Kyle Chandler, also wonderful) and takes off on a road trip with the object of her affection. It’s a journey that is beautifully paced, impeccably observed, and deeply sensual, its luscious images a testament to the riches of Super 16mm. Haynes’ exquisite film does great justice to Patricia Highsmith’s—aka Claire Morgan— legendary, game-changing book The Price of Salt —Zoë Elton

Sun Oct 11 5:30pm Sequoia

Wed Oct 14 4:00pm Rafael

CINEMA: A PUBLIC AFFAIR

WORLD CINEMA

Germany 2015 • 99 min

Director/Screenwriter Tatiana Brandrup Producer Katrin Springer Cinematographers Martin Farkas, Tatiana Brandrup Editors Tatiana Brandrup, Arsen Yagdjyan Print Source FilmKantine

In Russian and German with English subtitles ~ Last year, when Russia’s Ministry of Culture removed Naum Kleiman as founding director of the Moscow Cinema Museum, the global outcry was swift and genuine. Under Kleiman’s legendary leadership, Moscow’s cinematheque was a vital, longtime center of cultural and intellectual life. But his internationalist vision, which projected cinema as a civic art form capable of “turning people into citizens,” had been adrift in Putin’s Russia. By 2005, the museum was operating in internal exile, its vast collection in storage. Tatiana Brandrup’s passionate documentary makes canny use of excerpts from the films of Sergei Eisenstein and others to trace Russian cinema’s historic opposition to tyranny. Meanwhile she reveals Kleiman, a foremost expert on Eisenstein, as a resolute man whose calm, measured tone amid the political machinations around him belies a fierce moral conviction—echoed by his loyal staff and others—that art must play a role in resisting the reactionary nationalism that has Russian society increasingly in its grip. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Robert Avila

Sat Oct 10 11:30am Rafael Mon Oct 12 6:30pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH BERLIN AND BEYOND FILM FESTIVAL and PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE and THE SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF GERMANY

CODE: DEBUGGING THE GENDER GAP

CREATIVE CONTROL

WORLD CINEMA

Director Pablo Larraín Producer Juan de Dios Larraín Screenwriters Guillermo Calderón, Daniel Villalobos, Pablo Larraín Cinematographer Sergio Armstrong

Editor Sebastián Sepúlveda Cast Alfredo Castro, Roberto Farías, Antonia Zegers, Jaime Vadell, Alejandro Goic, Alejandro Sieveking Print Source Music Box Films

In Spanish with English subtitles ~ Wayward priests live their lives in shadow in Pablo Larrain’s darkly comic allegory of longdelayed, fittingly carried out justice. The tension builds slowly in a drama where the clerics live among the dogs, gamblers, and beachcombers along the shore of a Chilean village. Shortly after a fifth reverend joins the household, their lives are thrown into turmoil first by a visit from a disturbed young man who levels shocking allegations against the newest arrival. Then when a church investigator appears after a shocking incident to “counsel” them, it’s clear that the priests’ isolated life of comfort and denial cannot continue. After examining the trauma of Chilean life under Pinochet in three recent films, including Best Foreign Language Film Oscar ® nominee, No (2012), Larrain turns his critical eye on the Catholic Church’s cover-up of its most shocking scandal. The Club won the Silver Bear at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival.

—Margarita Landazuri

Sun Oct 11 8:30pm Sequoia Thur Oct 15 11:30am Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 79 min

Director Robin Hauser Reynolds

Producers Robin Hauser Reynolds, Staci Hartman, Christie Herring Screenwriter

Jack Youngelson Cinematographer Jon Blomgren Editor Christie Herring Print

Source Finish Line Features, LLC

Big Tech needs to smash antiquated cultural stereotypes to recruit the best talent and transform an industry mired in a boys’ club mindset. Without a more diverse labor force, estimates are that one million engineering jobs will go unfilled by 2020. In her compelling and timely documentary, Robin Hauser Reynolds examines the history and current state of the technology industry and points the way toward a more equitable future. She focuses on the women and people of color within it who are working to increase their numbers in the sector and confronting the false truisms, educational obstacles, and rampant sexism that discourages so many from entering the field despite the wealth of job opportunities. Reynolds provides a platform for industry innovators to speak to complacency and inspire a revolution in startup culture and education that will allow many more people to succeed within the paradigm shift of the Information Age.

—Leah LoSchiavo

Fri Oct 9 6:00pm Sequoia Wed Oct 14 3:30pm Rafael Sat Oct 17 2:00pm Throck

IN ASSOCIATION WITH WOMEN WHO CODE and THE WOMEN’S FILM INSTITUTE

The October 17 screening is a special intergenerational program with panel discussion. See page 99 for details.

US 2015 • 97 min

Director Benjamin Dickinson

Producers Craig Shilowich, Melody Roscher, Mark Depace Screenwriters

Benjamin Dickinson, Micah Bloomberg

Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra

Editor Andrew Hasse Cast Benjamin Dickinson, Nora Zehetner, Dan Gill, Alexia Rasmussen, Reggie Watts Print

Source Amazon Studios

Benjamin Dickenson’s second feature, Creative Control , stylishly investigates the impact that technology has on our culture and humanity. A high-powered advertising executive and tech geek, David (Dickenson) seeks out a “genius-level creative” (comedian, musician, and “disinformationist” Reggie Watts, playing himself) to elevate Augmenta , a new device in immersive reality, beyond novelty and establish it as an innovative cultural tool. Despite his lofty vision, David ends up using the apparatus to create a life-like avatar of his best friend’s girlfriend and has a virtual affair with it. While set in the near future, Creative Control looks back more than it does forward. Strong references to the second half of the 20th century (both cultural and cinematic) as well as clever nods to contemporary culture (tech industry leaders appear in cameos) create a rich pastiche to examine “how did we get this way?” while ultimately offering a stirring reflection of where we are right here and right now.

—Holly Roach

Sat Oct 17 8:15pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 1:45pm Rafael

SPONSORED

Chile 2014 • 98 min

THE CLUB (EL CLUB)

THE DANISH GIRL

WORLD CINEMA

US/UK 2015 • 120 min

Director Tom Hooper Producers Tom Hooper, Gail Mutrux, Anne Harrison Screenwriter Lucinda Coxon

Cinematographer Danny Cohen Editor Melanie Oliver Cast Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard, Sebastian Koch, Ben Whishaw, Matthias Schoenaerts Print Source Focus Features

OPENING NIGHT Following his Oscar ® winning crowd-pleaser The King’s Speech (MVFF 2010), director Tom Hooper explores another remarkable story from 20th-century European history with The Danish Girl , the story of renowned painter Lili Elbe, one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Marvelously played by Academy Award ® -winner Eddie Redmayne ( The Theory of Everything , MVFF Spotlight 2014), Lili, born Einar, is in a happy marriage with fellow painter Gerda (rising star Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina ) in this drama set in 1920s Copenhagen. When Gerda’s model doesn’t show up for one of her portrait sessions, Einar takes her place, dressing in women’s clothes for the first time, discovering a brand-new identity as Lili, and subsequently creating a new, complex dimension to the marriage. Matthias Schoenaerts ( Rust and Bone ), Sebastian Koch ( Black Book ), and Ben Whishaw ( Skyfall ) also star in this beautifully lensed portrait of one of the pioneers of the transgender movement.

Thur Oct 8 7:00pm Cent. Larkspur

Thur Oct 8 7:15pm Cent. Larkspur

DAY ONE

US CINEMA

Total Program 68 min

First days on the job range from the harrowing to the bewildering in this trio of exceptional short films.

DAY ONE

US 2014 • 25 min

Director Henry Hughes

Director Henry Hughes—himself a combat veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan—vividly depicts a new translator’s first day accompanying a US Army unit as it searches for a local terrorist. As she quickly discovers, her job will bring up brutal complexities as gender and religious barriers emerge with lives hanging in the balance.

MEAT

US 2015 • 15 min

Director Michael Forstein

An anthropology graduate encounters a cultural disconnect when the only job he can find is selling meat door-to-door in the Midwest. The result is a mordantly funny meditation on the skills required to adapt to life’s curveballs.

THE VISIT

Israel 2014 • 27 min

Director Inbar Horesh

A young woman visiting her father in the hospital is accidentally mistaken for a nurse and quickly finds herself integrating into the routine there. It’s not long before she encounters deep age, class, and racial divisions while on her eye-opening first “day.” —Sterling Hedgpeth

Sun Oct 11 2:45pm Rafael Tue Oct 13 8:30pm Rafael

DHEEPAN

WORLD CINEMA

France 2015 • 109 min

Director Jacques Audiard Producer Pascal Caucheteux Screenwriters Noe Debre, Thomas Bidegain, Jacques Audiard Cinematographer Eponine Momenceau Editor Juliette Welfling Cast Antonythasan Jesuthasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan, Claudine Vinasithamby, Vincent Rottiers, Marc Zinga Print Source IFC Films

The Palme d’Or winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Dheepan tells an intimate story about the immigrant experience with sympathy and candor. The film stars Antonythasan Jesuthasan, a writer and former Sri Lankan child soldier, as a Tamil Tiger hoping to start a new life in the slums of Paris, but there’s one catch: In order to gain asylum, he must take along a woman (Kalieaswari Srinivasan) and child (Claudine Vinasithamby) and pretend they are his wife and daughter. Directed by Jacques Audiard ( A Prophet , Rust and Bone ), Dheepan is a gritty look at poverty, racism, and the unlikely communities that spring up in the darkest of times. Audiard partly drew on Jesuthasan’s own experiences for this drama, which morphs from a tale of survival and family into a tense thriller as Dheepan soon learns that the war zone he’s left behind has, in its own way, come back to haunt him in this strange new land.

—Tom Grierson

Sat Oct 17 5:30pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 5:30pm Rafael

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

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

SPONSORED

DIRTY WOLVES

(LOBOS SUCIOS)

WORLD CINEMA

Spain 2015 • 105 min

Director Simón Casal de Miguel Producers Juan de Dios Serrano, John Engel, Jordi Mendieta Screenwriters

Carmen Abarca, Paula Cons, Felipe Rodríguez Cinematographer Sergi Gallardo Editor Jordi López Cast Marian Álvarez, Manuela Vellés, Pierre Kiwitt

Print Source Latido Films

In Spanish and German with English subtitles ~ Under ancient yew trees in the Nazi-controlled tungsten mines of northwest Spain, a single mother decides to fight someone else’s war—and ends up risking everything. Known mockingly as “The Widow,” Manuela was abandoned by her baby’s father and now works processing the wolfram (aka tungsten) that the Germans will use to tear through Allied flesh. But it turns out there is more than just the wolf of poverty to keep from the door as Manuela comes to realize that—unlike her country— she cannot remain neutral in a time of war. In a thrilling first feature inspired by actual events, director Simón Casal de Miguel imbues the unrelenting grayness of the Galician countryside with a mysticism as old as the twisting yews and howling wolves that roam beneath them. And in Marian Álvarez’s steely, nuanced Manuela, along with the terrific supporting cast, he has mined rich and subtle talent. WORLD PREMIERE

—Lucy Laird

Sat Oct 10 2:15pm Rafael Mon Oct 12 11:30am Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN and KANBAR PERFORMING ARTS/OSHER MARIN JCC

DOGTOWN REDEMPTION

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015

• 92 min

Directors Amir Soltani, Chihiro Wimbush

Producer/Screenwriter Amir Soltani

Cinematographer Chihiro Wimbush

Editor Manuel Tsingaris Print Source Amir Soltani

We’ve all woken up to the late-night clanking of bottles and cans while a stranger rummages through our recycling. Once we drift back to sleep, these mysterious men and women continue their long journey toward survival. Dogtown Redemption captures the fascinating faces and sturdy souls of Oakland recyclers, including a former punk rocker and a misplaced minister, who often cover over 10 miles of city streets as they haul hundreds of pounds of recyclables for a modest payout. By focusing on the dramatic personal plights of these hardworking individuals, the film also raises intriguing questions about the socioeconomic reality of West Oakland. For example, does a for-profit recycling center in the heart of a low-income area help or hurt the community? Are these recyclers empowered or exploited? Filmmakers Amir Soltani and Chihiro Wimbush combine intimate interviews and powerful all-access footage to craft an intensely honest, and sometimes hopeful, portrait of society’s forgotten people.

WORLD PREMIERE

—Brendan Peterson

PRECEDED BY GOOD MAN

US 2014 • 5 min

Director David Swope

After serving eight years in San Quentin, Ronnie Goldman found redemption and solace through the creation of art, which he now donates to homeless charities.

Sat Oct 10 1:45pm Rafael Thur Oct 15 5:00pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CALIFORNIA HUMANITIES and ST. MARY’S CENTER

A DOZEN SUMMERS

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

UK 2015 • 82 min

Director/Screenwriter Kenton Hall

Producers Alexzandra Jackson, Kenton Hall Cinematographer Geoffrey Gilson

Editors Geoffrey Gilson, Kenton Hall Cast Scarlet Hall, Hero Hall, Colin Baker, Ewen MacIntosh, Sarah Warren, Kenton Hall

Print Source Monkey Basket Films

Twelve-year-old Leicester twins Daisy and Maisie McCormack take advantage of an opportunity to make a movie about their lives, bringing the “crazy” people they know—parents, friends (and enemies), teachers, and even the local shopkeeper— along for the ride. There’s drama (and plenty of laughs) in the smallest matter for these girls, but their sometimes silly yet wise dad keeps them safely grounded through victory and adversity. Whether it’s a bike chase with bullies in pursuit, navigating their way through a series of their mum’s baffling boyfriends, or imagining themselves at the center of a heist, Maisie and Daisy face every challenge with wry pre-teen bemusement. Director, screenwriter, co-producer, and co-editor Kenton Hall audaciously casts himself alongside his daughters, Scarlet and Hero, but this inventive family film is no vanity project. The McCormacks emanate heartfelt affection, which enables comedic turns, mutual bewilderment, understanding, and emotional truth. Ages 11+

—Roberta McNair

Sat Oct 10 11:45am Sequoia Sun Oct 18 11:00am Rafael

THE DRESSMAKER

WORLD CINEMA

Australia 2015 • 118 min

Director Jocelyn Moorhouse Producer Sue Maslin Screenwriters Jocelyn Moorhouse, P.J. Hogan Cinematographer Donald M. McAlpine Editor Jill Bilcock

Cast Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving Print Source Embankment Films

Tilly Dunnage is back. And the tiny desiccated town of Dungatar is in for one heck of a dressing down—and an even more spectacular dressing up. Clad in her own spin on Dior and armed with her Singer sewing machine like a gunslinger on a catwalk, Tilly (Kate Winslet) has returned to her childhood home with a vendetta to enact, a mystery to solve, a relationship to mend, and a whole lot of dresses to make. But first she must deal with her reclusive, misanthropic mother Mad Molly (Judy Davis), a corral of mealymouthed townsfolk, a cross-dressing police chief (Hugo Weaving), and the hunky boyin-the-trailer-next-door (Liam Hemsworth) who’s determined to win her love. Featuring a brilliant cast of Australia’s finest, Jocelyn Moorhouse’s ( Proof, 1991) kangaroo western offers a surprise at every turn: from murder to romance, drama to uproarious comedy. Because when haute couture comes to the outback, all hell is gonna break loose.

—Joanne Parsont

Fri Oct 16 7:00pm Rafael Sun Oct 18 11:00am Sequoia

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT

(EL ABRAZO DE LA SERPIENTE)

WORLD CINEMA

Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina 2015 • 125 min

Director Ciro Guerra Producer Cristina Gallego Screenwriters Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Cinematographer David Gallego Editors Etienne Boussac, Cristina Gallego Cast Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolívar, Yauenkü Miguee, Jan Bijvoet, Brionne Davis Print Source Oscilloscope

In Amazonian languages (Cubeo, Huitoto, Wanano, Tikuna), Spanish, Portugese, German, and Catalan with English subtitles ~ This urgent tale startles in lush black and white. Karamakate, “the world mover,” is a lone shaman, the last of the Cohiuano people living in harmony with the rainforest. On two separate occasions 40 years apart, he’s summoned to help a white man heal his soul sickness, his lack of dreaming. Despite the incursion of missionaries and rubber robber barons, he attempts to reassert traditional ways. The winner of the 2015 top prize at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, Embrace of the Serpent ’s crosscutting stories are based on the travel diaries of Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes. In 1909, Karamakate attends to deathly ill German ethnographer Theo and accompanies him into the Amazonian heart of darkness in search of a fabled sacred medicine plant. Decades later, ethnobotanist Evan seeks the same plant with an older, less assured Karamakate. As colonialism cuts even deeper than before, will they be saved? Will we? US PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

Wed Oct 14 8:45pm Cinema Sat Oct 17 2:00pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and THE HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

THE GIRL IN THE BOOK

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 88 min

Director/Screenwriter Marya Cohn

Producers Gina Resnick, Kyle Heller Cinematographer Trevor Forrest Editor Jessica Brunetto Cast Emily VanCamp, Michael Nyqvist, David Call, Michael Christofer, Talia Balsam, Ana Mulvoy-Ten Print Source Varient Entertainment, LLC

FOCUS: LIT FLIX After an enticing mentorship with a close family friend brings young Alice Harvey (Ana Mulvoy-Ten) into a questionable relationship with renowned older writer Milan Daneker (a compelling Michael Nykvist The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest ), the residual effects haunt her 15 years later. The impending reissue of the seminal novel Milan based on her life forces Alice—now an assistant editor—to reconnect with the man who stifled her own writing and continues to exert a corrosive influence on her life. Emily VanCamp ( Brothers & Sisters ) delivers a nuanced, empathetic performance as the 29-year-old Alice, who sees her writer’s block and self-sabotaging behavior in a new light through the prism of this disconcerting reunion. A stunning and perceptive debut film from Marya Cohn, The Girl in the Book compassionately explores the overlooked manifestations of abusive relationships and the struggle to rediscover one’s own creative voice.

—Dominique O’Neil

Sat Oct 10 4:45pm Sequoia Mon Oct 12 8:15pm Rafael Thur Oct 15 11:15am Sequoia

THE GIRL KING

WORLD CINEMA

Finland 2015 • 106 min

Director Mika Kaurismäki Producers Mika Kaurismäki, Anna Stratton, Arnie Gelbart

Screenwriter Michel Marc Bouchard

Cinematographer Guy Dufaux Editor Hans Funck Cast Malin Buska, Sarah Gadon, Michael Nyqvist, Lucas Bryant, Laura Bi, Hippolyte Girardot Print Source Wolfe Releasing

In English, French, and German with English subtitles ~ Mika Kaurismäki’s ( Road North , MVFF 2012; Sonic Mirror, MVFF 2008) handsome 17th-century drama recounts the life of Sweden’s Queen Kristina, a philosophically minded woman centuries ahead of her time who ascended the throne at age six, was raised as a prince, and strived to bring peace and education to her country—while pursuing an illicit romance with her royal attendant. Growing up as a tomboy with a strong intellectual appetite for Descartes, young Kristina (an electric Malin Buska) finds herself thrown into a political frenzy as a teenager. Saddled with the Thirty Years War between Protestants and Catholics, Kristina steers her country away from the conservatives while privately grappling with her own sexual awakening, in the form of Countess Ebba Sparre (radiant Sarah Gadon), her lovely lady-in-waiting. For this lush portrait of European history’s most iconic monarch, Kaurismäki assembled an impressive, international cast, including Michael Nyqvist, Hippolyte Girardot, and Martina Gedeck. US PREMIERE

—Joe Bowman

Fri Oct 9 7:30pm Lark

Sat Oct 10 1:45pm Sequoia

Thur Oct 15 2:00pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRAMELINE and CONSULATE GENERAL OF SWEDEN

GOLDEN KINGDOM

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 103 min

Director/Screenwriter Brian

Perkins Producers Brian Perkins, Matthew O’Connor, Jessica Ballard

Cinematographer Bella Halben Editor Sebastian Bonde Cast Shine Htet Zaw, Ko

Yin Saw Ri, Ko Yin Than Maung, Ko Yin

Maung Sein, Sayadaw Print Source Wide

In Burmese with English subtitles ~ In this first feature by Brian Perkins, beautifully shot in Myanmar with a cast that includes two actual monks in training, four young Buddhist monks and their abbot live peaceably in a remote mountain monastery. Sights and sounds arise from nature, the boys at play, and their humble devotional routines. Harmony reigns in their simple life. One day the abbot disappears, leaving the young boys to continue their lives of piety, but on their own. As the atmosphere becomes increasingly charged with sounds of gunfire, the young novitiates slowly come to understand the world outside is precarious and, like the monkey chief from a Burmese folk tale, strive to selflessly protect themselves. In this classic coming-of-age tale, the boys must follow the wisdom of their devotional practice. Like the Buddha himself, all of them must take a journey and encounter sickness, aging, and death. Spiritual life meets a troubled world with the keen eye of compassion. US PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

Tue Oct 13 5:00pm Rafael Thur Oct 15 2:30pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE BUDDHIST FILM FOUNDATION and THE CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA (CAAM)

GREENERY WILL BLOOM AGAIN

(TORNERANNO I PRATI)

WORLD CINEMA

Italy 2015 • 80 min

Director/Screenwriter Ermanno Olmi Producers Elisabetta Olmi, Luigi Musini Cinematographer Fabio Olmi

Editor Paolo Cottignola Cast Claudio Santamaria, Alessandro Sperduti, Francesco Formichetti, Andrea Di Maria Print Source Rai Cinema

FOCUS: CINEMA BELLISSIMO In Italian with English subtitles ~ In this pacifist war drama, Italian cinema maestro Ermanno Olmi ( The Tree of Wooden Clogs ) exquisitely and impressionistically recounts his grandfather’s experiences in the battle trenches of World War I. Surrounded by tangled barbed wire, among snowfall and sleet, a young soldier sings love songs atop a bunker, while just meters away, the opposition applauds him. The soldier calls for a truce between the men, but only the snowfall answers his plea for an end to the violence. Minimalist in dialogue, unspoken emotions are elucidated through close-ups, glances and gazes, creating unforgettable portraits of young men at their most vulnerable. Greenery Will Bloom Again is a thoughtful and significant piece of filmmaking that divulges the most intimate fears of men at war through a deeply humane antiwar lens.

—Dominique O’Neil

PRECEDED BY BREATHE

US 2015 • 9 min

Directors Forrest Andrew Alvarez, Edward Hamel

A thought-provoking film examining the painful effects of war on a psychiatrist and his patient.

Fri Oct 9 2:00pm Sequoia Wed Oct 14 3:00pm Lark

Fri Oct 16 1:45pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

MOTOR CLUB

OF THE DOCS

Cuba/US 2015 • 84 min

Director/Screenwriter Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt Producers Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, Zelmira Gainza, Magnus Andersson Cinematographer Zelmira Gainza Editors Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, Armando Croda, Julio Perez IV Print Source Perlmutt Productions, Inc.

In Spanish with English subtitles ~ Declared an elitist pursuit after the revolution, auto racing in Cuba survives as a clandestine, cop-dodging activity on remote streets and highways. Drivers endlessly tweak the souped-up, tuned-up engines in their 1950s US hotrods, dreaming of the day their underground sport is sanctioned again by the authorities. This vibrant, street-level documentary follows a handful of obsessed grease monkeys through the course of the Cuban Motor Federation’s stop-andgo exertions to stage an organized dragracing event. The top competitors setting engines—and hearts—racing are Reinaldo “Tito” Lopez Fernandez, the fierce grayhaired patriarch whose son drives their classic red-and-white 1955 Chevy Bel Air, and Carlos Alvarez Sanchez, blessed with Clooney-esque looks and a Cuban-American partner who flies in parts for their late-model red Porsche. To overcome the myriad bumps in the road, they and their fellow enthusiasts rely on a uniquely Cuban mix of determination, sacrifice, and macho swagger.

—Michael Fox

Sat Oct 10 11:00am Sequoia Mon Oct 12 2:30pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

HEART LIKE A HAND GRENADE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 99 min

Director John Roecker Producer Pat Magnarella Cinematographer John Roecker Editors Scott Gawlik, Dean Gonzalez Print Source Abramorama

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) Grab a guitar and a yellow legal pad—you’re going into the studio with Green Day. More than 10 years after the release of American Idiot , the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees present this time capsule rock doc that takes us inside the songwriting and recording process of their Grammy Award®winning punk rock opera. Now that the album has achieved multiplatinum status and become a hugely successful Broadway show, looking back on them in the studio is both nostalgic and insightful—the band knew they had something good, but even they didn’t know how good. Filmmaker John Roecker adorns the behind-the-scenes clips with stylish touches including a massive gig poster collage and a swingin’ ‘60s Fossechoreographed set piece. Billboard , check. Broadway, check. Now Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool are poised to conquer the big screen. WORLD PREMIERE —Laura Henneman

Thur Oct 8 7:00pm Rafael Tue Oct 13 9:00pm Cinema

HERE IS HAROLD (HER ER HAROLD)

WORLD CINEMA

Norway 2014 • 95 min

Director/Screenwriter Gunnar Vikene Producer Maria Ekerhovd Cinematographer Simon Pramsten Editor Frida Eggum Michaelsen Cast Bjørn Sundquist, Bjørn Granath, Grethe Selius Print Source Norwegian Film Institute

In Norwegian with English subtitles ~ Adapted from a story by journalist and author Frode Grytten, Norway’s witty chronicler of the national inclination to morose persistence, Here Is Harold conceives of revenge as a dish best served cold, cold, cold. The titular character has lived a long, dignified, and satisfying life as a proud craftsman and dealer of high-quality furniture, until the erection of a mammoth new IKEA store across the road puts the screws and hammer to his business. So begins a Christmastime losing streak that strips Harold of all his dreams but one: Go to snowbound Sweden, kidnap IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, and force him to apologize to the world for substandard craftsmanship. Screenwriter and director Gunnar Vikene has fashioned a touching and delightful saga (with echoes of MVFF 2014’s The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window.... ) constructed on the principle that “built to last” applies to furniture and families alike. US PREMIERE

—Michael Fox

Sun Oct 11 1:00pm Rafael

Tue Oct 13 8:30pm Sequoia

Thur Oct 15 12:15pm Rafael

HAVANA

VALLEY

THE HI DE HO SHOW

Total Program 120 min

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) John Goddard, MVFF’s grand master of all things music, veejays from his personal collection as he takes us back half a century (gulp!) to the West Coast, where the seeds of revolution were being sown, both in music and on the groovy turntable of life. In the Northwest, no one agrees who recorded “Louie Louie” first: The Kingsmen or Paul Revere and The Raiders—but you can guess who played it longest. In San Francisco, The Beau Brummels said “Laugh, Laugh;” Bobby Freeman enticed us to “C’mon and Swim;” both were produced by Sylvester Stewart, aka Sly Stone. In LA, Darlene Love and The Blossoms were just, well, 20 feet from Phil Spector (recording “He’s A Rebel” as The Crystals), while Mamas, Papas, and Brothers who were Righteous joined Sonny and Cher in upping the ante musically—and sartorially. From the mellifluous to the marvelous, from the funky to the frenetic, the left coast was shakin’ and shimmying: C’mon everybody!

—Zoë Elton

Fri Oct 9 8:45pm Sequoia Fri Oct 16 8:30pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER OF MARIN

HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US/France 2015 • 80 min

Director Kent Jones Producers Charles S. Cohen, Oliver Mille Screenwriters Kent Jones, Serge Toubiana Cinematographers Eric Gautier, Genta Tamaki Editor Rachel Reichman Print Source Cohen Media Group

In English, French, and Japanese with English subtitles ~ When these two cinematic giants met in 1962, no one recognized them yet as such. François Truffaut was an exciting new talent in the vanguard of the French New Wave, and Alfred Hitchcock was a household name as the Master of Suspense, pigeonholed as the architect of neat little thrillers. But after their conversation and the subsequent book it yielded, nobody looked at movies the same way again. As this incisive and entertaining documentary chronicles, it took the fresh eyes of a cinema enthusiast like Truffaut to reveal to American viewers what his fellow critics-turnedartists already knew—that Hitchcock films had poetry, psychological complexity, and operatic emotion buried underneath the genre trappings. Using audio excerpts from those talks; a host of interviews, led by Martin Scorsese; and close readings of Hitchcock’s films, director Kent Jones deftly examines the seminal importance of these friendly, revolutionary chats and their widereaching legacy.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Thur Oct 15 8:00pm Lark Sat Oct 17 3:15pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO SILENT FILM FESTIVAL

HOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE NATION

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 93 min

Director Barbara Kopple Producers Barbara Kopple, Suzanne Mitchell, Hamilton Fish Cinematographers Gary Grifin, David Sosnow, John Hazard Editor Richard Hankin Print Source Cabin Creek Films

FOCUS: LIT FLIX Academy Award ®winner Barbara Kopple ( Harlan County, USA ; American Dream ) turns her incisive lens on The Nation , America’s oldest continuously published weekly magazine, and the impassioned team keeping it relevant in its second century. An American institution that debuted in 1865, the magazine has housed the voices of nearly every prominent writer and thinker of each modern moment, including Albert Einstein, Emily Dickinson, Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Luther King Jr., Toni Morrison, Gore Vidal, Barbara Ehrenreich, and many more, remaining the torchbearer for the political left. But what Kopple reveals so engagingly is the collective spirit behind the printed page, embodied by editor-publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel and the crew of writers, editors, staff, and interns who still care so much about the value of journalism. Watch this polished documentary to learn things you may not know about The Nation , but celebrate its true value in exploring the still-beating heart of the American free press.

—Deanna Quinones

Sun Oct 11 2:45pm Sequoia Thur Oct 15 5:15pm Rafael

SPONSORED

I SMILE BACK

US CINEMA

US 2014 • 85 min

Director Adam Salky Producers Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Mike Harrop Screenwriters Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan Cinematographer Eric Lin Editor Tamara Meem Cast Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon Print Source Broad Green Pictures

SPOTLIGHT: SARAH SILVERMAN Sarah Silverman makes a groundbreaking departure from her comedic roots with this astonishing portrait of a troubled woman desperately looking for a path to redemption. Laney seems to have it all: two children she adores, a loving and doting husband, an immaculate house with an SUV in the driveway. But under the veneer of the perfect life in suburbia lies the painful struggle of a New Jersey housewife suffering from manic depression and sex and drug addictions, whose unbridled compulsive behavior— reckless use of alcohol and amphetamines, and illicit sexual encounters with a close family friend—is on the verge of throwing her life into complete disarray. Screenwriter Amy Koppelman adapts her own novel in collaboration with Paige Dylan, and transforms her story of a woman unraveling into a showcase for Silverman. The actress is a revelation, delivering a courageous, bareall performance in this dazzling, sometimes harrowing drama.

Fri Oct 9 7:00pm Rafael

THE IDEALIST

WORLD CINEMA

Denmark 2015 • 114 min

Director Christina Rosendahl Producers Jonas Frederiksen, Signe Leick Jensen, Ane Mandrup Screenwriters Lars K. Andersen, Simon Pasternak, Christina Rosendahl Cinematographer Laust Trier Mørk Editors Janus Billeskov Jansen, Olivier Bugge Coutté, Molly Marlene Stensgaard Cast Peter Plaugborg, Søren Malling, Thomas Bo Larsen, Arly Jover, Jens Albinus Print Source Danish Film Institute

In Danish and English with English subtitles ~ Set in Denmark near the end of the Cold War and based on actual events, The Idealist is a powerful drama following one tenacious journalist’s investigation into a shocking cover-up with wide-ranging public health, political, and diplomatic implications. Poul Brink (Peter Plaugborg) is a radio reporter probing the cause of an unusual illness afflicting former workers at a remote air base in Greenland. Through dogged persistence and fierce ethical resolve, Brink’s investigation uncovers startling nuclear secrets, catching him in the crosshairs of forces both at home and abroad. Interspersed with documentary news footage, the film examines global events of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s through the lens of one of the lesser-known geopolitical players of the era. With fine acting, a taut story, and superb cinematography, The Idealist gives audiences a fresh perspective on some of the lesser known ripple effects of the intercontinental power struggles of the Cold War. US PREMIERE —Michael LoPresti

Sun Oct 11 2:00pm Lark Tue Oct 13 5:15pm Rafael

IN DEFENSE OF FOOD

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 117 min

Director Michael Schwarz Producers Michael Schwarz, Edward Gray, Kiki Kapany Screenwriter Edward Gray Cinematographers Vicente Franco, John Chater Editors Rhonda Collins, Gail Huddleson Print Source Kikim Media

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” With that seven-word maxim, Berkeley-based journalist and healthyplanet advocate Michael Pollan ( The Omnivore’s Dilemma ) distills a career’s worth of reporting into a prescription for reversing the human and environmental ills of our unsustainable Western diet. In Michael Schwarz’s illuminating, thoughtful documentary, Pollan travels the globe and the supermarket aisles to illustrate the principles of his best-selling “eater’s manifesto.” With the critical eye of a science journalist, but the warmth of a weekend baker, Pollan steers us through millennia of human evolution, the rise of industrial food production and marketing, and the competing claims of nutrition science that have resulted not only in a revolving door of nutrient villains (fats, protein, sugar, gluten) but also a confused—and obese—nation. In Defense of Food comes as a welcome, jargon-free guide to the food-perplexed, as refreshing as a summer salad (grilled chicken optional).

WORLD PREMIERE

—Peter L. Stein

Sat Oct 10 4:45pm Throck Wed Oct 14 4:45pm Rafael Fri Oct 16 11:45am Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH EATDRINKFILMS. COM and THE BIGGER PICTURE: YOUTH SPEAKS/UCSF CENTER FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS/SFGH

INGRID BERGMAN—IN HER OWN WORDS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

Sweden 2015 • 114 min

Director Stig Björkman Producer

Stina Gardell Screenwriters

Stig Björkman, Stina Gardell, Dominika Daubenbüchel Cinematographer

Malin Korkeasalo Editor Dominika Daubenbüchel Print Source Rialto Pictures

In English, Swedish, and Italian with English subtitles ~ Timed for the centenary of Ingrid Bergman’s birth, this beautifully crafted documentary by Swedish filmmaker Stig Björkman is an extraordinarily intimate study of the woman behind the world cinema icon. She famously said, “I’ve gone from saint to whore and back to saint again, all in one lifetime,” and the film does recount the controversies that dogged her independent life choices, including the Hollywood fallout from her relationship with Italian director Roberto Rossellini. Rich with feature film clips and archival interviews, as well as contemporary conversations with Bergman’s children, Björkman’s portrait gains significant resonance from her private letters and diaries, read off-screen by Alicia Vikander. And when it comes to home movies, who would have guessed that Bergman was such a veritable shutterbug? Her extensive footage of family gatherings, enhanced by Michael Nyman’s elegant musical score, contribute immensely to evoking the world and perspective of this one-of-a-kind talent.

—Richard Peterson

Mon Oct 12 8:00pm Rafael

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

As part of of our centennial celebration, don’t miss the special multimedia Ingrid Bergman exhibition. See page 84 for details.

INTERWOVEN

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 87 min

Director/Editor VW Scheich Producers VW Scheich, Jeffrey Allard, Uyen K. Le Screenwriters VW Scheich, Uyen K. Le Cinematographer Wey Wang Cast Mo’Nique, Myles Cranford, Jon Eiswerth, Brooke Burgstahler Print Source

RareForm Pictures

Featuring a tour-de-force performance by Academy Award ® -winner Mo’Nique ( Precious , MVFF 2009), this visually stunning and emotionally resonant exploration of the human condition delves deep into questions of life and death, love and loss, and what it means to exist in this mindblowing world. Inspired by real lives, filmmaker V.W. Scheich weaves 13 captivating stories into one unforgettable tapestry that—through a combination of exceptional editing, evocative music, and authentic performances—moves seamlessly through the roller-coaster rhythms of several parallel lives. Scheich creates a musical energy by expertly shifting focus and combining the realities of diverse, intriguing characters who face homelessness, despair, heartbreak, and addiction. Through the turmoil, the bonds of love persist: Strangers become intimate, families negotiate turbulent relationships and everyone searches for connection. By illuminating the inner lives of everyday people, Interwoven underscores the unexpected personal intersections that fuel the magic, mystery, and meaning of life.

WORLD PREMIERE

—Brendan Peterson

Fri Oct 9 8:30pm Rafael Sun Oct 11 5:15pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

IXCANUL

WORLD CINEMA

Guatemala/France 2015 • 91 min

Director/Screenwriter Jayro Bustamante Producers Maria Peralta, Pilar Peredo, Edgar Temembaum Cinematographer Luis Armando Arteaga Editor Cesar Diaz Cast Maria Mercedes Coroy, Maria Telon, Manuel Antun, Justo Lorenzo, Marvin Coroy, Leo Antun Print Source Kino Lorber

In Spanish with English subtitles ~ With an indigenous cast and the power of a classic fable, Ixcanul tells the moving story of a Mayan family living in the shadow of a volcano in the Guatemalan highlands. In a rustic cabin, Maria and her parents eke out a living by harvesting coffee with hopes of improving their situation after the local overseer, Ignacio, proposes marriage. Pretty but naïve, young Maria has her eyes instead on a handsome itinerant worker who wants to travel to the States, and a rash decision imperils everyone’s plans. In his beautifully shot debut film, writer-director Jayro Bustamante shows a world where nature is preeminent and rituals a part of daily life. An infestation of snakes that menaces their livelihood provides a rich metaphor for the various threats that face the family in a moving drama that was inspired by Bustamante’s interviews with Mayan people about their daily lives.

—Rod Armstrong

Thur Oct 15 8:00pm Rafael Fri Oct 16 2:15pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN and CANAL ALLIANCE

JOURNEY TO ROME

(CESTA DO Ř ÍMA)

WORLD CINEMA

Czech Republic/Poland 2015 • 100 min

Director Tomasz Mielnik Producers

Mikuláš Novotný, Radim Procházka Screenwriters Tomasz Mielnik, Vit Polacek Cinematographer Jan Suster

Editor Simon Hajek Cast Vaclav Hrzina, Berenika Kohoutova, Petr Slavik, Miroslav Donutil, Jan Englert Print Source Background Films

In Czech, English, Italian, and Tibetan with English subtitles ~ Temptation never looked so enticing. When a provocative redhead solicits a favor from perpetual underachiever Vasek, she sets him on a train trip that’s equal parts art heist, chase movie, and freewheeling meditation on life’s mysteries. So begins director Tomasz Mielnik’s deadpan deconstruction of faith, tongue firmly planted in cheek as he explores how divining saint from sinner isn’t so easy. Departing the Czech Republic incognito, Italybound Vasek finds communion with clergy and skeptics, each with wry observations on the nature of belief, and encounters demons dressed as bureaucrats, an entrepreneur who turns water into wine, and a Buddhist enlightenment orgy. With inspirations ranging from Dante to George Gershwin, Mielnik invokes playful surrealism, kitschy cinematic flourishes, and visual tableaus that would make Luis Buñuel proud. The result is a whimsical journey with hellscapes aplenty, but perhaps a miracle or two along the way—all in search of a naïve state of grace. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Sterling Hedgpeth

Sat Oct 10 5:30pm Rafael Mon Oct 12 11:45am Throck

KILL YOUR FRIENDS

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2015 • 103 min

Director Owen Harris Producers

Gregor Cameron, Will Clarke, Len Blavatnik Screenwriter John Niven

Cinematographer Gustav Danielsson

Editor Bill Smedley Cast Nicolas Hoult, Craig Roberts, Tom Riley, Georgia King

Print Source Well Go USA Entertainment

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) It’s the height of the late ‘90s Britpop tidal wave: Oasis are kings of the Billboard charts, Radiohead is poised to land a Grammy ® , Blur are indie darlings, and the Chemical Brothers rule the club scene. And behind every hit record (or so they’d like to think) are “the elite, the chosen few: the A&R men.” Among them is Steven Stelfox (Nicholas Hoult, XMen ), who considers himself a rising star at Unigram Records, ever on the hunt for The Next Big Thing. In this pitch-black comedy that skewers the music industry and breaks the fourth wall, a lot of records, and a few body parts along the way, he’ll stop at nothing to succeed, ignoring Radiohead’s lyrical warning: “Ambition makes you look pretty ugly.” Exploding on screen like a cinephile DJ’s mash-up of American Psycho , Trainspotting , and 24 Hour Party People , Kill Your Friends is wryly cynical, unabashedly outrageous, and thoroughly entertaining. US PREMIERE

—Laura Henneman

Mon Oct 12 9:15pm Sequoia Wed Oct 14 8:30pm Throck Fri Oct 16 11:30am Sequoia

WORLD CINEMA

Belgium/Argentina 2015 • 100 min

Director/Screenwriter/Cinematographer

Diego Martinez Vignatti Producers

Sébastien Delloye, Pablo Ratto Editor David Verdurme Cast Geert Van Rampelberg, Eugenia Ramirez Miori Print Source Latido Films

In Spanish with English subtitles ~ A stunning ecological thriller and intense love story, director Diego Martinez Vignatti’s third feature explores the effects of harmful farming techniques on a rainforest community in northern Argentina. Workers cut down trees and haul them to a paper company for processing, then they cover their faces with kerchiefs and spray poisonous weed killer to increase production. Pierre, a Belgian supervisor for the multinational company, is involved in a passionate relationship with local teacher Ana, and neither can ignore the growing evidence that people are being sickened by the chemicals they’re using. As Ana helps mobilize protests and gather evidence that cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses are related to the agrotoxins, Pierre must make a choice. Vignatti, a former cinematographer, captures the region’s beauty—and menace. With a cast that mixes seasoned actors and local indigenous people, the film culminates with a dramatic faceoff that changes the community, and Pierre, forever. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Margarita Landazuri

Wed Oct 14 8:00pm Lark

Thur Oct 15 3:15pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

SPONSORED

LA TIERRA ROJA

A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET US

CINEMA

US 2015 • 90 min

Director Valerie Weiss Producers Jeffrey Loeb, Robert Johnson Screenwriter Moira McMahon Leeper Cinematographer Jeffrey Waldron Editor Amanda Griffin Cast Taryn Manning, Madison Davenport, Kurt Fuller, Maddie Hasson, Carter Jenkins, Nora Dunn Print Source PhD Productions

In the last few months of high school, college-bound Beth contends with the typical rites of passage—deciding on a school, finding a date to the prom, managing peer pressure from the mean girls, and questioning an uncertain future. As an intelligent and mature young woman, Beth longs for her independence, but is torn between the prospects of her dream school, UCLA, or sticking closer to home at Northwestern to care for her mother, Gloria (Taryn Manning of Orange is the New Black ), who is struggling to stabilize her bipolar disorder. Set to a broody but wistful indie-rock soundtrack, this coming-of-age drama sets itself apart in its bold exploration of mental illness and its effect on the family as well as the afflicted. Director Valerie Weiss assuredly elicits strong performances from the entire cast, including the young lead, Madison Davenport, and Manning, whose performance firmly establishes her as one of the rising stars of her generation. WORLD PREMIERE

—Holly Roach

Sat Oct 10 8:15pm Sequoia* Mon Oct 12 11:45am Rafael Wed Oct 14 2:45pm Sequoia

Special Premiere Event: See page 39 for details.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRING CHANGE 2 MIND, and BAY AREA WOMEN IN FILM AND MEDIA and FILM FATALES

LOVE BETWEEN THE COVERS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 86 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Laurie

Kahn Cinematographer Joseph Friedman

Editor William A. Anderson Print Source

Blueberry Hill Productions

FOCUS: LIT FLIX Romance novels comprise over a billion dollars a year in book sales, outselling science fiction, fantasy, and mystery combined. So why is the genre so often dismissed as frivolous “scribble” rather than elevated as a radical literary form that pushes the envelope on gender, race, and diversity? The heroic characters, prolific writers, and voracious readers that dominate romantic fiction are primarily women. Witty and intelligent, these lovers of the written word form a collaborative, supportive, and dynamic community where readers and writers inspire one another. Director Laurie Kahn ( Tupperware! , MVFF 2003) takes a comprehensive look at what goes into publishing a romantic novel, from the author’s inspiration and writing process to the photo shoots for those distinctive cover designs. Speaking with literary scholars, romance fanatics, aspiring writers, and award-winning authors, including Nora Roberts, Eloisa James, Beverly Jenkins, and Radclyffe, this documentary offers fascinating insights into this female-centric literary world.

—Holly Roach

Wed Oct 14 6:00pm Cinema Fri Oct 16 11:45am Sequoia

The October 14 screening is free for CFI members. Get your complimentary ticket at mvff.com

MACBETH

WORLD CINEMA

UK/France/US 2015 • 113 min

Director Justin Kurzel Producers Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Laura Hastings-Smith Screenwriters Todd Louiso, Jacob Koskoff, Michael Lesslie Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw Editor Chris Dickens Cast Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard Print Source The Weinstein Company

Michael Fassbender as Macbeth is an unstoppable force of nature; ferocious and ambitious, aided and abetted by his wife— the charismatic Marion Cotillard, whose Lady Macbeth is both powerful and intriguingly nuanced. A prologue with the Macbeths at the funeral of their child humanizes and contextualizes the emotional subtext of the couple. Soon after, we are on the battlefield, medieval broadswords slashing and clanging, silhouettes against a dark sky, the air punctured with fiery sparks. Director Jason Kurzel creates an atmosphere of high drama and underlying violence and treachery that never lets up; throughout, a dynamic score pushes the drama and emotion of the tale. Visually breathtaking, this confident, dynamic rendition of the Scottish play doffs its cap to the Game of Thrones generation as it evokes the essence of a medieval, almost supernatural Scotland racked by class strife, infighting, and superstition, yet tempered by an underscoring of occasional poignance that disarms and surprises. US PREMIERE

—Zoë Elton

Fri Oct 9 8:15pm Sequoia Wed Oct 14 1:00pm Rafael

SPONSORED BY

MARDAN

WORLD CINEMA

Iraqi Kurdistan 2014 • 114 min

Director/Screenwriter Batin

Ghobadi Producer Bahman Ghobadi

Cinematographer Saba Mazloum Editor

Hayedeh Safiyari Cast Hisen Hesen, Helly Luv, Ismail Zagros, Beritan Yildizitan, Feyyaz Duman, Mir Murad Bedirxan Print Source Versatile

In Kurdish with English subtitles ~ The title character of this intriguing, smoldering drama suffers, with his younger brother, a childhood catastrophe beside a meandering river. This leads more or less directly to his meandering adulthood as a sullen loner and corrupt policeman on the take from the smugglers who regularly crisscross the stunning Kurdish border region joining Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. When a local tunnel worker goes missing on a lonely stretch of road, Mardan is tasked with locating the man on behalf of his beautiful, guileless wife—setting up Mardan for tests of fraternal instinct, albeit in complex ways that pull us along in a dream of guilt, remorse, and passion. As languid yet stirring as the river running through this exquisite mountain landscape, the film marks a fine directorial debut from Batin Ghobadi, brother of famed Iranian Kurdish filmmaker (and Mardan producer) Bahman Ghobadi ( A Time of Drunken Horses ).

—Robert Avila

Tue Oct 13 8:45pm Sequoia Thur Oct 15 6:15pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL - SAN FRANCISCO

MARSHLAND (LA ISLA MINIMA)

WORLD CINEMA

Spain 2014 • 105 min

Director Alberto Rodriguez Producer Mercedes Cantero Screenwriters

Alberto Rodriguez, Rafael Cobos

Cinematographer Alex Catalan Editor

Jose M. G. Moyano Cast Javier Gutierrez, Raul Arevalo, Antonio de la Torre Print

Source Outsider Pictures

In Spanish with English subtitles ~ A mesmerizing and moody psychological journey into the underbelly of a small town in 1980, Marshland evokes the energy of True Detective and the tone of Twin Peaks to create a fascinating and haunting first-rate thriller. After teenage sisters disappear from a marshland town in southern Spain, two contrasting Madrid detectives are on the case. As their investigation unfolds, we take a twisty, turbulent ride filled with colorful characters, offbeat situations, and surprising moments of personal revelation. From the opening frames, featuring breathtaking aerial shots of the marshland, it’s clear that filmmaker Alberto Rodriguez is in complete control. Each scene is perfectly crafted to capture the emotional and physical reality of that moment while an eerie, understated soundtrack seeps into our subconscious. This meticulous, multilayered cinematic puzzle rewards careful attention by doling out information on a need-to-know basis, assembling a suspenseful and magnetic experience that gives the best kind of movie thrill.

—Brendan Peterson

Fri Oct 9 1:00pm Rafael Mon Oct 12 8:30pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

MAVIS!

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 81 min

Director Jessica Edwards Producer Rachel Mills Cinematographer Keith Walker Editor Amy Foote Print Source Film First

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) Mavis Staples gets you grinning and grooving from the very start of this joyful documentary. Between family band The Staples Singers and now her own group, Mavis has been on tour singing “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself” for the better part of 60 years, and there are countless reasons why: her unmistakable voice; her radiant stage presence; her timeless message of peace, love, and freedom. Mavis recounts her story herself—with a little help from friends and contemporaries including Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy, and Chuck D—while filmmaker Jessica Edwards artfully lays down the backing tracks of Mavis’ personal history: gospel tours in the segregated South, singing freedom songs in the civil rights movement, commanding the stage of the Newport Folk Festival and at the Grammys. This soulful and eternally glamorous woman has inspired generations and still remains, as she says herself, “just everyday people.” Come on in, sit on down, and let Mavis move you.

—Laura Henneman

Sat Oct 17 5:00pm Sequoia

Live music benefit to follow at Sweetwater. See page 103 for details.

WITH SUPPORT FROM

MEDITERRANEA

WORLD CINEMA

Italy 2015 • 110 min

Director/Screenwriter Jonas Carpignano

Producers Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon Christoph Cinematographer Wyatt Garfield Editors Nico Luenen, Affonso Conclaves, Sanabel Chriaqoui Cast Koudous Seihon, Alassane Sy, Adam Gnegne, Mary Elizabeth Innocence, Pio Amato, Zaccaria Kbiri, Davide Schipilliti, Vincenzina Siciliano Print Source IFC Films

FOCUS: CINEMA BELLISSIMO In French with English subtitles ~ A young man makes a perilous journey from Burkina Faso to Italy in Jonas Carpignano’s poignant and exquisitely crafted first feature. Refreshingly astute in his approach to character, the filmmaker weaves a fictional narrative based partly on the lived experiences of mesmerizing lead Koudous Seihon. The actor brings a heartfelt gravity to his character, Ayiva, whose hoped-for better life in the southwestern town of Rosarno gets off to a rocky start. Robbed by bandits in Algeria and rescued by the Coast Guard off the shores of Italy, Ayiva is given three months to miraculously procure a work contract in a country facing its own share of serious employment woes. Employing vérité style, Carpignano has an almost organic way of revealing the story that gives it reality and heart. In putting a deeply human and personal face on the hot-button issue of immigration, Mediterranea also announces Carpignano as a director to watch.

—Rod Armstrong

Sun Oct 11 5:45pm Rafael Tue Oct 13 2:30pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

THE MESSENGER

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

Canada/France 2015 • 90 min

Director Su Rynard Producers Joanne Jackson, Sally Blake, Martin de la Fouchardière Screenwriters Su Rynard, Sally Blake Cinematographers Daniel Grant, Amar Arhab Editor Eamonn O’Connor Print Source Kino Lorber

In English, French, German, Spanish, and Dutch with English subtitles ~ Brightly feathered songbirds are earth’s original musicians, but this urgent documentary drives home that their delightful symphonies are in jeopardy. The world faces a bleak possibility—that the sun may one day rise in silence. Aimed at both the head and heart, The Messenger celebrates these tuneful avian athletes, whose prodigious migratory feats span hemispheres and defy belief, even as it soberly explores the reasons behind their dramatic disappearance worldwide. Like canaries in a coal mine, songbird declines sound a dire warning about our collective toll on nature, which includes deforestation, urbanization, industry, blanket use of insecticides, and light and noise pollution—in addition to climate change. Gorgeously photographed, featuring stunning super slo-mo shots of birds in flight, this loving, elegiac film also celebrates the devoted conservationists who study and save these birds and are spreading a simple, powerful message: If we want songbirds singing tomorrow, we must change our ways now. US PREMIERE —Jeff Campbell

Sun Oct 11 8:00pm Sequoia Mon Oct 12 11:45am Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO GREEN FILM FESTIVAL and THE CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY and MARIN AUDUBON SOCIETY

MISS YOU ALREADY

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2015 • 112 min

Director Catherine Hardwicke Producer Christopher Simon Screenwriter Morwenna Banks Cinematographer

Elliot Davis Editor Phillip J. Bartell Cast Toni Collette, Drew Barrymore, Dominic Cooper, Paddy Considine, Tyson Ritter, Jacqueline Bisset Print Source Roadside Attractions

TRIBUTE: CATHERINE HARDWICKE A dozen years after bursting on the scene with the award-winning Thirteen (2003), an indelible portrait of the tight connection between teenage girls, director Catherine Hardwicke ( Twilight , 2008) returns with another insightful portrait of female bonding, perhaps the most honest portrayal of the highs, lows, and heartaches of enduring friendship since Beaches (1988). Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette head up an all-star cast as Jess and Milly, best friends since meeting at London primary school— bonding over everything from first kisses and concerts to a shared love of Wuthering Heights . Decades on, their relationship hits a rough patch as Jess struggles to start a family with her blue-collar love, Jago (Paddy Considine), while a troubling diagnosis disrupts Milly’s happy home life with dreamboat Kit (Dominic Cooper). A rocking soundtrack (including a Joan Jett original), coupled with Hardwicke’s intimate style results in a poignant, often comical journey with two women who remain, through it all, each other’s ultimate soulmate.

—Alexis Whitham

Sat Oct 10 7:30pm Rafael* Tue Oct 13 11:15am Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SPEAK TO ME

*Tribute Program: See page 67 for details.

SPONSORED

MUSTANG

WORLD CINEMA

France/Germany/Turkey 2015 • 94 min

Director Deniz Gamze Ergüven Producer Charles Gillibert Screenwriters Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Alice Winocour Cinematographers David Chizallet, Ersin Gok Editor Mathilde Van de Moortel Cast Gunes Sensoy, Dogba Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan, Ilayda Akdogan, Erol Afsin Print Source Cohen Media Group

In Turkish with English subtitles ~ Five beautiful sisters contend with social and cultural strictures in this beautifully directed debut film. In a Turkish village situated along the Black Sea, Lale and her older siblings celebrate school’s end by frolicking in the sea with some male classmates. At home, their grandmother and uncle find nothing playful in this harmless activity and set about finding eligible bachelors to marry them. There are shades of Pride and Prejudice , with the focus on the betrothal of a quintet of young women, but Ergüven is more attentive to the siblings and their affection for one another than in their suitors. Her visual eye is perfect, from the casual overlap of limbs as the girls sprawl on a bed to the way their home gradually becomes a prison as the adults construct yet more barriers to escape. Though Mustang ’s focus is delicate and intimate, its themes and ramifications are nothing short of revolutionary. US PREMIERE

—Rod Armstrong

Sun Oct 11 5:15pm Lark Mon Oct 12 2:30pm Rafael

MY MOTHER

(MIA MADRE)

WORLD CINEMA

Italy 2014 • 106 min

Director Nanni Moretti Producers Nanni Moretti, Domenico Procacci Screenwriters Nanni Moretti, Valia Santella, Gaia Manzini, Chiara Valerio Cinematographer Arnaldo Catinari Editor Clelio Benevento Cast Margherita Buy, John Turturro, Giulia Lazzarini, Nanni Moretti, Beatrice Mancini, Stefano Abbati Print Source Alchemy

FOCUS: CINEMA BELLISSIMO In Italian with English subtitles ~ Award-winning director Nanni Moretti’s ( Dear Diary, MVFF 1994) My Mother is a semi-autobiographical drama starring Moretti’s frequent muse Margherita Buy as a filmmaker beset by personal trials, most notably her mother’s failing health and a lead actor (John Turturro as Huggins) who can’t act or remember his lines. My Mother teases with perception as the narrative moves between memory, dream, movie, and life. As Margherita’s life unravels, she tells her actors, “Play the character but stand next to the character as you.” Though confusing, her directorial note functions as the underlying philosophy of My Mother —a “film within a film” in which the storyline echoes aspects of Moretti’s life from his own profession, to his mother’s as a dying scholar of ancient languages. After flubbing a line in Margherita’s film, Huggins rails against being an actor and shouts, “I want out of here, man. I want to get back to reality.” The question is, which reality?

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Melissa Howden

Thur Oct 8 6:30pm Cent. Larkspur Sat Oct 17 11:15am Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

Netherlands/Germany 2014 • 94 min

Director Saskia Diesing Producers

Hanneke Niens, Hans de Wolf

Screenwriters Esther Gerritsen, Saskia Diesing Cinematographer Aage Hollander

Editor Barbara Toennieshen Cast Abbey Hoes, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Gijs Blom, Fabian Jansen, Andre Jung Print Source KeyFilm

In Dutch and German with English subtitles ~ Nena (rivetingly rendered by luminous Abbey Hoes), is just another introverted, 16-year-old Goethe-quoting, Goth-styled punker living along the Dutch-German border. She can hardly stand to listen to her friends’ mundane complaints about their parents given that her father is paralyzed from the neck down and wakes up every morning wishing it were his last. After meeting Carlo, her masculine doppelganger—a blue-haired, moped-riding baseball star all too eager to take her virginity—Nena must balance the youthful joy of first love with the weighty responsibility of caring for a disabled and despairing parent. First-time feature director Saskia Diesing’s coming-of-age drama is set just prior to the destruction of the Berlin Wall, against an exuberant ‘80s rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack. Hoes’ award-winning performance switches deftly between wide-eyed innocence and a maturity far beyond her age in this touching, funny, and poignantly humane film. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE —Angelique Smith

Fri Oct 16 8:30pm Rafael Sat Oct 17 2:00pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 5:30pm Throck

NENA

A NEW COLOR: THE ART OF BEING EDYTHE BOONE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 57 min

Director/Producer Marlene “Mo” Morris

Cinematographer Peggy Peralta Editor

Maureen Gosling Print Source Galewind Films

Meet Edythe Boone, one of the seven women artists commissioned in 1994 to cover San Francisco’s historic Women’s Building with a massive, iconic mural entitled MaestraPeace . Now in her 70s, the African-American artist works to restore the mural to its original brilliant colors, reassuring a young woman terrified of mounting a scaffold for the first time. Back on the ground, she teaches public art to everyone from West Oakland middle schoolers to Richmond seniors. As Edy guides students in choosing mural subjects, using a grid, and mastering texture, they’re thrilled to be working with a veteran muralist whose art can be found all over the Bay Area and commemorates the great events of her time. Those events keep coming, as we see when the death of Edy’s nephew becomes a national symbol of racist policing. To all her students she says, “You can’t change your beginnings, but you can put a nice beautiful ending to the story.” WORLD PREMIERE —Frako Loden

PRECEDED BY PENNY

US 2014 • 30 min

Director Elizabeth Sher

Meet Penny Cooper: criminal defense attorney, lesbian, champion of the marginalized, and supporter of women artists, who has been at the forefront of profound societal changes.

Sat Oct 10 2:00pm Throck Fri Oct 16 11:45am Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA and BERKELEY FILM FOUNDATION

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

Total Program 85 min

For this special environmental program we bring you three new films from Marin County’s own Mill Valley Film Group.

THE ROOTS OF ‘ULU

US 2015 • 34 min

Director John Antonelli

Take a trip to the Hawaiian Islands and discover the mythological origins of ‘ulu, commonly known as breadfruit. After being replaced over the years by commercial crops like coffee and sugar, the ‘ulu plant is making a comeback, playing an important role in cultural preservation and food sustainability for Hawaii.

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS: FROM MYANMAR TO SCOTLAND US 2015 • 30 min

Directors John Antonelli, Will Parrinello, Tom Dusenbery

Robert Redford narrates the latest edition of this Emmy award-winning series—an annual tribute to six passionate environmental heroes from around the world who share a common goal of safeguarding the Earth’s natural resources.

SEA CHANGE

US 2015 • 23 min

Director John Antonelli

In this dramatic documentary narrated by Danny Glover, we follow Ikal Angelei, a 31-year-old Turkana native, and her grassroots efforts to halt construction of the Gibe III dam in Ethiopia in order to protect the indigenous people who rely on the Omo River and Lake Turkana as their vital source of water. WORLD PREMIERE

Fri Oct 9 2:00pm Throck Wed Oct 14 8:00pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE

NUMBER ONE FAN

(ELLE L’ADORE)

WORLD CINEMA

France 2014 • 105 min

Director Jeanne Herry Producers Alain Attal, Hugo Selignac Screenwriters

Jeanne Herry, Gaelle Mace

Cinematographer Axel Cosnefroy Editor Francis Vesin Cast Sandrine Kiberlain, Laurent Lafitte, Pascal Demolon, Olivia Cote, Nicolas Bridet, Sebastien Knafo Print Source Distrib Films US

In French with English subtitles ~ French pop star Vincent Lacroix (Laurent Lafitte) knows just where to turn when a heated domestic dispute leads to an accidental death and a body in need of disposal—his number one fan, Muriel (Sandrine Kiberlain). Known for spinning engaging, complex and totally fabricated tales, the recently divorced beautician’s life changes forever when she finds her favorite crooner standing outside her apartment, head in hand. Committed to helping her idol out of a jam, she goes along with his seemingly foolproof plan, but there’s no such thing as the perfect crime. Featuring a spectacular performance by the always reliable Kiberlain, the film is a clever thriller that plays like a Gallic Gone Girl , with plenty of well-executed twists and turns. Number One Fan was nominated for two César Awards: Best Actress for Kiberlain and Best First Film for writer/director Jeanne Herry, daughter of famed actress Miou-Miou and singer Julien Leclerc.

—Joe Bowman

Fri Oct 9 4:00pm Rafael Sat Oct 10 2:45pm Sequoia Wed Oct 14 5:30pm Throck

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

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

SPONSORED

ONE FLOOR BELOW

(UN ETAJ MAI JOS)

WORLD CINEMA

Romania 2015 • 93 min

Director Radu Muntean Producer Dragos Vilcu Screenwriters Alexandru Baciu, Radu Muntean, Razvan Radulescu Cinematographer Tudor Lucaciu Editor Alexandru Radu Cast Teodor Corban, Iulian Postelnicu, Oxana Moravec Print Source Films Boutique

In Romanian with English subtitles ~ Murder interrupts an intensely private man’s ordered world in director Radu Muntean’s ( The Paper Will Be Blue , MVFF 2007) gripping drama. On his way out to walk his dog one summer day, Mr. Patrascu (Teodor Corban) overhears his downstairs neighbor, Laura, arguing with a man. When he encounters Valentin (Iulian Postelnicu), another tenant, right outside her door, Patrascu is curious but says nothing. But when he learns Laura has been killed, it becomes harder for Patrascu—a family man who prizes routine— to maintain his deeply ingrained reticence. Muntean, a central figure of Romanian New Wave cinema, builds the film’s tension masterfully as Patrascu’s encounters with Valentin cross the threshold of his own neatly ordered apartment, family, and work. This deftly acted drama of a middle-class Romanian family roils with the pressure of its patriarch’s conscience, simmering beneath the surface of his desperate reserve and reluctance to get involved. US PREMIERE

—Nancy Fishman

Sat Oct 10 12:00pm Lark Mon Oct 12 8:00pm Throck

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ROMANIAN FILM FESTIVAL

OPEN YOUR EYES

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 34 min

Total Program 95 min

Director/Cinematographer Irene Taylor Brodsky Producers Larry Brilliant, Sophie Harris Editors Irene Taylor Brodsky, Jeffrey Friedman Print Source Vermilion Films

In Nepali with English subtitles ~ They have not seen each other clearly in years. Their ability to contribute to the family farm is very limited. They want more. Adorable Manisara and her husband Durga are Nepalese elders, both blinded over time by cataracts. Outreach healthcare workers identify them as prime candidates for free eye surgery. Their journey is shot up close and intimate as the elders experience loving attention on their long trip on foot and during pre-op anxiety at the clinic. In one day, their eye doctor and her team do fifty plus cataract removals and interocular lens replacements. A day after the six-minute operation, the bandages are removed. It’s an emotional moment for Manisara and Durga. Witness this everyday miracle, renewing the vision and possibility of entire communities. Expect some special guests—and an inspiring post-screening panel discussion. WORLD PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

Sat Oct 10 5:30pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEVA FOUNDATION

Live music benefit to follow at Sweetwater. Separate ticket required. See page 102 for details.

PAPER TIGERS

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 102 min

Director James Redford Producers Karen Pritzker, Dana Schwartz, Shannon Stirone-Norwood Cinematographer

Tylor Norwood Editor Jen Bradwell Print Source KPJR Films

Unconditional love might not seem like a rigorous pedagogical principle, but it’s the guiding precept of this public school’s approach to teaching troubled teens. Walla Walla, Washington high schoolers are the focus of director/producer James Redford’s ( Toxic Hot Seat , MVFF 2013) sixth documentary about uplifting responses to the acute problems of our times. Lincoln High’s dedicated staff prize understanding over discipline and personal engagement over control, offering their students tools to cope with the chaos they face at home. Redford himself gets into the spirit of things, providing cameras so the kids can film on their own. By addressing the trauma that provokes their bad behavior, these adolescents inch away from failure, not only earning a better shot at graduating but also at staying out of the system and leading happier lives. One student’s on-camera epiphany that she’s the first woman in her family not to get pregnant in her teens will surely win over any lingering skeptics.

—Shari

Kizirian

Tue Oct 13 5:30pm Sequoia Fri Oct 16 3:00pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CENTER FOR YOUTH WELLNESS

SPONSORED

THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE

(LA PASSION D’AUGUSTINE)

WORLD CINEMA

Canada 2014 • 103 min

Director Léa Pool Producers Lyse Lafontaine, François Tremblay Screenwriters Marie Vien, Léa Pool Cinematographer Daniel Jobin Editor Michel Arcand Cast Céline Bonnier, Lysandre Ménard, Diane Lavallée, Valérie Blais, Pierrette Robitaille, Marie Tifo Print

Source Seville International

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) In French with English subtitles ~ Vibrant and compassionate music teacher Sister Augustine, mother superior of a rural Catholic convent in Quebec, has a calling: to offer top-quality musical education to young women, regardless of social or economic background. The fruits of Sister Augustine’s efforts result in prize wins and medals for the girls from prestigious musical competitions. But harmony is broken with the arrival of musical prodigy Alice (who happens to be Augustine’s niece), and by the sweeping secular reforms of Vatican II. With Quebec’s “Quiet Revolution” afoot, in short order, the convent school’s funding—and survival—is at stake along with the nuns’ timeless way of life. Featuring a stellar performance by Céline Bonnier (Sister Augustine) and a magnificent soundtrack of classical and choral music, director Léa Pool’s film delights the ear, touches the heart, and authentically depicts parochial education and its historical time period with humor, poignancy, and elegance.

—Tim Sika

Mon Oct 12 5:15pm Sequoia Tue Oct 13 2:00pm Rafael Fri Oct 16 11:00am Throck

THE PAWN (LA PRENDA)

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

Switzerland 2015 • 78 min

Director Jean-Cosme Delaloye Producers Francine Lusser, Gérard Monier Cinematographers Jean-Cosme Delaloye, Nicholas Strini, Jakob Jimenez, Pablo Aguilar Editor Lila Place Print Source CAT&Docs

In Spanish with English subtitles ~ Powerful and haunting, The Pawn tells the stories of individuals and families who, despite all odds, stand up against the culture of impunity in Guatemala, where kidnappings for ransom are a daily occurrence. After her teenage cousin’s abduction and murder, single-mom Karin Gramajo is emboldened to take action, pursuing studies to become a lawyer as she helps others fight for justice—no mean feat in a country with a justice system that is ineffective to the point of negligence. At 14, Astrid Elías Macario was kidnapped. Her family paid the ransom and gained her release; yet freedom remains elusive. Her captors were never arrested, and continued threats drove Astrid to flee to the US and seek asylum—and her struggle to avoid deportation begins. With its insightful journalistic sensibility and moving storytelling, Jean-Cosme Delahoye’s film is an extraordinary testament to ordinary people who transcend unthinkable circumstances by speaking up and fighting back. US PREMIERE —Lily Buchanan

Sun Oct 11 3:00pm Rafael Tue Oct 13 3:15pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN and KIDS IN NEED OF DEFENSE (KIND) and LEGAL AID OF MARIN

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF SWITZERLAND IN SAN FRANCISCO

A PERFECT DAY

WORLD CINEMA

Spain 2015 • 105 min

Director Fernando León de Aranoa Producers Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Jaume Roures Screenwriters Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Leon de Aranoa, Diego Farias Cinematographer Alex Catalán Editor Nacho Ruiz Capillas Cast Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins, Olga Kurylenko, Melanie Thierry, Fedja Stukan, Eldar Residovic, Sergi Lopez. Print Source IFC Films

In English, Bosnian, Spanish, and French with English subtitles ~ Humanitarian aid workers attempt to improve conditions despite facing bureaucracy, violence, cynicism, distrust, and a shortage of necessary materials in this tragicomedy, a kind of M*A*S*H comes to the Balkans, set during the waning days of the Bosnian War. The drama begins with Mambru (Benicio Del Toro) and Damir (Fedja Stukan) trying to fish a corpse out of a well. Lack of a proper rope complicates the situation—just one more absurdity for the two men and their co-workers, including wise-cracking B (Tim Robbins), as they go about the business of trying to survive while helping the region thrive once again. Spain stands in for Bosnia in Spaniard Fernando León de Aranoa’s gorgeously lensed, funny, and compassionate first English-language feature, a film as attuned to the comic potential of a booby-trapped cow in the road as it is to the challenge of doing the right thing in an impossible situation.

Fri Oct 16 5:00pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 11:15am Rafael

PERMISSION TO TOUCH

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 101 min

Director/Screenwriter Rob Nilsson

Producers Rob Nilsson, John Stout, Jonathan Marlow Cinematographers Chris Damm, Galina Pasternak, Vincent Leddy Editors Joel Simone, Ryan Leaneagh Cast T. Moon, Rob Nilsson, Shannah Laumeister, Vincent Leddy, Denny Dey, Michelle Anton Allen Print

Source Citizen Cinema

Internationally renowned for his signature style, the emotionally intense, characterdriven approach known as Direct Action Cinema, director Rob Nilsson ( Bridge to a Border, MVFF 2014; A Leap to Take , MVFF 2013) spins the camera 180 degrees to focus upon a fictional facsimile of himself in Permission to Touch , reprising the lead role of photojournalist Mel Hurley from his 1987 Sundance Grand Jury prizewinning film Heat and Sunlight . Now 30 years older, Hurley is asked to put his unique vision at the service of Funmi Marlowe, a sensuous and sybaritic young female performance artist (a pitch-perfect T. Moon) who requisitions his services but is not content to merely submit herself to his gaze. The result is a thoroughly provocative mix of reality, fiction, spontaneity, and intelligent scripting that shapes itself into a deeply meaningful dialogue on the intimate erotics of filmmaking and the power of the image in front of and behind the screen. WORLD PREMIERE

—Karen Davis

Wed Oct 14 8:45pm Rafael Sat Oct 17 7:45pm Throck

THE PREPPIE CONNECTION

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 110 min

Director Joseph Castelo Producers

Adam Folk, Travis Burgess, Eric Shultz

Screenwriters Joseph Castelo, Ashley

Rudden Cinematographer Brett

Jutkiewicz Editor Giacomo Ambrosini

Cast Thomas Mann, Lucy Fry, Sam Page, Logan Huffman Print Source Coalition Films

Tobias (up-and-coming young star Thomas Mann, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl ) is out of his league. Pressured by his mom to attend an elite private school, on campus he finds himself far outclassed and outnumbered by the scions of the rich and successful. But thanks to his geeky new friend—an ambassador’s son—and an unstoppable drive to impress a sexy classmate, he hatches a brilliant plan to burrow his way into the hearts and wallets of his over-privileged new friends. Based on a true story, Joseph Castelo’s fast-paced and funny film is a great addition to several subgenres, with echoes of the zippy campus hijinks of Roger Avary’s The Rules of Attraction , and the drug-dealing derring-do of Ted Demme’s Blow, plus several stops in between. Aided by a propulsive soundtrack and an able, fresh-faced cast, The Preppie Connection is positively and preposterously delightful. US PREMIERE

—Mike Keegan

Thur Oct 15 5:45pm Sequoia Fri Oct 16 2:00pm Throck Sat Oct 17 8:15pm Rafael

PRINCESS

WORLD CINEMA

Israel 2014 • 92 min

Director/Screenwriter Tali Shalom Ezer

Producers Elad Gavish, Moshe Edery, Leon Edery Cinematographer Radek Ladczuk Editor Neta Dvorkis Cast Keren Mor, Ori Pfeffer, Shira Haas, Adar Zohar Hanetz Print Source Breaking Glass Pictures

In Hebrew with English subtitles ~ On the cusp of puberty, 12-year-old Adar (Shira Haas) is already deep into the girl-you’llbe-a-woman-soon blues. The fact that her mother’s louche, libidinous boyfriend (Ori Pfeffer) engages in boundary-pushing games with her isn’t helping the confusion; Adar can’t decipher whether he’s a predator or just being playful. Then she brings home an androgynous teen boy (Adar Zohan-Hanetz) who might be a hustler, her doppelganger, or simply a figment of her imagination, and an already sexually charged atmosphere tips towards an inevitable boiling point. A big winner at the Jerusalem Film Festival, writer-director Tali Shalom Ezer’s ( Surrogate , MVFF 2011) sophomore feature takes its coming-of-age story to seriously uncomfortable places. But it also introduces an extraordinary new talent in Haas, and establishes Ezer as a bold filmmaker who transforms a tale of broken taboos into something that’s somehow touching, tender, and traumatic all at once.

—David Fear

Fri Oct 9 6:45pm Rafael Sat Oct 10 8:30pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM INSTITUTE

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL

SPONSORED

RADICAL GRACE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 75 min

Director/Cinematographer Rebecca

Parrish Producers Daniel Alpert, Nicole Bernardi-Reis, Susan Sarandon Editors

Kenji Yamamoto, Katerina Simic, Rebecca

Parrish Print Source Kindling Group

By serving people in need, nuns have always been the heart and hands of the Catholic Church, often becoming savvy social justice activists in the process. In Radical Grace , the new documentary narrated by Susan Sarandon, we meet three American nuns who find themselves branded as “radical feminists” and censured for insubordination by the Vatican. Sister Chris Shenk, who trained with Cesar Chavez, is organizing for a future Church with women deacons. Sister Jean Hughes offers unconditional love in her daily work with ex-cons and the poor. And Sister Simone Campbell lobbies for the Affordable Care Act as humanitarian policy, despite Church opposition to birth control and abortion. Each woman faces possible excommunication and the loss of her identity, but a glimmer of hope ignites when liberation theologian Pope Francis gains office. Whether speaking before congressional representatives or facing angry Bishops, these sisters risk it all for the higher calling of social justice.

—Carol Harada

PRECEDED BY

IRINA ROZO

US 2015 • 6 min

Director Ashley James

For internationally renowned sculptor Irina Rozo the artist is the catalyst of change. Here, the viewer becomes an active participant in creating a work of art.

Mon Oct 12 8:15pm Sequoia Wed Oct 14 2:00pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MARIN INTERFAITH COUNCIL

RAMS

WORLD CINEMA

Iceland 2015 • 93 min

Director/Screenwriter Grímur

Hákonarson Producer Grímar Jónsson

Cinematographer Sturla Brandth

Grøvlen Editor Kristján Lodmfjörd Cast

Sigurdur Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júíusson, Charlotte Böving, Jón Benónysson, Gudrún Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Sveinn Ólafur

Gunnarsson Print Source Cohen Media Group

In Icelandic with English subtitles ~ Winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard competition, this touching and wry Icelandic comedy wittily portrays the connection between man and beast. For brothers Gummi and Kiddi, who haven’t spoken to one another in 40 years, their lambs are their life. When Kiddi fires a bullet into Gummi’s window for being a poor loser in a sheep competition, the relationship fractures further. But after a mysterious outbreak of scrapie leads officials to decree that all local sheep must be slaughtered, the siblings are forced to work together in surprising ways to save their beloved creatures. Hakonarson’s second film, with its breathtaking photography, sly humor, and pathos, evinces a documentarian’s eye for the hardships and heartaches of rural farm life. From the put-upon sheepdog who serves as the brothers’ only mode of communication to the desperate acts each man takes to save his sheep, Rams offers an indelibly artful depiction of animal husbandry.

—Rod Armstrong

Fri Oct 16 5:30pm Rafael Sun Oct 18 5:00pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH ICELANDIC ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

REMEMBER

WORLD CINEMA

Canada 2015 • 95 min

Director Atom Egoyan Producers Ari Lantos, Robert Lantos Screenwriter Benjamin August Cinematographer Paul Sarossy Editor Christopher Donaldson Cast Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Dean Norris, Bruno Ganz, Jurgen Prochnow, Heinz Lieven Print Source A24

Zev (Christopher Plummer) is a man on a mission. A nursing home resident and recent widower, he is plagued with severe dementia that forces him to relive the painful discovery of his wife’s death daily. But there are some memories that haunt him even more severely, and with the help of his kindred spirit and neighbor Max (Martin Landau), he sets off on a secret trip that promises to purge his demons and mete out some long overdue justice. Director Atom Egoyan is no stranger to characters with mysterious motivations and emotional landscapes informed by deep historical currents, and in this unforgettable thriller, anchored by a brilliant performance from Plummer, these echoes of the past propel Zev’s avenging angel to an inevitable reckoning. Ultimately, Egoyan shows in this cross-country odyssey that lies, hate, and self-deception can linger for generations, but the truth is a force that has a resilient life of its own.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Sun Oct 11 2:30pm Sequoia Tue Oct 13 11:15am Rafael

SPONSORED BY

ROBERT BLY: A THOUSAND YEARS OF JOY

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 81 min

Director Haydn Reiss Producers Haydn Reiss, Dominic Howes Screenwriter Tom Lemmer Cinematographer Mark Traver

Editors Haydn Reiss, Steve Fischer, James Gowdey Print Source ZINC FILMS

FOCUS: LIT FLIX Poet Robert Bly stands out even among the celebrated, revolutionary generation of American artists who burst forth in the 1950s, and this loving documentary by Haydn Reiss ( Rumi: Poet of the Heart , MVFF 1998) charts his singular path from second son to taciturn father on a wintry Minnesota farm to radical anti-Vietnam War activist to wild man of the 1990s men’s movement. The bespectacled, white-haired Bly is every inch the politically and spiritually engaged mystic, seeking each moment’s fervid heart as well as the eternal, intuitive bedrock beneath our cultivated ideologies and “personas.” He was one of the first to translate Pablo Neruda, Rumi, and the ecstatic Sufi poets, and his work with Joseph Campbell— exploring the metaphorical, psychological terrain of myth and ritual—led to the unexpected pop culture phenomenon of Iron John . A confounding whirling dervish, Bly’s life embodies the quest for personal honesty and shared truth. WORLD PREMIERE

—Jeff Campbell

Sat Oct 10 8:00pm Throck Tue Oct 13 4:00pm Rafael Wed Oct 14 2:30pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH BUDDHIST FILM FOUNDATION

ROOM

WORLD CINEMA

Ireland 2015 • 118 min

Director Lenny Abrahamson Producers Ed Guiney, David Gross Screenwriter Emma Donoghue Cinematographer Danny Cohen Editor Nathan Nugent Cast Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, William H. Macy Print Source A24

SPOTLIGHT: BRIE LARSON Jack is five. He lives with Ma in Room. They can cook, exercise, read books, watch TV, sing songs, and “Do Scream.” Everything in Room is real; everything else is just TV. Room is Jack’s whole world. Until it’s not. Room is based on Emma Donoghue’s bestseller, which is told from Jack’s viewpoint. Fans of the novel take note: The film achieves the book’s intensity and emotional impact. Donoghue adapted her own work, and between her script and director Lenny Abrahamson’s attention to detail and excellent eye for framing, the story transforms for the screen and retains the immediacy of the boy’s experience. Jacob Tremblay is mesmerizing as Jack and the phenomenal Brie Larson conveys Ma’s complexity and emotional balancing act with the smallest change of expression, pause, or measured breath. Together they embody the incomparable bond between mother and child and bring to life this riveting story about defining one’s own world.

—Laura Henneman

Wed Oct 14 7:00pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO IRISH FILM FESTIVAL

SACRED BLOOD US CINEMA

US 2015 • 93 min

Director Christopher Coppola Producers Christopher Coppola, Alain Silver Screenwriter Alain Silver Cinematographers Andrew Giannetta, Matthew Skala Editor Marian Wallace Cast Michael Madsen, Bai Ling, Anna Biani, Bailey Coppola, Kato Kaelin Print Source Plaster City Productions Inc.

In English and Georgian with English subtitles ~ From the fertile mind of Christopher Coppola comes a thrilling blast of operatic vampire love. Fueled by a combination of gritty low-budget energy and gorgeous moments of deep meditation, Sacred Blood is unnerving, passionate cinema for people who like film served straight up, with a twist. The riveting story follows Natia, a circus sharpshooter from Georgia (the former Soviet republic), who flees to San Francisco after confronting a mysterious performer and his disturbing dog. As Natia wanders through the city, spending quality time in the Tenderloin, Chinatown, and North Beach, she encounters a series of colorful, sometimes dangerous characters and searches for her place in this new world. When she meets a young artist (Bailey Coppola, a dead-ringer for another member of the famous clan), Natia must make extreme decisions that will resonate for eternity. A soulful San Francisco serenade to creatures of the night, Sacred Blood is both moving and menacing at once. WORLD PREMIERE —Brendan Peterson

Fri Oct 16 8:15pm Sequoia Sat Oct 17 5:00pm Throck

THE SATELLITE GIRL AND MILK COW

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

South Korea 2014 • 81 min

Director/Screenwriter Chang Hyung-yun

Producer Cho Young-Kag Cast Yoo Ah-in, Jung Yu-mi Print Source GKIDS

In Korean with English subtitles ~ There’s some weird magic going on in the Korean city where Kyung-chun is trying to make his name as a musician and where heartbroken humans transform into animals. Kyung-chun himself becomes a Holstein cow after his girlfriend dumps him. Not only that, there’s a competition between a flying incinerator that wants to burn him to ash and a black-market organ thief who’s after his liver. Not even the wizard Merlin is immune to all the hocus pocus— he’s been turned into a roll of enchanted toilet paper. Meanwhile, a curious satellite becomes a metallic girl and visits Earth to find the owner of the beautiful voice—Kyungchun—whose love songs reached her heart in outer space. Surreal and wonderfully inventive, this animated fable is chockfull of whimsical, offbeat humor; quirky character designs; and gorgeous backgrounds. The film marks an impressive feature debut for writer-director Chang Hyung-yun. Ages 10+ NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

—Roberta McNair

Sun Oct 11 12:45pm Rafael Sun Oct 18 2:00pm Lark

SECOND COMING

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2014 • 105 min

Director/Screenwriter Debbie Tucker Green Producers Polly Leys, Kate Norrish, Katherine Butler Cinematographer Ula Pontikos Editor Mark Eckersley Cast Nadine Marshall, Idris Elba, Kai FrancisLewis Print Source Film Movement

Realism of the kitchen sink and magical varieties blend in this intriguing drama about a British woman who finds herself miraculously pregnant and must cope with what this epiphany means for her and her family. The mother to watchful 11-year-old JJ—her first “miracle baby”—Jackie (the subtly brilliant Nadine Marshall) has a history of miscarriages and trouble conceiving, never mind the fact that she hasn’t let her husband Mark (a jocular yet intense Idris Elba) touch her for months. Within tightly framed spaces, the tiny depth of field keeps us close up with the family’s everyday domestic life, while at the edges of the frame, Jackie’s nerves and marriage blur and unravel. Writer-director Debbie Tucker Green plays on the cadences of the family’s London-Jamaican patois in her dialogue, drawing out a trio of simple, powerful performances, especially from young Kai Francis Lewis, a quiet witness to the coming judgment day. US PREMIERE

—Lucy Laird

Tue Oct 13 8:00pm Rafael Wed Oct 14 11:45am Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

SEMBÈNE!

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US/Senegal 2014 • 89 min

Directors/Producers/Screenwriters

Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman Cinematographers David Aubrey, Jim Bitterman, Salvador Bolivar Editor Ricardo Acosta Print Source Kino Lorber

One of the 20th century’s most inspired storytellers, Ousmane Sembène’s ( Moolaade , MVFF 2004) own life story is itself extraordinary. A fifth-grade dropout from Senegal, as a young man he went to Marseille where working as a dockworker politicized and inspired him. Returning home, his dream of becoming the storyteller for a new Africa led him first to novels, then to film—despite the complete lack of infrastructure to support filmmaking. Known as the father of African film, his debut feature Black Girl (MVFF 2015) remains a classic of 20th-century cinema. Longtime biographer and colleague Samba Gadjido collaborates with filmmaker Jason Silverman to tell Sembène’s story: It’s a portrait of a hero, a man of fearless vision who spoke up for the marginalized, and who laid the foundation for a vibrant cinema culture in West Africa. Through archival footage and a wealth of interviews—some surprisingly candid— Sembène! is rich and moving, a compelling tribute to his genius. —Zoë Elton

Tue Oct 13 5:45pm Sequoia Thur Oct 15 3:15pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

WITH SUPPORT FROM JIM BOYCE

SHANA: THE WOLF’S MUSIC

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

Switzerland/Canada 2014 • 95 min

Director/Screenwriter Nino

Jacusso Producer Franziska Reck

Cinematographer Severine Barde Editor Loredana Christelli Cast Sunshine O’Donovan, Delilah Dick, Alana Aspinall, Marcel Shackelly, Marty Aspinall, Vonnet Hall Print Source Reck Film Production

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN)

Once Shana (Sunshine O’Donovan) played violin side by side with her mother, joyfully accompanying the Wolf Clan’s ceremonies and celebrations. But with her mom’s passing, the magic disappears from her life. Then one day, as she plays her violin under the ancestor tree, Shana senses the presence of the wolf, drawn by her music. That music, her teacher’s belief in her gift and its link to a rich and sacred First Nations legacy, and the wolf’s guidance break down Shana’s walls, sending her on a vision quest and offering her a chance for a brighter future. Italian-Swiss writer/director Nino Jacusso traveled to Canada to make this tender coming-of age drama that is populated by a cast that includes many of The People of the Creeks from Merritt, British Columbia, and graced by an evocative soundscape that emphasizes not just Shana’s music, but her connection to the natural world. Ages 10+

—Roberta McNair

Sat Oct 10 11:00am Rafael Sun Oct 11 11:00am Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH YOUTH IN ARTS

SIR DOUG AND THE GENUINE TEXAS COSMIC GROOVE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 84 min

Director Joe Nick Patoski Producer Dawn Johnson Screenwriters Joe Nick Patoski, Jason Wheling Cinematographer Yuta Yamaguchi Editors Cody Ground, David Fabelo Print Source Submarine

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) He led one of Bob Dylan’s favorite bands in the ‘60s, headlined shows with Willie Nelson, and was an early performer on Austin City Limits . So why isn’t the brilliant, energetic Doug Sahm a household name? This rocking, two-stepping documentary careens through his whirlwind life and career and brings the audience along for the ride. Doug played steel guitar in San Antonio honky-tonks before his eighth birthday. His band, The Sir Douglas Quintet, rocketed onto the charts in 1965 with “She’s About a Mover.” He grooved through San Francisco during the Haight-Ashbury era, spent time in Marin, and recorded the classic track “Mendocino,” but his heart belonged to Texas. Archival audio of the man himself combines with present-day interviews with Doug’s family, bandmates, and friends, to paint a vivid picture of a wild, genial musical genius always questing after The Groove. —Laura Henneman

Sun Oct 11 5:30pm Sequoia* Mon Oct 12 3:30pm Sequoia

*Live music event to follow at Sweetwater. Separate ticket required. See page 102 for details.

SON

OF SAUL (SAUL FIA)

WORLD CINEMA

Hungary 2015 • 107 min

Director László Nemes Producers Gabor Sipos, Gabor Rajna Screenwriters László Nemes, Clara Royer Cinematographer Mátyás Erdely Editor Matthieu Taponier Cast Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnar, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsoter, Marcin Czarnik Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

In Hungarian, German, Yiddish, Russian, Polish, French, Greek, and Slovak with English subtitles ~ Saul works quickly in the surrounding din of Nazi machinery; stern, clipped German commands; and a cacophony of Eastern European languages. A Sonderkommando , he is a Jewish prisoner tasked with scurrying through fleshy piles of corpses, preparing them for incineration, pulling out gold teeth, and rifling through belongings to extract anything of value. He performs these odious tasks with a chilling precision animated by the base need to survive—another moment, another day. While the others in the unit plot a rebellion, Saul becomes preoccupied with a new task: Spotting a young boy’s body he believes to be his son’s, he sets out to arrange a proper Jewish funeral, complete with a rabbi to read the mourner’s Kaddish. Director László Nemes’ astonishing feature film debut won Cannes’ Grand Prix and was among the most talked about films in the festival, a dark courageous drama that nevertheless celebrates the human spirit in the face of daunting circumstance.

—Ilya Tovbis

Sun Oct 11 4:00pm Rafael Mon Oct 12 5:15pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH KANBAR PERFORMING ARTS/OSHER MARIN JCC

THE SORROW AND THE PITY

(LE CHAGRIN ET LA PITIÉ)

WORLD CINEMA

France/Germany 1969 • 260 min

Director Marcel Ophuls Producers André Harris, Alain de Sedouy Screenwriters

André Harris, Marcel Ophuls

Cinematographers André Gazut, Jürgen Thieme Editor Claude Vajda Print Source Milestone Film & Video

In French and German with English subtitles ~ Marcel Ophuls’ brave and controversial excavation of collaboration and resistance in occupied France during World War II is a landmark in the noble history of documentary film. Perhaps still best known in this country for inspiring a running gag in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall (1977)—one Jewish filmmaker obsessed with moral conundrums saluting another—Ophuls’ masterpiece deserves rediscovery. Focusing on the small city of Clermont-Ferrand, the director conducted probing interviews, remarkable for their disclosures of individual choices and blinkered (and ongoing) selfjustification. What emerges is a complex, disturbing portrait of guilt, heroism, and matter-of-fact obeisance framed by Ophuls’ unwavering moral compass. Even as the documentary exposes the stain of national dishonor that the French had previously ignored or covered up, it challenges the viewer to consider how he/she would have behaved. A work of journalism and history, The Sorrow and the Pity is ultimately a profound philosophical essay.

—Michael Fox

Fri Oct 16 12:00pm Rafael

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

SPOTLIGHT

STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI

US 2015 • 128 min

Director Tom McCarthy Producers Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Blye Faust Screenwriters Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi Editor Tom McArdle Cast Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci Print Source Open Road Films

OPENING NIGHT/FOCUS: LIT FLIX Director Tom McCarthy ( The Station Agent , MVFF 2003) and an impeccable ensemble cast recreate the true events of 2001, when The Boston Globe broke open the massive child molestation scandal within the local Catholic Archdiocese—and the shocking Church cover-up that kept it a dirty secret for decades. Spurred by the paper’s new (and first Jewish) editor, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton) leads a crack team of investigative journalists (Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, and Brian d’Arcy James), who uncover a story of corruption and betrayal beyond their wildest imaginations. In a Church-dominated town, where parishioners equate their priests with God, their investigation is tantamount to blasphemy, and the Church will do everything in its power (of which it has plenty) to stop it in its tracks. Spotlight is a riveting, heart-wrenching drama that reminds us how the pen truly can be mightier than the sword. It is the All the President’s Men of our generation. US PREMIERE

—Joanne Parsont

Thur Oct 8 7:00pm Sequoia

Thur Oct 8 7:15pm Sequoia

US 1983 • 134 min

Director Richard Marquand Producer

Howard G. Kazanjian Screenwriters

Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas Cinematographer Alan Hume Editors

Sean Barton, Duwayne Dunham, Marcia Lucas Cast Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels Print Source Lucasfilm Ltd.

Star Wars returns for MVFF’s special screening of Return of the Jedi . The third film in the original trilogy, and the last film in the series (until the new Star Wars film opens in December!), Jedi is a dazzling entry in George Lucas’ heroic saga of good and evil, cementing Star Wars’ indelible pop culture 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 flummoxed 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

Mon Oct 12 6:00pm Cinema

*See page 41 for special event details.

SUFFRAGETTE

WORLD CINEMA

UK 2015 • 106 min

Director Sarah Gavron Producers Faye Ward, Alison Owen Screenwriter Abi Morgan Cinematographer Eduard Grau Editor Barney Pilling Cast Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Meryl Streep, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw Print Source Focus Features

CLOSING NIGHT Profoundly moving, Suffragette tells the story of women who were foot soldiers in the fight for the right to vote in the early 20th century, ordinary women who risked all—their jobs, homes, children, even their lives. One such is Maud (Carey Mulligan): A laundry worker since childhood, she joins the evolving suffrage movement in hopes of breaking the cycles of injustice, poverty, and abuse that so many women endure. With peaceful protest a long-gone option, the suffragettes are forced underground. Guided by Edith (Helena Bonham Carter, MVFF Tributee 1998) and inspired from afar by the charismatic Mrs. Pankhurst (Meryl Streep), Maud’s involvement escalates despite huge personal loss. Increasingly hounded by the authorities, she realizes that “war’s the only language men listen to.” An homage to the working women whose passion and vision gained British women the vote, Suffragette is an inspiring and powerful reminder that change is worth fighting for.

—Zöe Elton

Sun Oct 18 5:00pm Rafael

Sun Oct 18 5:00pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 5:15pm Sequoia

SURVIVING SKOKIE

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

US 2015 • 65 min

Directors/Producers Eli Adler, Blair

Gershkow Screenwriter/Editor Blair

Gershkow Cinematographer Eli Adler

Print Source Clean Slate Video

This riveting documentary centers on a series of dark days in small-town America that force a resilient group of Holocaust survivors to relive a devastating past. Eli Adler’s deeply personal film follows the path of his father, Jack Adler, a Polish immigrant and concentration camp survivor who built a life in Skokie, Illinois. But the quiet existence of hundreds of survivors is rocked to its core in the late ‘70s when a neo-Nazi group announces plans to march through town. As the community comes together to confront these hate mongers, long-festering emotional scars and severe memories are uncovered. Adler combines fascinating historical footage and a penetrating firstperson perspective to capture the intimate psychological details of 70 years of persecution and prejudice. The generational journey comes full circle after a poignant trip back to Poland provides a profound opportunity for father and son to connect with each other and their turbulent cultural history. WORLD PREMIERE

—Brendan Peterson

Sun Oct 11 11:30am Sequoia Fri Oct 16 5:45pm Rafael

TAXI

(JAFAR PANAHI’S TAXI)

WORLD CINEMA

Iran 2015 • 82 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Jafar Panahi Print Source Kino Lorber

In English and Farsi with English subtitles ~ Taxi is Jafar Panahi at his best: It’s a reminder that you can put your artists under house arrest, but you can’t confine the creative spirit. Panahi’s spirit is evident in this engaging, sometimes hilarious, taxi ride through Tehran. The director himself is securely at the helm, chauffeuring passengers whose conversations are captured on a dashboard “security” camera, and who represent a wily look at contemporary Iran. A woman and a man face off about crime, punishment, and the law; a black-market DVD salesman talks about cinema, as does Panahi’s young niece. Visual references suggest other films: the taxi, Kiarostami’s Ten ; a scene with a goldfish, Panahi’s The White Balloon (MVFF 1995). The ending is nothing short of brilliance, on a motorbike. Still officially “banned” from filmmaking, Panahi navigates the final credits with panache— and his niece accepted the Golden Bear for best film in his stead at this year’s Berlinale. —Lily Buchanan

Tue Oct 13 1:00pm Rafael Sat Oct 17 5:15pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL - SAN FRANCISCO

TIKKUN

WORLD CINEMA

Israel 2015 • 120 min

Director/Screenwriter Avishai Sivan

Producers Ronen Ben Tal, Avishai Sivan Cinematographer Shai Goldman

Editors Nili Feller, Avishai Sivan Cast Aharon Traitel, Khalifa Natour, Riki Blich, Gur Sheinberg Print Source Plan B Productions

In Hebrew and Yiddish with English subtitles ~ A fascinating, slow-burn of a film, Tikkun depicts the gradual untethering of a young ultra-Orthodox scholar in Jerusalem. Haim-Aaron is painfully shy, obsessive in his faith, and utterly disconnected from his body. But after a terrifying near-death experience, Haim-Aaron starts to change. The mysteries of his suddenly reprieved body and soul express themselves in surreal ways that confound him and upset his father, who fears God’s will was obstructed when his son survived. Director-writer Avishai Sivan, in an assured debut, films his sparse tale in beautifully composed black-and-white shots, lending Tikkun —the ironic title means “fixing” or “repair”—the timeless aura of an ancient Hasidic fable, albeit a disturbing, hallucinatory one. A standout at the recent Jerusalem Film Festival, Tikkun won awards for best Israeli feature, cinematography, screenplay, and actor (the marvelous Palestinian Israeli Khalifa Natour, playing the Yiddish-speaking father). Note: contains some graphic sexual imagery. US PREMIERE

—Peter L. Stein

Wed Oct 14 8:15pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 5:15pm Rafael

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL

TRUTH

US CINEMA

US 2015 • 121 min

Director/Screenwriter James Vanderbilt

Producers Brad Fischer, Doug Mankoff, William Sherak Cinematographer Mandy Walker Editor Richard Francis-Bruce Cast Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid, Elisabeth Moss

Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

Based on Mary Mapes’ book Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power, Truth recounts the television news scandal that cost the award-winning producer her job at CBS and quite possibly aided President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection. Two months before that election, Mapes (Academy Award ® winner Cate Blanchett) and legendary journalist Dan Rather (Robert Redford) air a segment on 60 Minutes alleging that the 43rd President of the United Stated received special treatment that allowed him to successfully dodge the Vietnam War draft—a claim that is met with questions of authenticity and suspicion of political bias. This riveting drama reveals what went on behind the scenes of a report that was a game changer in ways neither Mapes nor Rather could have anticipated. Co-starring Dennis Quaid, Elisabeth Moss, and Topher Grace, Truth is the directorial debut of screenwriter James Vanderbilt ( Zodiac , The Amazing Spider-Man ). Fri Oct 16 9:00pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 11:00am Rafael

UNDER THE SAME SUN

(EK SURYA KE TALEY)

WORLD CINEMA

Canada/India 2015 • 93 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter Mitra Sen Cinematographers Ashish Dawar, Santosh Vasandi Editor Carroll Chiramel Cast Aadar Malik, Taifur Shaikh, Manish Shah, Motilal Khan, Rucha Inamdar, Visshesh Rajesh Print Source Sandalwood Productions/Films4Change

In Hindi with English subtitles ~ In Mitra Sen’s profoundly compassionate drama, only children can soothe the rage of a grieving heart. Karim, an injured fugitive, is welcomed like a beloved brother by three orphaned boys in a remote Rajasthani oasis of Hindu and Muslim harmony. This simple human kindness disrupts the smooth and certain arc of the young man’s mission and threatens his very identity. Karim soon discovers how these Hindu and Muslim children share the bond of one family, following each other’s traditions and living together under one roof in peace—a contrast to his childhood, which was void of music, color, and love. As the village children prepare to perform the Ramayana , the classic Hindu tale of good vs. evil, Karim wrestles with his true purpose in life and his desire to find his family. Amidst the town’s holy festival, a place so full of life, Karim must act wisely to find his way home. WORLD PREMIERE

—Carol Harada

Sat Oct 10 5:45pm Lark Sun Oct 11 7:45pm Throck Mon Oct 12 5:30pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 3RD I SOUTH ASIAN INDEPENDENT FILM

VIRGIN MOUNTAIN (FUSI)

WORLD CINEMA

Costa Rica 2015 • 72 min

Director/Screenwriter Paz Fábrega Producers Paz Fábrega, Kattia González Cinematographers Paz Fábrega, Esteban Chinchilla Editors Paz Fábrega, Sebastián Sepúlveda Cast Kattia Gonzalez, Fernando Bolaños Print Source FiGa Films, LLC

In Spanish with English subtitles ~ After 20-somethings Pedro (Fernando Bolaños) and Lucia (Kattia González) meet cute on the stairs of a costume party—he’s in a bear suit; she’s in schoolgirl overalls—the twosome spend the night together. The next morning, they impulsively decide to go on a camping trip; since he’s heading out to work at a remote biological research facility and she’s leaving the country, this may be the last chance they have to get to know each other. Filmmaker Paz Fábrega’s romantic character study is like a Costa Rican Before Sunrise : The longer this couple muses about their dreams, desires, and how much this chance encounter has dinged their emotional defense systems, the downright sexier this film gets. Between its gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and the leads’ breezy chemistry, this modest little gem of a movie packs more beauty, melancholy, and body heat into its 70-minute running time than most films twice its length.

—David Fear

Sat Oct 10 8:30pm Rafael Mon Oct 12 3:00pm Lark

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LATINO COUNCIL and HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MARIN

Iceland/Denmark 2015 • 94 min

Director/Screenwriter Dagur Kári Producers Baltasar Kormákur, Agnes Johansen Cinematographer Rasmus Videbæk Editors Andri Steinn Guðjónsson, Oliver Bugge Coutté, Dagur Kári Pétursson Cast Gunnar Jónsson, Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Sigurjón Kjartansson, Franziska Una Dagsdóttir, Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir, Arnar Jónsson Print Source BAC Films

Distribution

In Icelandic with English subtitles ~ A triple prizewinner at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival (for Best Narrative Film, Actor, and Screenplay), Virgin Mountain captures a critical point in the life of Fúsi, a 43-year-old painfully shy man, as he attempts to break out of his socially awkward (and sexually inhibited) shell. Still living with his mother and working a mindless job handling baggage at the airport, Fúsi (the amazing Gunnar Jónsson, Rams , MVFF 2015) prefers to keep to himself. With good intentions, his mother signs him up for line-dancing lessons, where he meets fellow outcast Sjöfn (Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Spooks and Spirits , MVFF 2014). As a tender intimacy begins to form, Fúsi starts to blossom, stepping outside of his comfort zone and eager for more. The latest from director Dagur Kári ( Nói the Albino , MVFF 2003; The Good Heart ) is an emotionally rewarding, beautifully rendered reworking of the familiar fish-out-of-water tale that masterfully and delicately balances humor and heart.

—Joe Bowman

Wed Oct 14 5:30pm Sequoia Thur Oct 15 5:00pm Cinema

IN ASSOCIATION WITH ICELANDIC ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

WE DID IT ON A SONG

(CHANTE TON BAC D’ABORD)

WORLD CINEMA

France 2014 • 82 min

Director/Screenwriter David André

Producer Emmanuel François Cinematographer Thibault Delavigne

Editor Bruno Joucla Print Source

CAT&Docs

FOCUS: THE BEAT GOES ON(SCREEN) In French with English subtitles ~ The coastal town of Boulogne-sur-Mer in Northern France serves as the backdrop for this refreshingly unique hybrid documentarymusical following the stories of five working-class kids, told and sung in their own words. Gaëlle, the primary narrator of the film introduces us to her tight-knit band of dreamers and rebels: Nico, the “Serge Gainsbourgian” poet with a pet duck; Rachel, the actress whose parents encourage her unconventional dreams; Alex, the class musician and comedian; and Caroline, who cannot articulate what her ambitions are, except to pass the bac (exam). Director David André follows the teens through their final year of high school, as they struggle with the conflicting pressures of living in a dying town while trying to pursue their dreams. “No one is serious at 17,” wrote the poet Rimbaud, but this earnest and loving portrait challenges that notion through the beautiful voices of the kids themselves.

—Leah LoSchiavo

Fri Oct 9 2:45pm Rafael Sat Oct 10 12:30pm Rafael

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

VIAJE

THE WIZARD OF OZ

CHILDREN’S FILMFEST

US 1939 • 101 min

Director Victor Fleming Producer Mervyn LeRoy Screenwriters Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf Cinematographer Harold Rosson Editor Blanche Sewell Cast Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley

Poor Dorothy Gale. The lost farm girl in the gingham dress clutching her runaway dog desperately pines for “a place where there isn’t any trouble.” Of course, that’s the movies! Especially when it’s her movie, seen under the stars surrounded by friends and family in Old Mill Park. The City of Mill Valley, the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce, and MVFF invite you to a free outdoor screening of this timeless classic, whose Technicolor magic remains as bright and joyfully surreal as it was 76 years ago. Blue-faced flying monkeys? An acid-green witch leveling the scariest threat in cinema history? Chipmunk-voiced Munchkins with flowers on their toes? Kansas, this isn’t. But Dorothy finds her way with friends like Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Like its unforgettable music and burnished sepia-toned opening, this movie’s tender glow never fades because, as its title card promises, “Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion.”

—Jeff Campbell

Fri Oct 16 6:30pm Old Mill Park

WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED

VALLEY OF THE DOCS

Australia 2015 • 99 min

Director Gillian Armstrong Producers Damien Parer, Michael Wrenn, Gillian Armstrong Screenwriter Katherine Thomson Cinematographer Anna Howard

Editor Nicholas Beauman Cast Darren Gilshenan, Deborah Kennedy Print Source Hollywood Classics

A stylish, fascinating look at the life of three-time Oscar ® -winning Australian costume designer Orry-Kelly, Women He’s Undressed unveils the professional and personal details of a cinema genius. Leaving the New South Wales village of Kiama for the glamour and excitement of 1920s New York, he roomed with Archie Leach, the future Cary Grant. But soon Hollywood beckoned both men. Orry-Kelly racked up an impressive 282 films—including classics like Some Like It Hot and Casablanca . Expertly overcoming the lack of archival footage of the man himself, director Gillian Armstrong ( My Brilliant Career, MVFF Tributee 1999) creates a delightful overview of his life by interweaving reenactments with insightful testimonies from colleagues, industry experts, and stars like Jane Fonda and Angela Lansbury. The result is a vibrant, celebratory look at Hollywood’s golden era through Orry-Kelly’s extraordinary body of work, a key piece of the magic in some of history’s most memorable films. US PREMIERE

—Julia Barbosa

Sat Oct 10 2:45pm Lark Tue Oct 13 12:15pm Sequoia Wed Oct 14 2:15pm Throck

WONDROUS BOCCACCIO

(MARAVIGLIOSO BOCCACCIO)

WORLD CINEMA

Italy 2015 • 121 min

Directors/Screenwriters Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani Producers Donatella Palermo, Luigi Musini Cinematographers Simone Zampagni, Bruno Di Virgilio

Editor Roberto Perpignani Cast Lello Arena, Paola Cortellesi, Carolina Crescentini, Flavio Parenti, Vittoria Puccini, Michele Riondino Print Source MK2

FOCUS: CINEMA BELLISSIMO In Italian with English subtitles ~ Tuscany has rarely looked as lovely as it does—even with the Black Plague looming in the background— in this lively adaptation of The Decameron In 14th-century Florence, a group of young people journey to the countryside in the hope of escaping the pestilence decimating the population. As a way of distracting themselves from the tragedy, they tell one another stories, mostly concerning forbidden love. From the ribald tale of illicit goings-on in a convent to the amusingly ironic chronicle of a painter who believes he is invisible to the moving parable of a poor falconer and the noblewoman he loves, the Taviani brothers ( Caesar Must Die , MVFF 2012) fashion a richly appointed concoction of multiple narratives. Starring well-known Italian actors, such as Kim Rossi Stuart and Riccardo Scamarcio, alongside a passel of comely newcomers, Wondrous Boccaccio is a splendid reminder of the joys of storytelling and the verdant delights of Tuscany. —Rod Armstrong

Fri Oct 9 4:30pm Lark Thur Oct 15 5:00pm Sequoia

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

YOSEMITE

US CINEMA

US/France 2015 • 82 min

Director/Screenwriter Gabrielle Demeestere Producers Clara Aranovich, Nicolaas Bertelsen, Gabrielle Demeestere Screenwriter Gabrielle Demeestere Cinematographers Bruce Thierry Cheung, Chananun Chotrungroj Editor Joe Murphy Cast James Franco, Henry Hopper, Calum John, Alec Mansky, Everett Meckler Print

Source Gabrielle Demeestere

A mountain lion circles the borders of suburban Palo Alto in the fall of 1985, weaving together the intertwined tales of three fifth-grade boys precariously navigating the shifting emotional terrain of their young lives. Gabrielle Demeestere’s feature debut (based on James Franco short stories) assuredly captures a sense of the familiar and the foreboding. A canopy of trees shot through a car window or the humble washing of muddy feet generate a palpable sense of place and intimate, revelatory moments of childhood, and innocence grappling with lurking adult concerns. The film feels loose and limber, contemplative yet mobile in its absorbing exploration of unpredictable alliances, absent parents, and the masked vulnerabilities and inarticulateness of budding masculinity. Chris, Joe, and Ted prod the circumference of wildness edging their pristinely composed existence, a borderland where their struggle to understand the complexities of their world provides egress in penance and risk, fragility, loss, and tender resilience.

—Leah LoSchiavo

Fri Oct 16 8:45pm Lark Sun Oct 18 11:45am Sequoia

YOU’RE UGLY TOO

WORLD CINEMA

Ireland 2015 • 81 min

Director/Screenwriter Mark Noonan

Producers John Keville, Conor Barry

Cinematographer Tom Comerford Editor Colin Campbell Cast Aidan Gillen, Lauren Kinsella, George Pistereanu, Erika Sainte

Print Source Picture Tree International

With subtitles ~ Fresh from critical acclaim at this year’s Berlin and Edinburgh Film Festivals, up-and-coming director Mark Noonan’s compassionate feature debut about an uncle and his young niece grieving the loss of a loved one offers a fresh take on Irish cinema. Set in the Midlands, Will ( Game of Thrones ’s Aidan Gillen) is temporarily released from prison to care for his newly orphaned niece, Stacey (Lauren Kinsella). They take up residence in a caravan park, piquing the interest of their international neighbors. While Will fancies himself the responsible adult, it’s Stacey who does the majority of caretaking. When a secret in Will’s past threatens to destroy their new life, they must come to accept their perfectly flawed relationship. Gillen is in fine form, but it’s newcomer Kinsella who steals the show. If Mad Men ’s Sally Draper were stripped of her finishing school touches and left to her own devices, she’d find a kinship in wisecracking Stacey. US PREMIERE —Daniela Province

Wed Oct 14 5:15pm Sequoia Fri Oct 16 4:15pm Rafael Sun Oct 18 11:45am Throck

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO IRISH FILM FESTIVAL

YOUTH

WORLD CINEMA

Italy/France/Switzerland/UK 2015 • 123 min

Director/Screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino

Producers Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Carlotta Calori Cinematographer Luca Bigazzi Editor Cristiano Travaglioli Cast Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, Jane Fonda Print Source Fox Searchlight

In English, Spanish, and German with English subtitles ~ The stunning opening images of Oscar ® -winning ( The Great Beauty ) director Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth set the tone for indelible reflections on wisdom, art, and mortality, expressed through a longtime friendship between Fred (Michael Caine), a retired composer, and film director Mick (Harvey Keitel). Fred is offered a knighthood on condition he conduct his signature work, Simple Songs , for the Queen. He refuses, for personal reasons. Mick works on what may be his last “big” screenplay, pinning his hopes for financing on the participation of Hollywood legend Brenda Morel (a startling, take-no-prisoners performance by Jane Fonda). Meanwhile, Lena (Rachel Weisz), Fred’s daughter, has discovered her husband is leaving her for pop singer Paloma Faith (played, in a Sorrentino-esque touch of whimsy, by Faith herself). Against the backdrop of an opulent Swiss spa peopled by a cast of colorful inhabitants, Youth is sensual and rich, whimsical and tender, engrossing to its final coda. —Zoë Elton

Fri Oct 16 6:00pm Sequoia Sun Oct 18 2:00pm Rafael

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

7:00PM SPOTlIGHT 128 min Opening night gALA 9:00pm—midnight | See page 33 for details. MARI n COU n TRY MART

4 6:30PM MY MOTHER 106 min 7:15PM THE DAnISH GIRl 120 min 7:00PM THE DAnISH GIRl 120 min 6:15PM THE ASSASSIn 105 min 7:00PM HEART lIKE A HAnD GREnADE 99 min 7:15PM SPOTlIGHT 128 min

1 2 1 2 3

2:45PM AFERIM! 108 min

5:30PM 45 YEARS 93 min

8:15PM MACBETH 113 min

2:00PM GREEnERY WIll BlOOM AGAIn 89 min

6:00PM CODE: DEBUGGInG THE GEnDER GAP 79 min

8:45PM THE HI DE HO SHOW 120 min

2:00PM THE nEW EnvIROnMEnTAlISTS 85 min

5:30PM 5@5 lITTlE BY lITTlE 64 min

1:00PM MARSHlAnD 105 min

4:00PM nUMBER OnE FAn 105 min

7:00PM I SMIlE BACK 115 min

11:45AM A DOzEn SUMMERS 82 min

2:45PM nUMBER OnE FAn 105 min

5:30PM OPEn YOUR EYES 34 min

8:15PM A lIGHT BEnEATH THEIR FEET 90 min

11:00AM HAvAnA MOTOR ClUB 84 min

1:45PM THE GIRl KInG 106 min

4:45PM THE GIRl In THE BOOK 88 min

8:00PM AnGElICA 95 min

3:30PM 5@5 lITTlE BY lITTlE 64 min 6:30PM AlIAS MARIA 92 min 9:30PM 5@5 WInDMIllS OF YOUR MInD 68 min 12:00PM OnE FlOOR BElOW 93 min 2:45PM WOMEn HE’S UnDRESSED 99 min 5:45PM UnDER THE SAME SUn 93 min 8:30PM PRInCESS 92 min SEQUOIA RAFAEL LARKSPUR LANDING 1 2 1 2

tenneSSee VALLey

CInEMA HIKE | 10AM–12PM See page 20 for details.

11:00AM GIvE US A BREAK! 90 min

2:00PM A nEW COlOR: THE ART OF BEInG EDYTHE BOOnE 87 min

4:45PM In DEFEnSE OF FOOD 117 min

8:00PM ROBERT BlY: A THOUSAnD YEARS OF JOY 81 min

11:00AM SHAnA: THE WOlF’S MUSIC 95 min

1:45PM DOGTOWn REDEMPTIOn 97 min

4:45PM BROOKlYn 112 min

7:30PM THE GIRl KInG 106 min 6:45PM PRInCESS 92 min 9:30PM 5@5 MY COlOURInG BOOK 61 min 2:45PM WE DID IT On A SOnG 82 min 5:45PM An ACT OF lOvE 86 min 8:30PM InTERWOvEn 87 min

2:15PM DIRTY WOlvES 105 min

4:30PM WOnDROUS BOCCACCIO 121 min

12:30PM WE DID IT On A SOnG 82 min

5:30PM JOURnEY TO ROME 100 min

8:30PM vIAJE 72 min

7:30PM MISS YOU AlREADY 142 min 11:30AM CInEMA: A PUBlIC AFFAIR 99 min

A DIRECTOR PREPARES: BOBBY ROTH | 10AM-1PM See page 16 for details.

11:30AM SURvIvInG SKOKIE 65 min

2:45PM HOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE nATIOn 93 min

5:30PM CAROl 118 min

8:30PM THE ClUB 98 min

11:45AM BEYOnD MEASURE 85 min

2:30PM REMEMBER 95 min

5:30PM SIR DOUG AnD THE GEnUInE TExAS COSMIC GROOvE 84 min

8:00PM THE MESSEnGER 90 min

11:30AM 5@5 DOODlIn’ 68 min

2:15PM BREAKInG A MOnSTER 93 min

5:00PM 5@5 WInDMIllS OF YOUR MInD 68 min

7:45PM UnDER THE SAME SUn 93 min

1:00PM HERE IS HAROlD 95 min

4:00PM SOn OF SAUl 107 min

7:30PM

TRIBUTE TO IAn McKEllEn

12:30PM MASTER ClASS: CATHERInE HARDWICKE 90 min

3:00PM THE PAWn 78 min

5:45PM MEDITERRAnEA 110 min

8:45PM BRIDGEnD 104 min

12:45PM THE SATEllITE GIRl AnD MIlK COW 81 min

2:45PM DAY OnE 68 min

5:15PM InTERWOvEn 87 min

8:00PM AnGElICA 95 min

SweetwAter A DIRECTOR PREPARES: BOBBY ROTH | 10AM-1PM See page 16 for details.

12:00PM BREAKInG A MOnSTER 93 min

3:30PM SIR DOUG AnD THE GEnUInE TExAS COSMIC GROOvE 84 min

6:30PM BROOKlYn 112 min

9:15PM KIll YOUR FRIEnDS 103 min

11:45AM THE MESSEnGER 90 min

2:30PM HAvAnA MOTOR ClUB 84 min

5:15PM THE PASSIOn OF AUGUSTInE 103 min

8:15PM RADICAl GRACE 81 min

11:45AM JOURnEY TO ROME 100 min

2:45PM An ACT OF lOvE 86 min

5:00PM 5@5 THE OTHER SIDE OF lIFE 62 min

8:00PM OnE FlOOR BElOW 93 min

11:45AM A lIGHT BEnEATH THEIR FEET 90 min

2:30PM 45 YEARS 93 min

5:15PM SOn OF SAUl 107 min

8:00PM InGRID BERGMAn In HER OWn WORDS 114 min

11:30AM DIRTY WOlvES 105 min

2:30PM MUSTAnG 94 min

5:30PM UnDER THE SAME SUn 93 min

8:15PM THE GIRl In THE BOOK 88 min

11:15AM MISS YOU AlREADY 112 min

2:30PM MEDITERRAnEA 110 min

5:30PM PAPER TIGERS 102 min

8:45PM MARDAn 114 min

12:15PM WOMEn HE’S UnDRESSED 99 min

3:15PM THE PAWn 78 min

5:45PM SEMBènE! 89 min

8:30PM HERE IS HAROlD 95 min

1:00PM TAxI 82 min 4:00PM ROBERT BlY: A THOUSAnD YEARS OF JOY 81 min

7:00PM AMnESIA 121 min

2:00PM THE PASSIOn OF AUGUSTInE 103 min

5:00PM GOlDEn KInGDOM 103 min

11:00AM SHAnA: THE WOlF’S MUSIC 95 min

2:00PM THE IDEAlIST 114 min

5:15PM MUSTAnG 94 min

8:15PM All EYES AnD EARS 90 min

6:30PM CInEMA: A PUBlIC AFFAIR 99 min 9:15PM 5@5 BREAKFAST In BED 69 min 3:00PM vIAJE 72 min

5:30PM AlIAS MARIA 92 min

8:30PM MARSHlAnD 105 min 6:00PM STAR WARS: RETURn OF THE JEDI 170 min

9:00PM HEART lIKE A HAnD GREnADE 99 min 3:00PM BRIDGEnD 104 min 5:45PM 5@5 BREAKFAST In BED 69 min 8:00PM BlUE BlOOD 119 min 2:45PM 5@5 THE OTHER SIDE OF lIFE 62 min 5:15PM THE IDEAlIST 114 min 8:30PM DAY OnE 68 min 11:15AM REMEMBER 95 min

8:00PM SECOnD COMInG 105 min

6:00PM BRIDGE OF SPIES 135 min

11:45AM SECOnD COMInG 105 min

2:30PM ROBERT BlY: A THOUSAnD YEARS OF JOY 81 min

5:15PM YOU’RE UGlY TOO 81 min

8:15PM TIKKUn 120 min

12:00PM 5@5 BREAKFAST In BED 69 min

2:45PM A lIGHT BEnEATH THEIR FEET 90 min

5:30PM vIRGIn MOUnTAIn 94 min

8:30PM BIG FATHER, SMAll FATHER AnD OTHER STORIES 102 min

1:00PM MACBETH 113 min 4:00PM CAROl 118 min 7:00PM ROOM 148 min 2:15PM WOMEn HE’S UnDRESSED 99 min 5:30PM nUMBER OnE FAn 125 min 8:30PM KIll YOUR FRIEnDS 103 min

12:30PM AMnESIA 96 min

3:30PM CODE: DEBUGGInG THE GEnDER GAP 79 min

6:30PM BROOKlYn, PARIS 83 min

8:45PM PERMISSIOn TO TOUCH 101 min

2:00PM RADICAl GRACE 81 min

4:45PM In DEFEnSE OF FOOD 117 min

8:00PM THE nEW EnvIROnMEnTAlISTS 85 min

3:00PM GREEnERY WIll BlOOM AGAIn 89 min

6:00PM BlACK GIRl 65 min

8:00PM lA TIERRA ROJA 100 min

6:00PM lOvE BETWEEn THE COvERS 86 min

8:45PM EMBRACE OF THE SERPEnT 105 min

11:30AM THE ClUB 98 min

2:30PM GOlDEn KInGDOM 103 min

5:45PM THE PREPPIE COnnECTIOn 110 min

8:45PM THE AUTOMATIC HATE 97 min

11:15AM THE GIRl In THE BOOK 88 min

2:00PM THE GIRl KInG 106 min

5:00PM WOnDROUS BOCCACCIO 121 min

8:00PM TBA

12:15PM HERE IS HAROlD 95 min

3:15PM SEMBènE! 89 min

7:00PM AIn’T MISBEHAvIn’ 136 min

11:30AM BROOKlYn, PARIS 83 min

2:00PM BlUE BlOOD 119 min

5:15PM HOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE nATIOn 93 min

8:00PM IxCAnUl 91 min

3:15PM lA TIERRA ROJA 100 min 6:15PM MARDAn 114 min

9:30PM 5@5 MY COlOURInG BOOK 61 min 5:00PM DOGTOWn REDEMPTIOn 97 min 8:00PM HITCHCOCK/ TRUFFAUT 80 min 5:00PM vIRGIn MOUnTAIn 94 min

7:45PM BEASTS OF nO nATIOn 133 min

11:30AM KIll YOUR FRIEnDS 103 min

2:30PM BROOKlYn, PARIS 83 min

5:00PM A PERFECT DAY 105 min

8:15PM SACRED BlOOD 93 min

11:45AM lOvE BETWEEn THE COvERS 86 min

2:15PM IxCAnUl 91 min

6:00PM YOUTH 123 min

9:00PM TRUTH 121 min

7:00PM THE DRESSMAKER 118 min 11:00AM THE PASSIOn OF AUGUSTInE 103 min 2:00PM THE PREPPIE COnnECTIOn 110 min 5:00PM 5@5 BRAnD nEW ME 70 min

7:30PM BADDDDD SOnIA SAnCHEz 91 min

2:30PM BIG FATHER, SMAll FATHER AnD OTHER STORIES 102 min 5:30PM RAMS 93 min 8:30PM nEnA 94 min 1:45PM GREEnERY WIll BlOOM AGAIn 89 min 4:15PM YOU’RE UGlY TOO 81 min

11:45AM A nEW COlOR: THE ART OF BEInG EDYTHE BOOnE 87 min

8:30PM THE HI DE HO SHOW 120 min

SCREEnInG EvEnT at OLd MiLL pArk 6:30PM THE WIzARD OF Oz 101 min FREE 11:45AM In DEFEnSE OF FOOD 117 min 3:00PM PAPER TIGERS 102 min 6:00PM BODY 92 min 8:45PM YOSEMITE 82 min 12:00PM THE SORROW AnD THE PITY 260 min 5:45PM SURvIvInG SKOKIE 65 min

11:30AM TBA 2:30PM TBA 5:30PM DHEEPAn 109 min

2:00PM

CODE: DEBUGGInG THE GEnDER GAP 79 min

5:00PM SACRED BlOOD 93 min

8:15PM CREATIvE COnTROl 97 min 11:00AM 5@5 YOUTH REEl 90 min

7:45PM PERMISSIOn TO TOUCH 101 min

11:00AM THE AMAzInG WIPlAlA 100 min

2:00PM EMBRACE OF THE SERPEnT 125 min

6:00PM SPOTlIGHT On CAREY MUllIGAn 90 min

8:30PM THE ASSASSIn 105 min

11:00AM THE HEROInE’S JOURnEY 90 min

2:00PM vARIETY COnTEnDERS: SUFFRAGETTE 90 min

5:15PM BEYOnD MEASURE 85 min

8:15PM THE PREPPIE COnnECTIOn 110 min

11:00AM A DOzEn SUMMERS

11:00AM 5@5 DOODlIn’ 68 min

1:00PM MvFF STATE OF THE InDUSTRY 90 min

3:15PM HITCHCOCK/ TRUFFAUT 80 min

6:30PM BADDDDD SOnIA SAnCHEz 91 min

9:30PM 5@5 BRAnD nEW ME 70 min

11:15AM A PERFECT DAY 105 min

2:00PM THE FUTURE OF FIlM TECH 90 min 5:15PM TIKKUn 120 min 8:15PM AUTUMn SOnATA 99 min

2:15PM THE AUTOMATIC HATE 97 min

5:15PM TAxI 82 min 8:15PM TBA

11:00AM THE AMAzInG WIPlAlA 100 min

2:00PM THE SATEllITE GIRl AnD MIlK COW 81 min 5:00PM RAMS 93 min 8:00PM AFERIM! 108 min

Submit your Audience Award ballots after each screening. No tiny little pencils needed. Just tear the ballot on the arrow to select your rating. Drop in the ballot box on your way out of the theater.

Only you can decide who wins the MVFF Audience Awards. Every vote counts!

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

culture food & wine silicon valley

"When women feel informed, connected and inspired to make a difference, we can change the world."

Grab your girlfriends and join us for our 2015/2016 season of education, inspiration and fun!

EVENING SERIES

Highly curated dynamic speakers, inspiring conversations, elegant and gourmet receptions in the company of remarkable women

Entrepreneurs Passionate About Healthy Living

Oct 27, 2015

Christin Powell | Chief Product Innovator, EVER Skincare. Co-founded Juice Beauty. Helping women feel and look beautiful through products that work and are good for you.

Pamela Marcus | Co-founder, LifeFactory. Passionate about healthy, environmentally friendly products for families.

Pamela Giusto-Sorrells | President, Pamela’s Products. Pioneer in natural and gluten-free foods for over 25 years.

The Savor Secret: Surprising Ways to Get What You Want Out of Life

Jan 26, 2016

Angela Jia Kim | Founder & CEO of The Savor Lifestyle Brands - Savor Spa, Om Aroma & Co. and Savor the Success, a women entrepreneur network. Her Savor Schools and productivity tools help thousands of women manifest their dreams while savoring lives they love.

The New Face of American Education: Cultivating Creative, Entrepreneurial and Global Talents

World-renowned thought leader and scholar, educational expert and award-winning author of 20 books including "World Class Learners" and "Catching Up or Leading The Way.” Named one of the 10 most influential people in educational technology.

Women

Empowering Change: Using Your Talents For Good

President & COO of Change.org, the world’s largest social change platform with more than 100 million users in 196 countries. Successful entrepreneur and businesswoman integral to the growth of both Yahoo! and Google. First female entrepreneur to sell a company to Google and hailed as an "instigator of change" by Forbes.

6:30 - 9:00pm at the Mill Valley Community Center

Heavy appetizers, dessert, wine, book signings, raffle and more....

LUNCH & LEARN SERIES

Join us for our more intimate sessions focusing on Health & Wellness

Place

MVFF | CFI STAFF

CFI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / FOUNDER MVFF FOUNDER / DIRECTOR

Mark Fishkin

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Zoë Elton

PROGRAMMING

SENIOR PROGRAMMERS

Karen Davis

Janis Plotkin PROGRAMMER

Kelly Clement

CFI DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION / MVFF CHILDREN’S FILMFEST PROGRAMMER

John Morrison

CFI EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Melanie Nichols

PROGRAMMING MANAGER

Sterling Hedgpeth

PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATE / FILM CURATOR, MVFF MUSIC

Laura Henneman

PROGRAMMING ASSISTANT / ACTIVE CINEMA COORDINATOR

Dominique O’Neil

ACTIVE CINEMA LIAISON

Joanne Parsont

PANELS COORDINATOR

Beverly Thorman

PANELS LIAISON

Emelie Mahdavian

ANIMATION PROGRAMMER

Amanda Todd

TRIBUTE CLIPS EDITOR

Marcus Pun

PROGRAMMING INTERNS

Forrest Alvarez

Grant Toepher

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Maureen Galliani

MANAGER, ACQUISITIONS & DISTRIBUTION

Roberto Prieto

DEVELOPMENT AND MEMBERSHIP

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Liana Bender

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Beau Blanchard

MAJOR GIFTS AND FOUNDATION MANAGER

Katy Hogan

SPONSORSHIP COORDINATOR

Natacha Pope

MEMBERSHIP MANAGER

Angie Young

MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATE

Doreen Aviv

DEVELOPMENT INTERNS

Jacob Lematty

Caity Ussery

MARKETING AND PUBLICITY

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & PUBLICITY

Shelley Spicer

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Leah LoSchiavo

MARKETING ASSISTANT

Pamela Yamzon

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Daniel Riha

DIGITAL MEDIA AND WEB MANAGER

Courtney Buffington

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Brian Lehman

MANAGING EDITOR

Joanne Parsont

COPY EDITOR

Pam Grady

FESTIVAL OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Jeromy Zajonc

FESTIVAL OPERATIONS MANAGER

Hayley Nenadal

FESTIVAL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Emily Porter

FESTIVAL OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

Devon Edwards

VOLUNTEER MANAGER

Avalon Rehn

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Meaghan Garrahan

ACTIVATION COORDINATOR

Nicholas Friedman

FRONT DESK PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Sara Bolduc

TECHNICAL OPERATIONS AND PRODUCTION

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Dan Zastrow

ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Ryan Hastie

TECHNICAL CONSULTANT

Marty Brenneis

EXHIBITION MEDIA MANAGER

Jesse Dubus

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Paul Hegarty

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Joseph Lepp

THEATER OPERATIONS

THEATER OPERATIONS MANAGER

Christa Luckenbach

THEATER OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Christina Halverson

THEATER OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

Mitch Ritter

VENUE MANAGERS

Cola Engel

Maribel Guevara

Peter Lowe

Dimitri Moore

Tim Nicholson

Sarah Siminds

Jessica Wilson

PROJECTIONISTS

Griffin Couillard

Michael Edwards

Cody Gehret

Chase Harris

Jordan Jones

Josh Livingston

Peter Matheny-Schuster

Lorin Murphy

Isaac Serman

Andrew Stone

Tim Taylor

HOUSE MANAGERS

Christin Carlin

Alana Davis

Jen DeCicco

Derrick Dover

Tawny Foskett

Josie Kovash

Alex Mills

Rachel Olson

Takara Tatum

LINE CAPTAINS

Sofia Alicastro

Dylan Boom

Tatiana Gelfand

Carlos Hailey

Piper Hanson

Leah Mittelstadt

Derek Petrillo

William Stribling

SPECIAL EVENTS

SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGER

Yvonne Fox

FESTIVAL EVENT MANAGER

Carrie Kaufman

EVENT COORDINATOR

Kiyoko Foot

MILL VALLEY FILMMAKER LOUNGE COORDINATOR

Christin Marcos

SAN RAFAEL FILMMAKER LOUNGE COORDINATORS

Andrea Aal

FILMMAKER LOUNGE ASSISTANT

Amanda Huebner

GUEST & TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

GUEST SERVICE MANAGER

Don Chan

GUEST SERVICE COORDINATORS

Dave Feiferis

Ericka Schubert

MUSIC GUEST & VENUE COORDINATOR

Jordan Menashe

TRANSPORTATION MANAGER

Anthony Doyle

TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR

Carley Callahan

FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE

TICKETING SERVICES

Box Cubed

BOX OFFICE MANAGERS

Ben Armington

Emily Price

Mitch Vaughn

BOX OFFICE STAFF

Tiffany Collins

Sarah Flores

Bob Hoffman

Tien-Tien Jong

Erin Klenow

Maya LeKach

Anna Links

Alex Mechanic

Christine Ogu

Spencer Owen

Ashlyn Perri

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Janice E. Sager

FINANCE MANAGER

Connie Chang

FINANCE ASSOCIATE

Laura Austin

IT & OPERATIONS MANAGER

Norman Mello

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Richard Peterson

GENERAL MANAGER

Dan Zastrow

PROGRAM CONSULTANT

Jan Klingelhofer

ASSISTANT MANAGER

Tim Fross

SHIFT MANAGER

Philip Hoffman-Harris

RAFAEL FILM CENTER STAFF

Alberta Born-Weiss

Preston Crowe

Chloe Hammond

Zoe Joslin

Patrick Kelley

Gilbert Leonor

Phillippe Matheus

Oliver Owens

Dylan Price

Miguel Ramos

Hayley Ricci

Sam Rippee-Millard

Olivia Wright

Salem Yihew

PRINTED MATERIAL

MVFF38 Seasonal Branding

PUBLICATIONS

Design & Print Production

Digital Media Maven

Production, Digital Prepress

Managing Editor

Advertising Sales

FESTIVAL PUBLICITY

AGENCY

Principal

Publicist

AGENCY

Principal

Publicist

CREATIVE CREDITS

Turner Duckworth

Brian Lehman

Courtney Buffington

Giraffex, Inc. - Richard Repas

Joanne Parsont

Winifred MacLeod

Larsen Associates

Karen Larsen

Vince Johnson

Hamilton Ink

Stephanie Clarke

Clara Franco

MVFF38 THEATRICAL TRAILER CREDITS

ADVERTISING AGENCY

Executive Creative Director

Creative Director/Copy Writer

Producer

Account Executive

Director of Production

Business Affairs Manager

PRODUCTION COMPANY

Chief Executive Officer

Director

Head of Production

Producer

Director of Photography

EDITORIAL

Executive Producer

Senior Editor

Technical Director

Smoke Artist

POST VFX

Owner/Creative Director

Executive Producer

ORIGINAL MUSIC

Executive Producer

CAST

SPECIAL THANKS

Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce

City of Mill Valley

l-inc Design

Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP)

John Butler

Tom Coates

Karena Dacker

Julia Mazerov

Adrienne Cummins

Nihad Peavler

Moxie Pictures

Robert Fernandez

Stéphane Dumonceau

Paula Benson

Stan Sawicki

Wes Cardino

Cleaver Edit

Richard Quan

Dave Becker

Jason Apple

Mark Everson

Timber

Kevin Lau

Chris Webb

Human Worldwide

Jonathan Saunders

Davey Johnson (dad), Cheryl Tsai (mom), Jack Axelrod (grandpa), Chelsea Zhang (teen daughter), Riley Lio (son), Riley Go (daughter), Jeff Pride (biker)

Jim Welte

Jenny Rogers

Lisa Berghout, Ed Apodaca

AN ICONIC LOCATION WITH WORLD-CLASS VIEWS

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

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

*Offer may not be combined with any other special, promotion or group rate. Blackout dates may apply.

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

But we’re more than a monthly magazine! Watch for special pullout publications inserted into our regular editions like Marin Summer: The Ultimate Guide to Events and Activities in our June issue, and now, inside our October issue, grab your copy of MVFF: The Ultimate Guide to the 38th Mill Valley Film Festival

Jennie Marie Adler

Forrest Alvarez

John Antonelli

Doreen Aviv

Ralph Berets

Ty Blair

Richard Burg

Nikki (Ann-Nicole) Cain

Bethynia Cardenas

Frank Chan

Tora Chung

Dina Ciraulo

Teresa Concepcion

Jackie Cormier

Juan Correa

Anna Cosentine

Jim Daly

Danial Eisweirth

SCREENING COMMITTEE

Suzanne Engelberg

Abigail Farrell Erez Genish

Justine Gubar

Jesse Handsher

Sandy Handsher

Aaron Hansen

Jarret Hendrickson

Hayden Hicks

Winn Kalmon

Nancy Kelly

Anjoo Khosla

Frako Loden

Leah LoSchiavo

Atissa Manshouri

Laurence Mazouni

Berta McDonnell

Judy Montell

Marilyn Mulford

Kathleen O’Hara

Ken O’Neil

Venus Oriane

Radica Ostojic-Portello

Joanne Parsont

Mark Phillips

Francesca Prada

Eva Reale

Grace Rubenstein

Kei Sato

Dale Sophiea

Jesse Spencer

Cathy Summa-Wolfe

Peter Talbot

Lori Wright

Kenji Yamamoto

Angie Young

Abas Zadfar

IN MEMORIAM

Pierre Cottrell (1945–2015) was a producer with the eye of an artist, who literally brought “waves” of change to the tired eyes of French cinephiles, with iconic productions including My Night at Maud’s, Claire’s Knee and Chloe in the Afternoon (all by Eric Rohmer) and The Mother and the Whore (Jean Eustache)—some of the most outstanding films of the French New Wave and its immediate aftermath. Described as “attentive, inventive, and generous” by those he worked with, Cottrell collaborated closely with industry giants Barbet Schroeder, Roger Corman, and Peter Bogdanovich while his own luminosity remained often in the shadows, or entirely uncredited, onscreen. Known for his forward-thinking taste and artistic bravery, Cottrell is said to have spent a night in jail with New York avant-garde director and exhibitor Jonas Mekas after a screening of Jean Genet’s X-rated homoerotic film Un chant d’amour. As passionate about Hollywood as he was about so-called underground filmmaking, Cottrell’s influence on French—and American—cinema can be considered no less than remarkable.

A24

Betsy Abendroth

Richard Abramowitz

Nicolette Aizenberg

Allied THA

Maya Annand

Ed Arentz

Alejandro Arroyo

Krissy Bailey

Barbro OsherPro Suecia Foundation

Patrick Barlow

Nat Baruch

BAWIFM

Frankie Baxter

Peter Belsito

Bob Berney

Andrea Bertolini

Luke Bird

Tim Bird

Adam Bittner

Ehud Bleiberg

David Bonbright

Elizabeth Brambilla

Ann Brebner

Broad Green

Kristina Bünger

Meghann Burns

California Newsreel

CFI Advisory Board

CFI Board of Directors

CFI Emeritus Board

CFI Founding Board

CFI Volunteers and Interns

Chicago Film Festival

Victoria Clark

Stephanie Clarke

Anne Collins

Consulate General of Sweden, San Francisco

Krystal Contreras

Mike Costello

Reyna Cowan

Peter Coyote

Ninfa Dawson

Eric Di Bernardo

Dot

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Michael Eisenmenger

Embassy of Sweden

Amir Esfandiari

Farabi Cinema Foundation

Film Fatales

Finnish Film Foundation

Focus Features

Janet Fox

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Diana Fuller

Sid Ganis

Daven Gee

John Goddard

Debbie Goldberg

Brian Gordon

Suzanne Gray

Robin Gurland

Lynne Hale

Adrienne Halpern

Muriel and Murray Hammond

JoAnn Hastings

Bob Hawk

Lars Hedenstedt

John Hessler

Hollywood Classics

Ted Hope

Melissa Howden

Mary Hrize

Marcus Hu

Julie Huntsinger

Icelandic Film Centre

IFC

IMCINE

IRIB

Ernie Johnston

Véronique Joo Aisenberg

Dustin Kaspar

Deborah Kaufman

Aaron Kayce

Pat Keaney

Sophie Keaney

Adam Keen

Stephanie Kluft

Steve Kovacs

Rose Kuo

Michael Kupferberg

Tommy Lau

Jill Lessard

Sydney Levine

Erin Lim

Lionsgate Entertainment

Meredith Lipsky

Lola

Hannah Loué

Erin Lowrey

Monique Luddy

Tom Luddy

Stephanie Lytle

Becky MacDonald

Lindsay Macik

Karol Martesko-Fenster

Sue Maslin

Chrissy Mazzeo

Kelda McKinney

Annie McRoberts

Lucy Mercer

Gary Meyer

Mill Valley Library

Mill Valley Merchants

Cornelius Moore

Brighde Mullins

Russell Nelson

New York Film Festival

Stephanie Northen

Norwegian Film Institute

Kathleen O’Hara

Mike Olcese

Open Road Entertainment

Marilyn Ortiz

Barbro Osher

Gary Palmucci

Thomas Parker

Tom Peters

Carmelo Pirrone

Tom Prassis

Katie Prevost

Sue Priolo

Elaine Proctor-Bonbright

Richard Repas

Rialto Pictures

Lisa Richie

Roadside Attractions

Chris Robbins

Daniella Robinson

Rachel Rosen

Gary Rubin

San Francisco Film Society

John Sanborn

Lauren Schiller

Donna Seager

Seattle International Film Festival

Jan Serrato

Katayoon Shahabi

Osnat Shurer

Melissa Silverstein

MT Silvia

Jennifer Stott

Strand Releasing

Isabelle Sugimoto

Catherine Sullivan

Swedish Film Institute

Swedish Institute, Stockholm

Sweetwater Music Hall

Lisa Taback

Danielle Taormina-Keenan

Melanie Tebb

Telluride Film Festival

The Weinstein Company

Blake Thorman

Kyle Thorpe

Evelyn Topper

Ilya Tovbis

Gina Truex

Mike Van Metre

Delfin Vigil

Visual Effects Society

Michael Wanger

Warner Bros. Films

Clare Wasserman

John C. Weaver III

Ryan Werner

Chris Wiggum

Linda Zachrison

Cecilia Zamora

Sue Zemel

NEW FREE FERRY SHUTTLE

MAKE A SPUR OF THE WEEKEND DECISION.

Grab a change of pace at the Courtyard San Francisco Larkspur Landing/Marin County, nestled in Marin County not far from the heart and buzz of downtown San Francisco or the beautiful Napa Valley. Spread out and rest easier in over 146 ENERGY STAR certified, thoughtfully appointed guest rooms and suites. Each features plush Marriott linen, enhanced Paul Mitchell amenities, and smart work spaces with complimentary high speed wireless internet. Grab a jumpstart to your morning with a healthy grab-and-go item, or wind down at the end of the day with a cocktail from our lobby Bistro. Plus, we have over 1,300 sq. ft. of flexible event space should you need to plan a meeting, seminar, reception, or social engagement. Designed for the business professional and weekend explorer alike, our hotel gives you the choices to create the perfect Bay Area trip.

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Courtyard by Marriott® San Francisco Larkspur Landing/Marin County Larkspur, CA

T (415) 925-1800

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San Rafael

Larkspur Corte Madera

Mill Valley

San Francisco

San Rafael

smith Rafael film CenteR 1118 Fourth St

GReen Chile KitChen 1335 Fourth St

il DaViDe 901 A St

teRR apin CRossRoaDs

100 Yacht Club Dr

Vin antiCo 881 Fourth St

l aRkSpuR

CentuRy laRKspuR

500 Larkspur Landing Cir

faRmshop

2233 Larkspur Landing Circle

l aRK theateR 549 Magnolia Ave

maRin CountRy maRt 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle

CoRte MadeR a

CentuRy Cinema

41 Tamal Vista Blvd

il foRnaio

Town Center Corte Madera

Mill Valley

Ciné aRts sequoia 25 Throckmorton Ave

fR antoio RistoR ante 152 Shoreline Hwy

outDooR aRt CluB 1 W Blithedale Ave

piZZ a antiC a 800 Redwood Hwy

sweetwateR musiC hall & Cafe 19 Corte Madera Ave

tamalpie 475 Miller Ave

thRoCKmoRton theatRe 142 Throckmorton Ave

ZeneR sChon GalleRy (filmmaker lounge) 23 Sunnyside Ave and

tiBuRon taVeRn 1651 Tiburon Blvd, Tiburon

CaVallo point

601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker, Sausalito

Box o ffices | boxoffice@cafilm.org

san Rafael

smith Rafael film Center 1112 Fourth Street

Sept 13

Sept 14

2:00–6:00pm Premier Patron and above

4:00–8:00pm Director’s Circle and above

Sept 15 4:00–8:00pm Gold Star and above

Sept 17

4:00–8:00pm All CFI members

Sept 19–Oct 7 4:00–8:00pm General public

Oct 8–18 10:00am to 15 min after last show starts

mill Valley

Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center 85 Throckmorton Ave

Oct 7 11:00am–3:00pm

Oct 8–18 10:00am to 15 min after last show starts

otheR Venues

on-site box offices open one hour before the first screening of the day: Century Cinema Corte madera | Century l arkspur | l ark theater | throckmorton theatre

mvff.com | 877.874. mvff (6833)

prices: General admission

$15 CFI

Seniors (65+)

Students

$12.50

$13.50

Online or in person; present student ID at box office.

Children’s FilmFest

5@5 Programs

$10 (all ages)

Convenience fees: (All fees are nonrefundable)

Mail

Online

Phone

$3.75 per order

$1.75 per ticket

$10 per order

+ $1.75 per ticket

In-person No service fee

will call

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

THeaTeR RUles & fesTival GUiDeliNes

aRRiVe eaRly

To guarantee admittance, ticket and pass holders must be in the appropriate line 30 minutes prior to published showtime. Doors typically open 30 minutes before showtime.

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

n Seat saving is not allowed.

n Outside food and beverages are not permitted.

n ALL cell phones and e-devices must be turned off prior to program introduction.

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

n Take personal items and trash with you as you exit.

ReseRVeD seats

Please do not sit in a reserved seat unless it has been arranged for you. Do not stand near the reserved seats in hopes that they will be released. MVFF staff and volunteers will release reserved seats whenever possible, but it is not guaranteed, and the aisles need to remain clear while the theater is being seated.

Rush tiCKets foR solD -out shows

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

n The Rush line forms outside each venue one hour before showtime.

n Rush tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis approximately 15 minutes before showtime.

n No discounts.

n Patrons have a 90% success rate of getting into shows through the Rush Line, but we recommend you line up early.

aCCessiBility

MVFF is committed to accommodating audience members with disabilities, offering early seating as needed to ticketed patrons. For assistance, please notify theater staff. All screening venues and their bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. Assisted-listening devices are available at the Rafael, CinéArts Sequoia, Lark Theater, Century Cinema Corte Madera, and Century Larkspur.

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

BASEBALL

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the

ﬁlling the afternoons & evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops & leaves you to face the fall alone. ~A.

Bartlett Giamatti

The Paciﬁcs thank our fans, host families, & sponsors for their support. We look forward to the 2016 Season!

#2 David Kiriakos

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

YP, the even-more-powerful Yellow Pages.

PRINT SOURCES

20 WAYS TO BE THE PERFECT MAN

Charlotte Dolman charlotte.dolman@intofilm.org

45 YEARS

IFC Films

Kim Kalyka kim.kalyka@ifcfilms.com

5M80

Cube Creative

Eloise Guerin e.guerin@cube-creative.com

ABLUTION (WUZU)

BPowered Films

Parisa Barani baraniparisa@gmail.com

AN ACT OF LOVE

Scott Sheppard anactoflovefilm@gmail.com

AFERIM!

Big World Pictures

Jonathan Howell jonathan@bigworldpictures.org

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ WIDE

Loïc Magneron lm@widemanagement.com

ALIAS MARIA

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

ALL EYES AND EARS

Roundabout Entertainment, Inc.

Noleen Aris noleen.aris@roundabout.com

THE AMAZING WIPLALA

BosBros

Mijke Roos info@bosbros.com

AMNESIA

Les Films du Losange filmsdulosange.fr/en

ANGELICA

Angelica Film Productions

Joyce Pierpoline Joyce@pierpolinefilms.com

AQUI TE AMO

John MacLeod john@fastforwardweb.com

ARTOO IN LOVE

Evan Atherton evan.atherton@autodesk.com

THE ASSASSIN

Well Go USA Entertainment

Crystal Decker Orren crystal@wellgousa.com

THE AUTOMATIC HATE

Film Movement

Maxwell Wolkin maxwell@filmmovement.com

BABY

Lee Briggs leecbriggs@gmail.com

BADDDDD SONIA SANCHEZ

Attie & Goldwater Productions

Barbara Attie bkattie@gmail.com

A BAND OF THIEVES

The American Standard Film Co.

Fidel Ruiz-Healy fidelrrh@gmail.com

BEASTS OF NO NATION

Bleecker Street/Netflix bleeckerstreetmedia.com

BEYOND MEASURE

Reel Link Films

Vicki Abeles vabeles@reellinkfilms.com

BIG CHEAT

The Melnechuk Williams Company Nikhil Melnechuk nikhil@melnechukwilliams.com

BIG FATHER, SMALL FATHER AND OTHER STORIES

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

BLACK GIRL

Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna Cecilia Cenciarelli cecilia.cenciarelli@cineteca.bologna.it

BLUE BLOOD

Picture Tree International pti@picturetree-international.com

BODY

Memento Films International festival@memento-films.com

BOXEADORA

Doc Farm Films

Meg Smaker meighon@hotmail.com

THE BRAVEST, THE BOLDEST

Moon Molson moonmole@mac.com

BREAKING A MONSTER

SeeThink Films

Tom Davis tom@seethink.com

BREATHE

Forrest Andrew Alvarez forrest.andrew.alvarez@gmail.com

BRIDGE OF SPIES

Walt Disney Studios waltdisneystudios.com

BRIDGEND

New Europe Film Sales

Zofia Horszczaruk zofia@neweuropefilmsales.com

THE BROKEN WAND

Anne Yang anneyang3d@gmail.com

BROOKLYN

Fox Searchlight Pictures foxsearchlight.com

BROOKLYN, PARIS

The Festival Agency

Elodie Dupont dounia@thefestivalagency.com

BUNNY NEW GIRL

Natalie van den Dungen natalie.vandendungen@gmail.com

BY ANY MEANS A-VEILABLE

Salaud Morisset

François Morisset festival@salaudmorisset.com

C-MEN

Jim Helmer jhelmer@srcs.k12.ca.us

CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING

Sunrise Productions

Rita Mbanga rita@sunrise.co.za

CAROL

The Weinstein Company weinsteinco.com

CARTOON AWAY

Augusto Bicalho Roque gutroque@hotmail.com

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO

Moonbot Studios

Sara Hebert shebert@moonbotstudios.com

CINEMA: A PUBLIC AFFAIR

FilmKantine

Katrin Springer k.springer@filmkantine.de

THE CLUB

Music Box Films

Lisa Trifone ltrifone@musicboxfilms.com musicboxfilms.com

CODE: DEBUGGING THE GENDER GAP

Finish Line Features, LLC

Robin Hauser Reynolds rhr226@gmail.com

PRINT SOURCES

CREATIVE CONTROL

Amazon Studios amazonstudios.com

CURT LOWENS: A LIFE OF CHANGES

Cheri Gaulke cgaulke@hw.com

CUT THE TALL TREES: THE KILLING POWER OF WORDS

Cheri Gaulke cgaulke@hw.com

THE DANISH GIRL Focus Features focusfeatures.com

DAY 40

Sol Friedman sol@artbeast.ca

DAY ONE

Michael Steiner mksteiner@gmail.com

DECORATIONS

Mari Miyazawa mari@4miyazawa.com

DEEP BREAKFAST

Jon Patch rhetoricfrederick@hotmail.com

DHEEPAN

IFC Films

Kim Kalyka kim.kalyka@ifcfilms.com

DIRTY WOLVES

Latido Films

Óscar Alonso oalonso@latidofilms.com

DOGTOWN REDEMPTION

Amir Soltani amisoltani@yahoo.com

DOT

Tali Barde contact@avalonfilm.de

A DOZEN SUMMERS

Monkey Basket Films

Kenton Hall kentonhallmusic@gmail.com

DRAMA

Tian Guan guantian88@gmail.com

THE DRESSMAKER

Embankment Films

Max Pirkis mp@embankmentfilms.com

DURICA

Karmen Bardek karmen.mravec@gmail.com

EGGPLANT

Yangzi She sheygzshe@gmail.com

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT Oscilloscope oscilloscope.net

FATHER’S DAY

Shannon E Riggs shannon@beachwooddrive.com

THE FLY

Marco di Gerlando mdgproduzioni@libero.it

FOUND

Chris Siracuse csiracuse@live.com

THE GIRL IN THE BOOK

Varient Entertainment, LLC

Gina Resnick gina@varient.com

THE GIRL KING

Wolfe Releasing wolfereleasing.com

GOLDEN KINGDOM WIDE

Loïc Magneron lm@widemanagement.com

GOLDEN SHOT

Gökalp Gönen gonengokalp@gmail.com

GOOD MAN

David Swope david@swopecreative.com

GRAY MATTER

Cheri Gaulke cgaulke@hw.com

GREENERY WILL BLOOM AGAIN Rai Cinema rai-com.com

HANDS

Cheri Gaulke cgaulke@hw.com

HAVANA MOTOR CLUB

Perlmutt Productions, Inc. Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt bperlmutt@gmail.com

HEART LIKE A HAND GRENADE Abramorama

Karol Martesko-Fenster kmf@abramorama.com

HERE IS HAROLD

Norwegian Film Institute Lansering ph@nfi.no

HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT

Cohen Media Group

Gary Rubin grubin@cohenmedia.net

HOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE NATION

Cabin Creek Films cabincreekfilms@aol.com

THE HOUSE IS INNOCENT

Nicholas Coles nickcoles@gmail.com

I DON’T CARE

Jasminka Ljubic saf@ck.t-com.hr

I SMILE BACK

Broad Green Pictures

William Gruenberg wgruenberg@broadgreen.com

THE IDEALIST

Danish Film Institute printcoordinator@dfi.dk

IN DEFENSE OF FOOD

Kikim Media

Michael Schwarz mschwarz@kikim.com

IN THE CLOUDS

Marcelo Mitnik marce@mitnik.org

IN THE FOREST

USC School of Cinematic Arts

Xia Li xli829@usc.edu

INGRID BERGMAN IN HER OWN WORDS

Rialto Pictures rialtopictures.com

INTERWOVEN

RareForm Pictures

Uyen K. Le uyen@rareformpictures.com

IRINA ROZO

Searchlight Films

Ashley James searchlightfilms@me.com

IXCANUL

Kino Lorber

Jonathan Hertzberg jhertzberg@kinolorber.com

JIM BIRD: PORTRAIT OF AN AMERICAN

Nik Kleverov palliumcortex@gmail.com

PRINT SOURCES

JOURNEY TO ROME

Background Films

Mikulas Novotny novotny@backgroundfilms.cz

KILL YOUR FRIENDS

Well Go USA Entertainment

Crystal Decker Orren crystal@wellgousa.com

A KING’S BETRAYAL

David Bornstein dabornstein89@gmail.com

LA TIERRA ROJA

Latido Films

Óscar Alonso oalonso@latidofilms.com

THE LEAF

ŠAF Č akovec

Jasminka Bijelić Ljubić saf@ck.t-com.hr

LET’S NOT PANIC

High Jump Films

Heather Jack heatherjackfilm@gmail.com

A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET

PhD Productions

Jeffrey Loeb

Jeffrey.M.Loeb.99@gmail.com

LOVE BETWEEN THE COVERS

Blueberry Hill Productions

Julia Hines jahinesbhp@gmail.com

MACBETH

The Weinstein Company weinsteinco.com

MAD GOD, PART 2

Tippett Studio

Niketa Roman niketa@tippett.com

MADELEINE

Magic Word Productions

Ollie Verschoyle overschoyle@gmail.com

MARATHON

Theo Rigby theorigby1@gmail.com

MARDAN

Versatile

Alexandre Moreau amoreau@versatile-films.com

MARSHLAND

Outsider Pictures

Paul Hudson paul@outsiderpictures.us

MAVIS!

Film First jessica@filmfirstco.com

MEAT

Michael Forstein mforstein@gmail.com

MEDITERRANEA

IFC Films

Kim Kalyka kim.kalyka@ifcfilms.com

THE MESSENGER

Kino Lorber

Elizabeth Sheldon elizabeth@kinolorber.com

MINIMUM WAGE

SilverOx Pictures

Joey Ally joey.ally@gmail.con

MIRACLE MAKER

Kate Marks Kate@katemarks.net

MIRROR IN MIND

Kiafa AniSeed

WonJu Jung kaniseed@naver.com

MISS YOU ALREADY

Roadside Attractions roadsideattractions.com

MUSTANG

Cohen Media Group

Gary Rubin grubin@cohenmedia.net

MY MOM’S MOTORCYCLE

Douglas Gautraud douglasgautraud@gmail.com

MY MOTHER

Alchemy

Debbi Berlin debbi.berlin@ouralchemy.com

NENA

KeyFilm

Sandra van der Wiel sandra.van.der.wiel@keyfilm.nl

A NEW COLOR: THE ART OF BEING

EDYTHE BOONE

Galewind Films

Marlene “Mo” Morris anewcolor.doc@gmail.com

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

Mill Valley Film Group

Graham Deneen gpdeneen@gmail.com

NIETA

Red Clover Studios

Nicolas Villarreal nicolas@redcloverstudios.com

NUMBER ONE FAN

Distrib Films US Clemence Taillandier clemence.taillandier@gmail.com

ONE FLOOR BELOW

Films Boutique Valeska Neu valeska@filmsboutique.com

OPEN YOUR EYES

Vermilion Films

Sophie Harris irenetaylorbrodsky@gmail.com

PALM ROT

Ryan Gillis gillizama@gmail.com

PAPA

Natalie LaBarre nat.labarre@gmail.com

PAPER TIGERS

KPJR Films

James Redford jredd5562@me.com

THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE

Seville International Ruby Rondina RRondina@filmsseville.com

A PASSION OF GOLD AND FIRE Pins Sébastien seb.pins@skynet.be

THE PAWN

CAT&Docs

Maëlle Guenegues maelle@catndocs.com

PENNY

I.V. Studios

Elizabeth Sher liz1943@gmail.cm

A PERFECT DAY IFC Films

Kim Kalyka kim.kalyka@ifcfilms.com

PERMISSION TO TOUCH

Citizen Cinema

Rob Nilsson rnilsson@robnilsson.com

THE PREPPIE CONNECTION

Coalition Films info@coalition-films.com coalitionfilms.com

PRINT SOURCES

PRIMROSE

Por Una Cabeza Films

Clara Aranovich clara@pucfilms.com

PRINCESS

Breaking Glass Pictures festivals@bgpics.com

RADICAL GRACE

Kindling Group

Rebecca Parrish rebecca@interchangeproductions.com

RAMS

Cohen Media Group

Gary Rubin grubin@cohenmedia.net

REMEMBER A24 a24films.com

RESILIENT

John Morrison jmorrison@cafilm.org

ROBERT BLY: A THOUSAND YEARS OF JOY

Zinc Films

Haydn Reiss hadyn@zincfilms.com

ROOM

A24 info@a24films.com a24films.com

THE ROOTS OF ‘ULU

Mill Valley Film Group

Graham Deneen gpdeneen@gmail.com

SACRED BLOOD

Plaster City Productions Inc.

Christopher Coppola crc@plastercityprods.com

THE SATELLITE GIRL AND MILK COW GKIDS

Dave Jestaedt dave@Gkids.com

SEA CHANGE

Mill Valley Film Group

Graham Deneen gpdeneen@gmail.com

SECOND COMING

Film Movement

Maxwell Wolkin maxwell@filmmovement.com

SEMBÈNE!

Kino Lorber

Jonathan Hertzberg jhertzberg@kinolorber.com

SHANA: THE WOLF’S MUSIC

Reck Film Production

Renate Zylla Meyer rzylla@arcor.de

Tyler Byrne tylerjbyrne@gmail.com

SIR DOUG AND THE GENUINE TEXAS COSMIC GROOVE

Submarine

Dan Braun dan@submarine.com

SNAIL

Deborah Attoinese dattoinese@yahoo.com

SON OF SAUL

Sony Pictures Classics www.sonyclassics.com

THE SORROW AND THE PITY

Milestone Film & Video

Dennis Doros milefilms@gmail.com

SPOTLIGHT

Open Road Films openroadfilms.com

STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI Lucasfilm Ltd. lucasfilm.com

SUBMARINE SANDWICH

Sarah Phelps sarah@eatpes.com

SUFFRAGETTE

Focus Features focusfeatures.com

SURVIVING SKOKIE

Clean Slate Video

Eli Adler eli@survivingskokie.com

TAXI

Kino Lorber

Jonathan Hertzberg jhertzberg@kinolorber.com

TIKKUN

Plan B Productions planb-productions.com

TRACTION

Rory Uphold Icouldbeblonder@mac.com

THE TREE

ŠAF Č akovec Jasminka Bijelić Ljubić saf@ck.t-com.hr

TRUTH

Sony Pictures Classics www.sonyclassics.com

UNDER THE SAME SUN

Sandalwood Productions/Films4Change

Larry Smet films@sandalwoodproductions.com

VIAJE

FiGa Films, LLC

Alex Garcia alex@figafilms.com

VIRGIN MOUNTAIN

BAC Films Distribution

Gilles Sousa g.sousa@bacfilms.fr

THE VISIT

Inbar Horesh inbaresh@gmail.com

WE DID IT ON A SONG

CAT&Docs Maëlle Guenegues maelle@catndocs.com

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL

Sunrise Productions

Rita Mbanga rita@sunrise.co.za

WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED

Hollywood Classics

Melanie Tebb melanie@hollywoodclassics.com

WONDROUS BOCCACCIO

MK2

Vivien Dasset intlfest@mk2.com

YEAR OF PLENTY

Ronald Chase rchase@chaseartfilm.com

YOSEMITE

Gabrielle Demeestere gdemee11@gmail.com

YOU’RE UGLY TOO

Picture Tree International pti@picturetree-international.com

YOUTH

Fox Searchlight Pictures www.foxsearchlight.com

ZAWADI

Cards and Cables, INC

Richard Card Richarddavidcard@gmail.com

DOCS is proud to sponsor and provide fulfillment services to the Mill Valley Film Festival. Fort Docs is providing MVFF with: Storage and just-in-time delivery of Festival programs and posters Long-term storage of documents Temperature controlled storage of movie trailers

Hard Copy Records, Digital Imaging, E-mail Management, Document Destruction, Consulting Services www.ftdocs.com 707-571-8313

www.EastBayExprEss.com

FILMS BY COUNTRY

*Denotes country of interest

AFGHANISTAN

Day One*

ARGENTINA

Alias Maria

Embrace of the Serpent

In the Clouds

La Tierra Roja

Nieta

Bunny New Girl

The Dressmaker

Love Between the Covers*

Women He’s Undressed

BALKANS

A Perfect Day*

BELGIUM

The Amazing Wiplala

La Tierra Roja

A Passion of Gold and Fire

BRAZIL

Blue Blood

Cartoon Away

BULGARIA

Aferim!

BURKINA FASO

Mediterranea*

CANADA

Ablution

Brooklyn

Day 40

The Messenger

The New Environmentalists*

The Passion of Augustine

Remember

The Second Right Off Main Street

Shana: The Wolf’s Music

Under the Same Sun

CHILE

The Club

CHINA

All Eyes and Ears*

Drama

COLOMBIA

Alias Maria

Embrace of the Serpent

The Preppie Connection*

COSTA RICA

The Messenger*

Viaje

CROATIA

Durica

I Don’t Care

The Leaf

The Tree

CUBA

Boxeadora

Havana Motor Club

CZECH REPUBLIC

Aferim!

Journey to Rome

DENMARK

Bridgend

By Any Means A-Veilable

The Danish Girl*

The Idealist

Virgin Mountain

ETHIOPIA

Sea Change

FINLAND

The Girl King

FRANCE

5m80

Ain’t Misbehavin’

Alias Maria

Amnesia

Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories*

Black Girl

Body

Brooklyn, Paris

By Any Means A-Veilable

Dheepan

Hitchcock/Truffaut

Ixcanul

Macbeth

The Messenger Mustang

Number One Fan

One Floor Below*

The Sorrow and the Pity

We Did It on a Song

Wondrous Boccaccio*

Yosemite

Youth

GEORGIA

Sacred Blood*

GERMANY

An Act of Love*

Amnesia*

Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories*

Cinema: A Public Affair

DOT

The Messenger*

Mustang

Nena

One Floor Below*

Remember*

The Sorrow and the Pity

Surviving Skokie*

GUATEMALA

Ixcanul

The Pawn*

HAITI

Hot Type: 150 Years of The Nation*

The New Environmentalists*

HONDURAS

The New Environmentalists*

HUNGARY

Son of Saul

ICELAND

Rams

Virgin Mountain

INDIA

Under the Same Sun

IRAN

Ablution

Taxi

IRAQI KURDISTAN

Mardan

IRELAND

Brooklyn Room You’re Ugly Too

ISRAEL

Princess Tikkun

The Visit

ITALY

The Fly

The Girl King*

Greenery Will Bloom Again

Mediterranea

My Mother

Wondrous Boccaccio

Youth

JAPAN

Decorations

KENYA

The New Environmentalists*

Sea Change

Zawadi

LUXEMBOURG

The Amazing Wiplala

MEXICO

A Band of Thieves*

Irina Rozo*

A King’s Betrayal*

MYANMAR

Golden Kingdom*

The New Environmentalists*

NEPAL

Open Your Eyes*

NETHERLANDS

The Amazing Wiplala

The Messenger*

FILMS BY COUNTRY

Nena

NORWAY

Here Is Harold

POLAND

Journey to Rome

Remember*

Surviving Skokie*

ROMANIA

Aferim!

One Floor Below

SCOTLAND

The New Environmentalists*

SENEGAL

Black Girl

Sembène!

SOUTH KOREA

Elliot

Mirror in Mind

The Satellite Girl and Milk Cow

SPAIN

Amnesia*

Dirty Wolves

Marshland

A Perfect Day

SRI LANKA

Dheepan*

SWEDEN

The Girl King*

Here Is Harold*

Ingrid Bergman—In Her Own Words

One Floor Below*

Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove*

SWITZERLAND

45 Years*

Ain’t Misbehavin’

Amnesia

Brooklyn, Paris*

The Pawn

Shana: The Wolf’s Music

Youth

TAIWAN

The Assassin

TURKEY

Golden Shot

Mustang

20 Ways to Be the Perfect Man

45 Years

Angelica*

Bridgend*

Brooklyn

Carol

The Danish Girl

A Dozen Summers

Good Man*

Kill Your Friends

Macbeth

Madeleine

Miss You Already

Second Coming

Snail*

Suffragette

Youth

US Ablution

An Act of Love

All Eyes and Ears

Angelica

Aqui Te Amo

Artoo In Love

The Automatic Hate

Baby

BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez

A Band of Thieves

Beasts of No Nation

Beyond Measure

Big Cheat

Boxeadora

The Bravest, the Boldest

Breaking a Monster

Breathe

Bridge of Spies

The Broken Wand

C-Men

Carol

The Cask of Amontillado

CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap Collision

Creative Control

Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes

Cut the Tall Trees: The Killing Power of Words

The Danish Girl

Day 40*

Day One

Deep Breakfast

Dogtown Redemption

Drama

Eggplant

Father’s Day

Found

The Girl in the Book

Golden Kingdom

Good Man

Gray Matter

Hands

Havana Motor Club

Heart Like a Hand Grenade

The Hi De Ho Show

Hitchcock/Truffaut

Hot Type: 150 Years of The Nation

The House Is Innocent

I Smile Back

In Defense of Food

In the Clouds*

In the Forest

Interwoven

Irina Rozo

Jim Bird: Portrait of an American

A King’s Betrayal

Let’s Not Panic

A Light Beneath Their Feet

Love Between the Covers

Macbeth

Mad God, Part 2

Madeleine

Marathon

Mavis!

Meat

The Messenger*

Minimum Wage

Miracle Maker

My Mom’s Motorcycle

Nena*

A New Color: The Art of Being Edythe Boone

The New Environmentalists

Open Your Eyes

Palm Rot

Papa

Paper Tigers

Penny

Permission to Touch

The Preppie Connection

Primrose

Radical Grace

Resilient

Robert Bly: A Thousand Years of Joy

The Roots of ‘Ulu

Sacred Blood

Sembène!

Sir Doug and the Genuine

Texas Cosmic Groove*

Snail

Spotlight

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Submarine Sandwich

Surviving Skokie

Traction

Trouble Comes Running

Truth

Under the Same Sun*

Viaje*

The Wizard of Oz

Wonderful World

Year of Plenty

Yosemite

Zawadi

VENEZUELA

Embrace of the Serpent

VIETNAM

Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories

ZIMBABWE

Can’t Fight This Feeling

The Winner Takes It All

FILMMAKER INDEX

Abeles, Vicki Beyond Measure 120

Abrahamson, Lenny Room 55, 143

Adler, Eli Surviving Skokie 147

Ally, Joey Minimum Wage 113

Alvarez, Forrest Andrew Breathe 128

André, David We Did It on a Song 149

Antonelli, John

The New Environmentalists: From Myanmar to Scotland 138 The Roots of ‘Ulu 138 Sea Change 138

Aranovich, Clara Primrose 113

Armstrong, Gillian Women He’s Undressed

Atherton, Evan Artoo in Love

Attie, Barbara BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez

Attoinese, Deborah Snail

Audiard, Jacques Dheepan

Barani, Parisa Ablution

Barde, Tali DOT 115

Baron, Henry Aqui Te Amo 115

Bennett, Noah

Cut the Tall Trees: The Killing Power of Words 115

Bianco, Pippa Share 113

Binder, Justin Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes 115

Björkman, Stig

Ingrid Bergman—In Her Own Words 132

Bluhm, Joe

The Cask of Amontillado 114

Blum, August

Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes 115

Bogdanovi, Vedran The Tree 113

Bornstein, David A. A King’s Betrayal 114

Brandrup, Tatiana Cinema: A Public Affair

Briggs, Lee Baby

Brodsky, Irene Taylor

Open Your Eyes 107, 139

Bustamante, Jayro Ixcanul 132

Card, Richard Zawadi 114

Carlson, Robert Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes 115

Carpignano, Jonas Mediterranea 136

Casal de Miguel, Simón Dirty Wolves 126

Castelo, Joseph

The Preppie Connection

Cho, Max

Cut the Tall Trees: The Killing Power

Cohn, Marya The Girl in

Cole, Rachel Big Cheat

Coles, Nicholas The House Is Innocent

Coppola, Christopher Sacred Blood

Crowley, John Brooklyn

Dawes, Brent

Can’t Fight This Feeling

Debergh, Ryan

The Second Right Off Main Street

Delaloye, Jean-Cosme

Demeestere, Gabrielle

Deveaux, Nicolas 5m80

Di Gerlando, Marco

Dickinson,

Lírio

Levi

John

Gokalp

Guerra, Ciro

Embrace of the Serpent

Ha ek, Klara

The Leaf

Haigh, Andrew 45 Years

Hákonarson, Grimur Rams

Hall, Kenton A Dozen Summers

Hamel, Edward Breathe

Hardwicke, Catherine Miss You Already 67, 136

Harris, Owen Kill Your Friends

Hauser Reynolds, Robin

CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap

Haynes, Todd Carol

Herrera, Jonny

Aqui Te Amo

Herry, Jeanne Number One Fan

Hooper, Tom

The Danish Girl 32, 125

Hope, Vanessa All Eyes and Ears

Horesh, Inbar

The Visit

Hou, Hsiao-hsien

The Assassin

Hughes, Henry Day One

Hyung-yun, Chang

The Satellite Girl and Milk Cow

Jack, Heather

Let’s Not Panic

Jacusso, Nino

Shana: The Wolf’s Music

James, Ashley

Irina Rozo

Jausovec, Mika

I Don’t Care

Jones, Kent

Hitchcock/Truffaut

Joyce, William

The Cask of Amontillado

Jude, Radu

Aferim!

Kahn, Laurie

FILMMAKER INDEX

Love Between the Covers

Kári, Dagur

Virgin Mountain

Kaurismäki, Mika The Girl King 128

Khabbaz, George

Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes 115

Kim, SeungHee Mirror in Mind 114

Kim, Sung Min “Dennis” Elliot 115

Kleverov, Nik

Jim Bird: Portrait of an American 114

Kopple, Barbara Hot Type: 150 Years of The Nation 130

Krapinec, Anja Durica

Kurzel, Justin Macbeth

Labarre, Natalie Papa

Larrain, Pablo The Club

Lasky, Natasha Year of Plenty

Leon de Aranoa, Fernando A Perfect Day

Lerner, Justin The Automatic Hate 119

Li, Xia In the Forest 113

Lichtenstein, Mitchell Angelica

Marks, Kate Miracle Maker

Marquand, Richard Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

McCarthy, Tom Spotlight

Mcguiness, Sean Trouble Comes Running

McLean, Kate Marathon

Meyer, Luke

Breaking a Monster

Mielnik, Tomasz Journey to Rome

Jocelyn

Nanni

FILMMAKER INDEX

Pins, Sebastien A Passion of Gold and Fire

Pool, Léa

The Passion of Augustine

Quilici, Henry Gray Matter

Redford, James Paper Tigers

Reiss, Haydn

Robert Bly: A Thousand Years of Joy

Rigby, Theo Marathon

Rodríguez, Alberto Marshland

Roecker, John Heart Like a Hand Grenade

Roque, Augusto Cartoon Away

Rosendahl, Christina The Idealist

Rønde, Jeppe Bridgend

Rugeles Gracia, José Luis Alias Maria

Ruiz-Healy, Fidel A Band of Thieves

Rynard, Su The Messenger

Sacks, Abbey Collision

Salky, Adam I Smile Back

Saveliev, David Wonderful World

Scheich, VW Interwoven

Schiøler, Charlotte By Any Means A-veilable

Schroeder, Barbet Amnesia

Schwarz, Michael In Defense of Food

Sembène, Ousmane Black Girl

Sen, Mitra Under the Same Sun

She, Yangzi Eggplant

Sheppard, Scott An Act of Love

Sher, Elizabeth Penny

Shine, Tammy Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes

Silverman, Jason Sembène!

Siracuse, Chris Found

Sivan, Avishai Tikkun

Smaker, Meg Boxeadora

Smith, Miles Aqui Te Amo

Soltani, Amir Dogtown

Steven Bridge of

Vinko I Don’t

David Good

Szumowska, Małgorzata Body

Tessaud, Pascal Brooklyn, Paris

Tippett, Phil Mad God, Part 2

Emily

Uphold, Rory

Luis

Ollie

Diego

Gunnar

Katie

Valerie

Weiss-Richmond, Nick Big Cheat

Sam

Wimbush, Adam Chihiro

Anne

Alain

Marin

ADVERTISER INDEX

Marin Sanitary Service

Marin Suites Hotel

Maroevich, O’Shea

TITLE INDEX

To the Mill Valley Film Festival, Congratulations on 38 years of sharing the power of storytelling through film.

MVFF38 Program 2015

38 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

WELCOME TO THE 38 TH MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL!

CFI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2015 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

SIGNATURE

CHRISTOPHER B. AND JEANNIE MEG SMITH

MAJOR

OFFICIAL AIRLINE PREMIERE MEDIA

SPONSORS

2015 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

SILVER CIRCLE

FESTIVAL CIRCLE

2015 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS

SPONSORS

2015 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

EVENTS & VENUE PARTNERS

2015 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

MAJOR MEDIA

HOTELS

SPECIAL SUPPORT

CFI SUPPORTERS

PLATINUM CIRCLE

GOLD CIRCLE

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CFI SUPPORTERS

FAST PASS | CFI

FAST PASS | MVFF

4th Generation Mill Valley

OFFICE SUITE LEASES 150 SF & Up

EDITING SUITES

ROOM

FANTASY STUDIOS

BERKELEY FILMMAKERS SCREENING SERIES

CELEBRATE FILM

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THE FILM FEST CONTINUES YEAR-ROUND AT THE SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

WE’RE PROUD TO SUPPORT

the

FILM FESTIVAL

CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE

& MILL VALLEY

BRAVO!

THE CENTER

OPENING NIGHT

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OPENING NIGHT

SPOTLIGHT

OPENING NIGHT GALA

AMNESIA

CLOSING NIGHT

SUFFRAGETTE

You are part of a greater communit Y.

SPECIAL PREMIERES & PARTY

ANGELICA

A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET

STAR WARS SCREENING EVENT

STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI

LINDA FURST MAYNE

MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL AWARD

TRIBUTES

SPOTLIGHTS

SARAH SILVERMAN

I SMILE BACK

SARAH SILVERMAN: A BRAVE NEW ROLE

SARAH SILVERMAN

PASS INCLUDES

BRIE LARSON

ROOM

BRIE LARSON: MAKING ROOM

BRIE LARSON

MARCEL OPHULS

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’

MARCEL OPHULS: AN APPRECIATION

CATHERINE HARDWICKE

MISS YOU ALREADY

CATHERINE HARDWICKE: IN THE ZONE