MVFF39 Program 2016 by CAFILM

Projecting commitment.

All the ﬁlms featured at this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival are the results of thousands of artists working together to bring a story and vision to life.

Wells Fargo is proud to return as the Opening Night sponsor of the 39th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival because the achievements of these artists reﬂect our working together spirit and commitment to help our communities thrive.

Enjoy the show

W ELco ME To T h E 39 th M ILL VALLEY F ILM F ESTIVAL !

The role of the film festival is changing. When we started the Mill Valley Film Festival 39 years ago, the cinematic universe was very different. The video revolution was in its infancy. The internet was years in the future, and streaming even further out. In theaters, Hollywood was experiencing a renaissance of quality films and giving birth to the blockbuster, the midnight movie era was dawning, rep houses were thriving, and foreign films did robust business. “Quality television” meant the occasional miniseries or PBS programming.

That world, of course, has been disrupted. In a time when so many prefer to view at home and binge watch the latest season of Transparent or Mozart in the Jungle, where does that leave film festivals? In a more vital position than ever. The Mill Valley Film Festival and our year-round programming at the Smith Rafael Film Center are the campfires we sit around to share a common experience. Art houses are our town halls. This is where we showcase films that are important and relevant to our time, films that are often difficult to see but worthy of attention from broader audiences.

Mind the Gap, the program we launched last year to celebrate women filmmakers and women’s perspectives and to call attention to the gender imbalance in the industry, is returning. Our robust program this year focuses on the intersection of women, film, and technology and includes a broad range of programs and perspectives including German auteur Doris Dörrie’s Fukushima, Mon Amour ; Kelly Reichardt’s adaptation of Maile Meloy short stories, Certain Women; a seminar on the work-inprogress film Hidden Figures, a historical drama starring Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer about a team of African American women who worked on the first NASA missions; and more.

We are also proud to pay tribute to two remarkable women who have been making their mark on the film world for more than a quarter of a century: pioneering African American filmmaker Julie Dash, with a 25th anniversary screening of her groundbreak-

ing 1991 drama Daughters of the Dust ; and the brilliant Nicole Kidman, joining us with yet another powerful performance in her new film Lion

Our Spotlight honorees this year include Aaron Eckhart, almost unrecognizable as a boxing trainer in the real-life drama Bleed for This; Ewan McGregor, who last visited the Rafael in 2011 with Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, returning with his directorial debut, an adaptation of Philip Roth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel American Pastoral; Mexican actor Gael García Bernal in his latest collaboration with Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, Neruda; and our first Spotlight on an ensemble, with director Mike Mills and his incredible ensemble cast of 20 th Century Women, including Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, Billy Crudup, and newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann.

On Opening Night, we are pleased to present two of 2016’s best films: Amy Adams will be in attendance with Arrival, a science-fiction film different from any you’ve ever seen, while La La Land, a contemporary musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, will have audience members skipping to the Opening Night party. We’re delighted to welcome back La La Land ’s writer-director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, MVFF 2015), who is attending along with Emma Stone.

Our Closing Night film, Loving , superbly directed by Jeff Nichols, has two incredible performances from Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton in a personal story centered on the relationship between two people whose lives are overshadowed by racism and politics.

There is, of course, much more to our 11-day celebration of cinema, including our educational programs that give kids a voice and our state-of-the-industry panels. We’ll also be bidding farewell to Corte Madera’s Century Cinema in high style by screening the complete first Star Wars trilogy, and MVFF Music returns for a second year, featuring nine nights of live music, including music paired with Festival films, such as The Groove Is Not Trivial, BANG! The Bert Berns Story, and The Ballad of Fred Hersch. This is only a taste of what we have in store for you at the 39 th Mill Valley Film Festival—read on for all the juicy details.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the talented and dedicated people and organizations who make this annual cinematic event possible: our donors, sponsors, staff, board of directors, volunteers, filmmakers—and our loyal and enthusiastic audience. We can’t do it without you!

MARK FISHKIN MVFF Founder/Director

f ounder/

e xecutive

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m ark Fishkin

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m ark Fishkin

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m ichael Klein

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m Y KEROES

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CFI Education | Environmental Youth Forum at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Fil m Center

Photo @ Drew Altizer Photography Sir Ian McKellen, MVFF38

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CFI Education My Place | My Story filmmaking student

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“IT REALLY IS A GREAT TALENT POOL.”

- Philip Kaufman, Director/Screenwriter

Among the many natural resources found in San Francisco and Northern California is a deep pool of experienced, professional actors. This area is home to nearly 4,000 SAG-AFTRA members who are superbly quali ed and ready for action. Discover for yourself the great performers of Northern California, with solid on-camera credits and talent born of award-winning theater companies, world-class training programs and a great legacy of comedy!

The talent is here. The pool is deep.

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,

Barber Lane Cooper Alley Salon International Orange Larkspur Landing Optometry Maxwell the Cleaner SoulCycle Tutu School Well Made Home Yogaworks marincountrymart.com

MARIN COUNTRY MART

la la land

US 2016, 126 min Director Damien Chazelle

Everything you love about classic musicals gets a pitch-perfect update in the cinematic, colorful, and enormously enjoyable La La Land. Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress and playwright, slings coffee on the Warner Bros. lot between auditions. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling, infusing his character with just the right mix of romantic cynicism) is a jazz pianist, a purist lamenting the world’s indifference to his treasured art form. Though their first few meetings are rocky (they all but break into “Anything You Can Do” in their first number together), they have artistic passion in common, and the orbits of their lives intersect more and more as the SoCal “seasons” go by. Director Damien Chazelle’s follow up to Whiplash (MVFF 2014) is exquisitely designed and shot, with wonderful music and a clever script. With La La Land, Chazelle achieves what Sebastian strives for: preserving an artistic style by revising it just enough to make it fresh and new again.

Guests: Emma Stone, Damien Chazelle

Thursday, October 6, 7:00pm & 7:15pm | Cinéarts Sequoia

Thursday, October 6, 7:30pm | Century Larkspur

Program & Gala (with Q&A) | $125 general | $110 CFI members

Program & Gala (no Q&A) | $85 general | $80 CFI members

Program Only (with Q&A) | $60 general | $55 CFI members

Program Only (no Q&A) | $30 general | $25 CFI members

Gala Only | $90 general | $75 CFI members

opEninG niGhT SponSoR

MVFF39 oFFiCiAl AiRlinE

arrival

US 2016, 116 min Director Denis Villeneuve

“Memory is a strange thing—it doesn’t work like i thought it did.” i n award-winning director Denis Villeneuve’s ( Sicario) riveting and deeply thoughtful drama, five-time o scar® nominee Amy Adams is Dr. l ouise Banks, a brilliant linguistics professor recruited by US military intelligence for a top-secret mission: to investigate the sudden simultaneous appearance of extraterrestrial spacecraft over several global sites, and to establish communication to determine whether the aliens have come in peace, or with intent to harm. i n this deeply humane tale, supported by strong performances from Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker, the common tropes of science fiction are secondary to Villeneuve’s focus on the subtleties of language and the complex continuum in which human memory and emotion coexist. With gentle nods to Robert Wise’s 1951 classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, Arrival arrives none too soon with its message of universal peace, understanding, and the power of everlasting hope.

Guest: Amy Adams

Thursday, October 6, 7:00pm Century Cinema

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 | Live music by Ethan Tucker Band

2257 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur

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 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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

lOving

US 2016, 123 min Director Jeff Nichols i t’s the late ‘50s, and Richard and Mildred are in love. h e’s chosen the place where he will build their home, with their families nearby. They run off to Washington, DC, to tie the knot; then they return home, and it’s not long before these two regular folks find that they have to face the consequences of their action. Because home is Virginia, and they are an interracial couple, their marriage is against the law. They are thrown into jail, and thus begins the journey that takes them all the way to the Supreme Court. Based on real events, Jeff n ichols imbues his extraordinary film with a lyrical eloquence that honors the heart of this couple’s story. The power of Ruth n egga and Joel Edgerton as the loving couple is in the understated brilliance of their portrayals of two people whose quiet courage helped change the face of the law of marriage in the US.

Guests: Joel Edgerton, Ruth negga, Jeff nichols

Sunday, October 16, 5:00pm | Smith Rafael Film Center Sunday, October 16, 5:00pm & 5:15pm | CinéArts Sequoia

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

Program Only (live Q&A) | $45 general | $40 CFI members

Program Only (simulcast Q&A) | $35 general | $30 CFI members

Party Only | $50 general | $45 CFI members

clOsing night party 7:30pm–11:30pm | Live music by Afrolicious

601 Murray Cir, Sausalito

CloSinG niGhT SponSoR

Focus Features

salutes the Mill Valley Film Festival and proudly congratulates

On his Directors’ Night tribute for

KATIE SAYS GOODBYE

US 2016, 90 min Director Wayne Roberts

In a breathtakingly fluid and evocative performance, indie breakout Olivia Cooke (Me, Earl & the Dying Girl ) reveals astonishing depth and range as Katie, whose scant 17 years have seen little in the way of nurturing. She receives more mothering from her kind, perceptive boss Maybelle (an excellent Mary Steenburgen) than her actual mother, searingly portrayed by Mirielle Enos (The Killing ). Resilient, sweet Katie dreams of leaving the bleak reality of trailer parks, roadside diners, and cordial backseat prostitution behind, through enormous self-determination and sheer belief in the romance of her ambition. Her escape fantasy is propelled by her affair with Christopher Abbot’s (James White ) sullen mechanic Bruno, an enigmatic ex-con who provides the barest hint of what might be love. Wayne Roberts’ powerful directorial debut resonates with sympathy for the unbroken spirit of his heroine, even as we sense Katie’s gossamer dreams will not come without some form of reckoning. US PrEmIErE

Invited Guests: Wayne Roberts, Olivia Cooke

Saturday, October 8, 7:00pm | Sequoia

katie says goodbye PROGRAM SPOnSOREd By

mONDAY NIGHTS AT SEVEN

US 2016, 109 min Director Marty Sader

This raw cinematic poem about life and love captures the complicated emotions of people searching for meaning in a messy world. Lazo (Marty Sader) is a widowed single dad trapped in the safety of the daily grind. His life’s dream of becoming a fighter long surrendered, he spends his days driving a cab, raising his precocious daughter and clinging to the past. Isabel (Vanessa Cure) works with horses at a local racetrack and puts family obligations ahead of personal happiness. When fate thrusts them together, they begin a journey of mutual self-discovery, passionate encounters, and cultural breakthroughs. Co-written and directed by Sader, Monday Nights At Seven is a marvel of authentic, lyrical filmmaking—a hypnotic blend of dreamy images, genuine conversations, and vibrant settings—and a reinvention of neorealism. Legendary actor Edward James Olmos (MVFF tributee 1992) captures the film’s soulful energy with his moving turn as Lazo’s sad, funny, and vulnerable stepfather. wOrlD PrEmIErE

Invited Guests: Marty Sader, Edward James Olmos

Saturday, October 8, 6:45pm | Sequoia

monday nights at seven PROGRAM SPOnSOREd By Program and Party | $75 general | $65 CFI members Program Only | $35 general | $30 CFI members

exceptionally curated women’s fashion

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Lost and Found

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Marc Le Bihan

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nicole kidman

Academy Award ® -winning actress Nicole Kidman has established a remarkable career composed of equal parts luminous Hollywood glamour and genuine dramatic talent. She has achieved worldwide recognition through her work in To Die For, Eyes Wide Shut, The Others, Moulin Rouge!, Cold Mountain, and many others, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her powerful work in The Hours. In TV, she received an Emmy ® nomination for her portrayal of Martha Gellhorn in HBO’s Hemingway and Gellhorn. She continues to challenge herself as a risk-taking performer and contributes a beautifully nuanced supporting turn as the mother of an adopted boy in her latest film, Lion

lion

Australia/UK/US 2016, 120 min director Garth Davis

With impressive skill and delicacy, director Garth Davis knocks it out of the park with Lion, an unforgettable tale of lost-and-found family identity. The film recreates the amazingly true (and truly amazing) story of Indian-Australian businessman Saroo Brierley’s extraordinary quest to find his birth mother and siblings, from whom he was separated at the age of five by thousands of miles and eventually, by several continents. Outstanding performances by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, MVFF 2008) as Saroo, and Nicole Kidman as Sue, his adoptive mother, the film’s excellent cast is rounded out by Rooney Mara as Saroo’s girlfriend and David Wenham as his adoptive father. Also playing a significant role is the virtual geographical mapping program Google Earth, without which Saroo’s search might have come to quite a different conclusion. Under Davis’s expert direction, Lion roars with emotional power and purrs with the contented joy of finding oneself at home, at last.

Our Tribute program will feature an onstage conversation with Nicole Kidman, a screening of Lion, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of a career that exemplifies the art of great acting.

Sunday, October 9 | 3:00pm Century Cinema Program | $60 general | $50 CFI members

TRIBUTE SPONSOR

ChriStopher B. and JeAnnie MeG SMith

heading

by Zoë Elton

Lion, Nicole Kidman’s latest film, is an amazing journey—a true story that takes us across time and continents. At its core, it is about the search for home, family, and identity. And, it is about love. Kidman’s role supports the emotional center of the film in ways that are both subtle and profound. Her performance as Sue Brierley, the adoptive mother of two Indian boys, is exquisite, and the nuances she brings to the work are a testament to Kidman’s extraordinary craft. It’s a reminder of the difference between a good actor and a great one.

Born in Hawaii to Australian parents, Kidman’s calling as an actress came early. The family moved back to Australia where, for the young Nicole, ballet classes and school plays were followed by the Australian Theatre for Young People, which she attended as a teenager. By the age of 16, she had landed roles in Bush Christmas (1983) and, for television, Five Mile Creek (1983). The success of her American debut, Days of Thunder (1990), established her as a significant talent and, by 1991, recognition was ramping up: Flirting received an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Picture, and she received her first Golden Globe nomination (for Best Supporting Actress) for Billy Bathgate. The following year at the Cannes Film Festival, she was wowing the paparazzi and the crowds (which happened to include me and my mum, sister, and teenage niece) on the most glamorous red carpet in the world when she and co-star Tom Cruise premiered Far and Away Of that experience, she has said, “It was terrifying. I was so young, and I wasn’t quite sure where I was or what was going on, and then suddenly you’re here in the middle of all of this”—“this” being the sparkling Riviera town on the Mediterranean that becomes the glorious epicenter of the film industry for eleven days in May—“and I’d never done anything like it in my life. So yeah, I would say it was terrifying.” (For my niece, on the other hand, it was the highlight of her year.)

she has revealed that she twice broke a rib during the filming of Moulin Rouge! (”I hurt myself dancing in heels at three in the morning, and I fell downstairs. I then re-broke my rib getting into a corset”) and gamely took on the film’s challenges, whether singing in public—something she has admitted terrifies her—or swinging on a trapeze.

“She is not just a star: She genuinely delivers the goods.”

Kidman has been a regular at Cannes ever since, and the films she has premiered there are indicative of the extraordinary breadth of her work. Her Cannes appearances alone account for an incredible range: from her Golden Globe-winning turn as Suzanne Stone, the gorgeous fame seeker with the lusciously evil ego-gone-wild in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For (1995) to the glamorous Grace of Monaco (2014); from projects that are auteur-driven or connect with her theatrical roots, like Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Lars von Trier’s Dogville (2003) to the widely disparate projects she brought to the 2012 edition of the festival: Philip Kaufman’s Hemingway & Gellhorn and the powerful and risk-taking Lee Daniels film, The Paperboy

It seems as though she continually seeks out characters that transcend typecasting and projects that defy genres, from the unusual to the challenging to those that look like sheer pleasures (from the audience’s perspective), such as her Golden Globe-winning and Oscar ® -nominated performance in Moulin Rouge! with costar Ewan McGregor (MVFF 2016 Spotlight honoree). That said,

—The Guardian

That she is a risk-taker on levels both physical and emotional is perhaps one of the reasons she has been sought out by so many of the world’s greatest and most innovative directors. In addition to Luhrmann (with whom she also did Australia), Van Sant and von Trier, her work with Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut), Jane Campion (The Portrait of a Lady), Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain), and Werner Herzog (Queen of the Desert) are indicative of an artist who is willing to take her work to new levels of exploration. Not to mention her work with Stephen Daldry in The Hours (2002).

Her Oscar ®- and Golden Globe-winning interpretation of the complex, conflicted, brilliant writer Virginia Woolf remains a notable moment in cinema. And the task of representing a historical character like Woolf is no easy one. Of Kidman’s work in the role, Daldry said, “The great thing, I think, about Virginia Woolf is that she is reinvented for each new generation. She still seems to me to be radical, and the producer and I were keen to get a contemporary voice, somebody who could be our Virginia Woolf, someone who spoke directly and vibrantly to us now. I thought Nicole Kidman was a phenomenal character actress in [the theater production of] The Blue Room at the Donmar. She was sexy, difficult, dark, animal, and witty, and so it felt like this aspect of Nicole would be a fantastic element to have as Virginia Woolf.

Eyes Wide Shut

The danger is you get some fusty old version of Virginia Woolf that was lost in the midst of time, so it felt more appropriate to have her as dynamic as the writing still is today.”

Daldry’s mention of Kidman’s much-lauded performance onstage in The Blue Room, the adaptation of La Ronde by playwright David Hare (who also adapted The Hours), is a reminder that Kidman’s occasional stints onstage have further proven her brilliance. Most recently, she was awarded the 2015 London Evening Standard Award as best actress for her triumphant return to London’s West End in Photograph 51, about pioneering DNA scientist Rosalind Franklin. A role that she was drawn towards in memory of her biochemist father, it is in distinct contrast to her earlier London success, again underscoring her versatility. From a review of The Blue Room in The Guardian: “It is, in fact, Hare’s comic scenes that come off best and that show Kidman to be a superb character actress. She is vividly funny as a politician’s wife viewing her student-lover’s impotence with wry tolerance and even better as a posturing actress who treats sex as an extension of her onstage performance and who talks of the theatre as ‘a low drizzle of persistent complaint.’ But Kidman switches personae with consummate ease, endowing the prostitute of the opening and closing scenes with a bruised loneliness. She is not just a star: She genuinely delivers the goods.”

nicole kidman

boy, Saroo, who is separated from his family in rural India at a young age and is sent to Australia to be adopted by a couple there; the couple later adopt another boy from the same orphanage. Kidman plays the boys’ adoptive mother, a role with which Kidman, who has two adopted children of her own, resonated. (In the ’90s she adopted Connor and Isabella with former husband Tom Cruise. She and her current husband, Keith Urban, have two biological daughters.)

“The power of somebody wanting to find home, I think, is just a wonderful, cinematic story”

At the film’s recent premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, she acknowledged that the story hit home for her as one that is “so powerful and true.” In the story, the adult Saroo (Dev Patel) tries to piece together the path to his past in India, and to find the home that he lost, by using Google Earth. Kidman says, “The power of somebody wanting to find home, I think, is just a wonderful, cinematic story.”

Delivering the goods, genuinely: This is, indeed, what Kidman does, as both a character actor and in dramatic roles; whether in sly comedy or insightful real-people portrayals, Kidman’s work is masterful. There is something that she brings to the table that ups the ante of projects she’s involved with: Think of her in films such as John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole (MVFF 2010), where her acutely observed Oscar-nominated performance as Becca, so mired in grief that her husband, played by Aaron Eckhart (MVFF 2016 Spotlight honoree), is at odds with her; or in The Others, Alejandro Amenabar’s wonderfully chilling exploration of the supernatural, in which she creates a perfect balance between what’s “normal” and, well, what’s not. Think, too, of her portrayal of Isabel Archer, the headstrong heroine of Henry James’ novel and Jane Campion’s film, The Portrait of a Lady. It’s perhaps noteworthy that both John Cameron Mitchell and Jane Campion want to work with Kidman again; both have upcoming projects with her: Cameron Mitchell’s How to Talk to Girls at Parties and episodes of the second season of Campion’s excellent episodic television series, Top of the Lake. Much to look forward to.

And, now, there is Lion, Garth Davis’ feature film debut (notably, he also directed episodes of the first season of Top of the Lake). Lion centers around an Indian

It’s a story that is deeply emotional, too, and Kidman’s role is key in revealing that. Of her role, she noted, “You see Sue’s love and the way she was able to love these boys into their lives, and I think that’s gorgeous.” She spoke, too, of the importance of love: “The power of good love, there’s nothing like it, and where it comes from and how you get it. But the nurturing quality of good love is extraordinary.” As a mother of adopted children, she describes the film, for her, as “sort of a love letter to them and at the same time for all... You have the need to have mothers, whether [or not] they’re biological. In any form, good love, nurturing, nourishing love is so good for any human being.”

Kidman’s embodiment of the power of love in her performance in Lion is extraordinary. It’s a role that shows an artist at the height of her craft, a reminder that she, indeed, genuinely delivers the goods.

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

Moulin Rouge!

e Wan mc GR e G o R

Launching to independent film star status in the mid-1990s with impressive back-to-back performances in two landmark Danny Boyle films (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting ), Ewan McGregor later propelled to superstardom as young ObiWan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), while steadily building an exceptional career across stage, television, and screen (Moulin Rouge!, Big Fish, Black Hawk Down, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ). American Pastoral marks McGregor’s directorial debut.

ameRican Pa SToR al US 2016, 126 min Director ewan McGregor

Seymour “Swede” Levov (Ewan McGregor) seems destined to have it all: A sports star in high school, he marries a beauty (Jennifer connelly), fathers a child, and settles in rural bliss while continuing to run his father’s successful New Jersey manufacturing business. But then the placid 1950s evolve into the roiling 1960s. As young Americans question the status quo, as the Vietnam War rages, as the civil rights movement evolves, destiny shifts and his perfect life begins to unravel. His increasingly politicized teenage daughter Merry (Dakota Fanning) becomes involved with an underground group and disappears after being implicated in a bombing. Swede struggles to find meaning as he searches for his lost daughter—whose own journey into the depths is portrayed with impressive nuance by Fanning. Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Philip Roth novel, is driven by performances that embody the poignancy of human frailties struggling to navigate those turbulent times.

Our Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with Ewan McGregor, a screening of American Pastoral, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of his auspicious directorial debut. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Il Fornaio in corte Madera.

Sunday, October 9 | 7:00pm | Smith Rafael Film Center

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

Program only | $60 general | $50 CFI members

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by Sura Wood

Ewan McGregor is a remarkably versatile actor and certainly one of the luckiest—and busiest—on the planet. Since he burst onto the scene as Mark Renton, an engaging young Scottish heroin addict trying to kick the habit in the 1996 indie sensation Trainspotting, directed by Danny Boyle (with whom he would make three films), McGregor has been something of a chameleon—a quickchange artist dashing adroitly from one very different project to another with a jazzy fluidity and barely a moment to rest. The New York Times has described him as “adventurous and unpretentious, sometimes harshly self-critical, very selective in his roles and adamant in refusing to be typecast…Some say he is the most interesting actor to come out of Scotland since Sean Connery.”

McGregor, 45, who grew up in a small Scottish town far from the clamor and glamour of the film industry, is the very definition of a working, journeyman actor. He has moved seamlessly from art house films such as Peter Greenaway’s The Pillow Book, Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!, and Mike Mills’ Beginners to the blockbuster Star Wars prequel trilogy, in which he played the young Jedi master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a character originated by Alec Guinness. This summer he finished shooting T2: Trainspotting, again with Boyle. Slated for release early next year, the film has brought him full circle to the role that launched his career.

Now McGregor brings his wealth of experience to his newest role, this time in front of the camera, with his directorial debut, American Pastoral. Against the backdrop of the turbulent 1960s, the tragic family drama, in which he stars along with Jennifer Connelly and Dakota Fanning, is based on Philip Roth’s 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. “I’ve wanted to direct for fifteen years,” he says. “But I only wanted to do it if I had a burning story in me that had to come out. Then I realized this was it.”

In the film adaptation by screenwriter John Romano, McGregor plays Seymour “Swede” Levov, a former high school sports star who marries a beautiful woman (Connelly) with whom he has a daughter (Fanning) and builds a prosperous, idyllic life running his father’s manufacturing company in New Jersey. He appears to have achieved the American dream, until the 1960s rears its tumultuous head. The socio-political turmoil roiling the country hits home when Merry, the daughter he adores, becomes radicalized and must go on the run and underground after she’s tied to a terrorist bombing. Disillusioned and searching for his lost daughter, Swede is forced to question his values and the meaning of what he thought was a perfect life. Roth’s dense language and propensity for interior monologue have made his material attractive to filmmakers yet difficult to translate to the screen. “I’ve never met Roth or spoken to him, but he had signed off on our script long before I became a director,” says McGregor. “The adaptation was already done by Romano, so there wasn’t a great deal for me to do there. I just lived with the script and believed in it very much.”

As an actor McGregor says he has gravitated toward involvement with the crew, the back-and-forth exchanges with the director, and other aspects of the filmmaking process. “I soaked that all in,” he recalls. “I wanted to be part of that whole creative experience, to have self-ownership of the whole picture, not just my performance.” That opportunity presented itself as American Pastoral, a project he was attached to for three years as an actor, but which ran through a succession of directors. “I suggested that I direct it because it felt to me like the project was going to disappear, and I really didn’t want that to happen,” he says. “After years of waiting, I had a vision of the movie in my mind. I didn’t want to let it go.” The deal was finally sealed in 2014.

“I wanted to be part of that whole creative experience, to have self-ownership of the whole picture, not just my performance.”

What made this story the optimal choice for his first time at bat as director was its exploration of family, and the Swede’s relationship with his daughter in particular. “As the father of four daughters, it’s something I know a lot about,” he explains. “When I first read the script three or four years ago, my eldest was about 15 or 16, so I’m sure the thought of her departure from the house must have been preying on my mind subconsciously. And then when we shot the film, she was already at college in New York.” Although he wasn’t part of a political movement or the generational conflict that’s explored in the movie, “there’s something of my father in the Swede; the way he looks at the world, the strong beliefs in right and wrong, working hard for the life you want. In that way I can relate to him, with Merry representing the ’60s coming along.”

As a first time director McGregor faced an additional challenge: directing himself. In Miles Ahead, an unconventional biopic about jazz musician Miles Davis, in which McGregor played a tenacious journalist, he had the chance to observe fellow actor Don Cheadle juggle playing the lead with the overarching task of directing the film. “I watched Don like a hawk because I had never been directed by my acting partner, but not with an eye toward doing it myself at the time,” he says. “I learned a lot about the technical aspects of how he did it; watching the first takes, making sure rehearsals are recorded on video so you can play those back. But, when you’re directing something, you’ve already lived in the story for so long—the pre-production for me was nine months-— that you’re fully prepared. The Swede was so much a part of those scenes, my performance happened of its own accord.”

Having worked with an impressive list of top-flight directors, he’s had a chance to learn from the best. “The most experienced ones have a calm about them because they know what they’re doing, and that can be reassuring,” he notes. He cites Ridley Scott, who directed him in Black Hawk Down, as an example and adds George Lucas, whom, he admits, “woke me up to bigger movies.” Of Woody Allen, who’s notorious for giving scant feedback to actors, who sometimes complain of feeling marooned, he observes: “There’s a raft of stories about Woody Allen that scare the bejeesus out of you before you work with him, but I found he was very approachable. If you’re talking about the scenes, he’s not interested in how you get there. He doesn’t want to talk about your motivation as an actor, but I’m not interested in talking about that much myself. I don’t like being given notes. I found he was very detailed in his direction, sometimes going through the script line by line.” And about Greenaway’s The Pillow Book, where Mc-

Gregor assumed the daring role of a bisexual English translator whose lover paints calligraphy on his naked body? “I loved that film,” he says. “There’s nobody like him. He could spend all morning making a camera move, with eight or nine set-ups, and that means he trusts the actors to hold a scene.” And he regards the opportunity with Polanski, who encouraged him “to dig deeper and deeper and make things more naturalistic,” as a “great moment” for him as an actor.

“There’s something of my father in the Swede; the way he looks at the world, the strong beliefs in right and wrong, working hard for the life you want.”

But it was his seminal experience with Boyle on Trainspotting that was pivotal. “Danny was my first ever director and, as I do, he comes from the theater, which is related to his stylistic approach: rehearsal on the set alone with the actors before shooting each scene and then bringing in the DP and then the crew is absolutely something I’ve adopted. It’s a process that gets the best work out of people and saves time and mistakes.”

Though the prospect of an encore in the director’s chair is enticing, don’t expect the fast and furious pace of McGregor’s acting gigs to slow down. “I’ve always liked working,” he maintains. “I like what I do. I’m happy to be working with great filmmakers.” When it comes to the versatility that has defined his career, he adds, “I’m not terribly complicated in how I go about it. I put myself in the shoes of different people in different stories and trust the writing. That’s the job.”

Sura Wood is a veteran film critic and arts journalist whose work has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, San Francisco Arts Monthly/sfarts.org , the San Jose Mercury News, and other publications. She is a member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle

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G ael G a R c Ía B e R nal

Actor-director-producer Gael García Bernal first grabbed the world’s attention in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros, going on to star in many acclaimed Mexican (Y Tu Mamá También ), Hollywood (The Motorcycle Diaries), and international (Bad Education ) films. Bernal founded his production company, c anana Films, with frequent co-star Diego Luna in 2003 and directed his first feature, Déficit, in 2007. Kicking off 2016 with a Golden Globe award for Mozart in the Jungle, Bernal rounds out the year with Pablo Larraín’s Neruda

neRUda

Chile 2016, 107 min director pablo Larraín

Beloved poet and respected senator, Pablo Neruda is also the most famous communist in all of post-WWII c hile. When the political tides suddenly shift, he goes underground with his Argentine artist wife Delia (Mercedes Morán), shepherded from one hideout to the next by a small group of “fellow travelers.” Not so fast on his trail is police inspector Oscar Peluchonneau (Gael García Bernal, playing marvelously against type), tasked by the President to “harm and humiliate” Neruda while battling his own personal demons and a habit of c louseau-esque bad timing. But Neruda’s populist loyalties run deep throughout c hile, and discrediting him proves to be as hard as capturing him. Narcissistically narrated by the perseverant Peluchonneau, director Pablo Larrain’s ( The Club , MVFF 2015) self-proclaimed “anti-bio” plays more like a le c arré spy thriller with sly comic undertones. Part fact and many parts fiction, it is a brilliant blend of politics, poetry, history, and hedonism. In Spanish and French with English subtitles

Our Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with Gael García Bernal, a screening of Neruda, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of his transformational performance. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Le comptoir in San Rafael.

Monday, October 10 | 7:00pm Smith Rafael Film Center

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

Program only | $45 general | $40 CFI members

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by Delfin Vigil

First things first. Neruda, the new noirish film that follows the persecution and manhunt of Chilean cultural icon and poet Pablo Neruda is not a biopic. It’s an anti-biopic. So says the film’s Chilean director, Pablo Larraín.

“It’s a biopic that isn’t really a biopic because we don’t really take the task of making a portrait of the poet that seriously,” states Larraín in the film’s production notes. “So we decided to put together a film from elements of invention and playfulness. In that manner the audience can soar alongside him in his poetry, his memory, and his Cold War communist ideology.”

When it came time to cast the oddball antagonist of this anti-biopic, Larraín reached out to Mexican actor Gael García Bernal. Larraín may well have done so via text, considering that the two are longtime friends, who remain in close contact. Whether Bernal replied with an emoji is unclear. But once on screen, Bernal answers with an emotional performance that balances the dark and brooding with the borderline slapstick and absurd. Bernal describes his character—a prostitute’s son turned overzealous Police Prefect Oscar Peluchonneau—as a cop who can sleep standing up, who is always dressed the same and represents the archetype of post-World War II conservative Chile.

And like most Chilenos, Peluchonneau is a bit neurotic—self-reflecting on his every step through the streets of Santiago and trekking up the snowy Andean mountaintops in pursuit of national-father-figure-poet-turned-pariah Pablo Neruda (played by Luis Gnecco).

As the poetic Neruda gets set to screen at MVFF, Bernal took some time to talk about working with Larraín again and how he grew as an actor by portraying a “fascist bastard.”

DELFIN VIGIL: Do you remember the time you first heard the name Pablo Neruda?

GAEL GARCIA BERNAL: It must have been primary school, in Spanish literature class. It becomes present when you’re like nine or 10 years old, and you start to hear about certain verses or snippets of the life of Pablo Neruda. I think that was the first time. And then as an adolescent it comes into action quite strongly in studying Spanish literature. It’s one of the musts after you’ve studied [Nicaraguan poet] Rubén Darío and go through all the modernists, and you encounter quite early on Pablo Neruda as well as many other poets of that time in Latin America and Spain.

During the filming of Neruda I started to read poetry again and started to randomly choose and observe —very, very slowly—different poems by different poets. I started to enjoy it like I never did before. And I did so in a kind of romantic manner, but also in a much more exciting and almost scientific way. I really love it. Poetry is a great victory of the analog versus the rational. It is like music. Each one of us has a different interpretation and an ownership of a poem that we connect with.

DV: What was your reaction when you heard about this film?

“Poetry is a great victory of the analog versus the rational. It is like music. Each one of us has a different interpretation and an ownership of a poem that we connect with.“

GGB: Pablo Larraín invited me to do this film. Of course, I said yes because he is a wonderful filmmaker and friend. The excitement of doing something again with Pablo Larraín drew me to it. Then afterward, listening to what he had to say and what he wanted to do with this project got me really excited and interested in exploring the world of Pablo Neruda—and also exploring the mentality of a fascist. That is an interesting thing to do—to understand where it comes from. Where does that huge pain and lack of empathy come from? It’s an interesting exploration into the human condition. There are so many people who still think and react that way. And I don’t even want to begin specifying where and how, but it’s terrible.

DV: This is your second time working with Larraín. How was this experience different? How did your working relationship develop?

DV: Is it fair to say that poetry was part of your life from a young age?

GGB: Well, I always admired it. In poetry there is an enigma that appears to be resolved in the moment. But I’ve got to say that I was a very bad reader of poetry.

GGB: It grew because we know each other so well, and we communicate with a very good flow. It’s been very exciting to see where it leads us. There was a need from my part—and I’m sure from his part as well (he manifested it, so I’m not assuming it)—to work together again. It’s nice not to know where it will lead us. We will have plenty of time during the press tour of Neruda to talk about what’s next.

gael garcÍa bernal

DV: I understand there were some heated discussions during the editing process. Does being close friends pose a challenging dynamic of how you work?

GGB: No, on the contrary. I think it creates a much better flow. I’m used to working with people who are friends of mine, fortunately. And I don’t think it complicates things. It goes hand in hand with one of the main reasons I wanted to do this. The fraternal activity and the fraternal experimentation—It’s like jumping off a cliff with someone.

DV: Let’s talk about your character, the Police Prefect Oscar Peluchonneau. He’s kind of like an Inspector Clouseau from The Pink Panther, but with a Clint Eastwood squint—and maybe with an added obsessive touch of Taxi Driver ’s Travis Bickle. You described him as a film noir bastard with no past and no future. How do you step into a character like that?

DV: What about the exploration of Chile as a character?

“Where does that huge pain and lack of empathy come from? It’s an interesting exploration into the human condition.“

GGB: It’s an incredible and unique place, where so many of the battles of humanity have happened recently. And there is a great fortune where they have a poet like Pablo Neruda. Now Chile has—and I venture myself to say it because it is necessary—they have someone like Pablo Larraín who is doing amazing films about the history of Chile. His films offer such interesting reflections and raise questions about Chile. He’s putting it out there and kind of giving all Chilenos an honest portrayal of their world and their battles. Chile is a place where there are fantastic people and where there’s going to be a new generation of Chilenos trying to do things. They’ve got some of the best music and some of the best films and most amazing actors right now in Latin America. I’ve worked with a lot of them. It’s incredible the level of quality and their easygoingness. So, yeah, it’s a fantastic place.

GGB: It was a very arbitrary construction. We just took the name from the character. But that’s it. The rest is completely invented. We made him up according to playing along with the Nerudian world. What would Neruda’s enemy be like? There are no direct anecdotes about the real policeman who hunted down Neruda. It’s really funny when we’re asked how many things were created. Well, there are many things we put in the film which are creations that could have happened. Maybe they didn’t happen. There is a lot of achievement in that sense.

The nice thing about making a film like this is we venture to propose situations and lines and feelings to kind of explore the work of a poet and the work of a human. You just go around, and you commit to it, and you might wander into good ground of solving and understanding certain things.

DV: Do you feel that playing with the borders of fiction versus reality allowed you to explore the character with more artistic license? Did it lead to more improvisation?

GGB: Yeah, quite a lot. Just to explore the mentality of a fascist and what happened in those days and the strong reaction against someone who was exercising their freedom—that kind of frustrating starting point of a fascist boycotting someone else’s happiness.

DV: There is quite a lot of your narration in the film. How difficult or easy was it for you to adopt the Chileno accent?

GGB: It’s always a little bit complicated. I cannot say it is easy. It’s something I can now say I feel as sort of immediate. I just sort of wander into it. Still, it’s never easy to do an accent of another country.

DV: There’s also quite a lot of humor and absurdity in Neruda, would you agree?

GGB: There is a lot. We laughed about the film noir aspect. We played with that. We said okay, this guy is doing film noir in 1949. Wow. We’re super advanced. Playing with that.

DV: What projects have you got on the horizon?

GGB: There is Ambulante A.C. [Bernal’s documentary film festival]. And the third season of Mozart in the Jungle. And there’s a lot of excitement with things that might come. But, you know, it’s not really good to talk about what you haven’t done.

Delfin Vigil is a Bay Area-based author, journalist, and musician. His latest book, Death of a Newspaperman (RareBird Books), is now in bookstores.

Neruda

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centerpiece ensemble spotlight

20TH CENTURY WOMEN

US 2016, 110 min Director Mike Mills

In a beguiling style that evokes the French New Wave by way of Judy Blume and Talking Heads, writer-director Mike Mills (Beginners) brings to vivid life three thoroughly modern women and the young man they hope to influence. On the cusp of a new decade and a new era in sexual politics, fiercely independent single mother Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening) enlists Abbie (Greta Gerwig) and Julie (Elle Fanning) to help raise her teenage son in hopes that he might someday grow into a man who truly understands women. A decidedly unglamorous, late-‘70s Santa Barbara serves as backdrop to this tender, often funny look at women lurching towards happiness in an age of unprecedented freedom and confusion. Under a near-constant cloud of Salem Menthol smoke, Dorothea is both radiant and infuriating in her refusal to be categorized. Abbie and Julie are equally complex: at once innocent and jaded, full of rage and full of wonder.

Our Centerpiece Ensemble Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with the director and cast members of 20th Century Women, a screening of the film, and the presentation of the MVFF Award. For the first time, the MVFF Award will be given in recognition of the incredible cast and their work as an ensemble under Mike Mills’ inspired direction.

Guests: Mike Mills, Annette Bening, Lucas Jade Zumann

Thursday, October 13, 7:00pm | Smith Rafael Film Center

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

Program Only | $45 general | $40 CFI members

CENTERpiECE ENsEMblE spOTligHT RECEp TiON

9:00pm–11:00pm | Beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres

152 Shoreline Hwy, Mill Valley

CENTErpIECE ENSEMBLE SpOTLIGHT SpONSOr rECEpTION SpONSOr

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centerpiece ensemble spotlight

by Michael Fox

It is the rare filmmaker who plays for the kind of personal stakes that Mike Mills has undertaken in back-to-back movies. His semi-autobiographical 2010 breakout, Beginners, explored the emotional and surreal travails of a graphic artist (Ewan McGregor, 2016 MVFF Spotlight honoree) whose father (Academy Award ® winner Christopher Plummer) comes out as gay at an advanced age, as Mills’ own father, Paul, did. His eagerly anticipated follow-up, 20th Century Women, jumps back to an earlier era, during his adolescence, to pay homage to his late mother, Jan.

“My mom was a very strong woman who was born in the ’20s and wanted to be a pilot in World War II, and did all sorts of iconoclastic things that women, or mothers, aren’t supposed to do,” Mills recounted in a recent phone conversation. “It really is my hope and intention to—celebrate is too easy of a word—commune with her to create this sort of ode to what she went through to be a woman in that time. To try to understand her—there, that’s the best way to put it. I feel like the movie is my deep attempt to try to understand her.”

Mills was born in Berkeley, and he was four when his father left his post as director of the Oakland Art Museum to head the Santa Barbara Art Museum. The entire family relocated, of course, though the marriage broke up a few years later. 20th Century Women takes place in the late ’70s, when the boy’s mother in the film (named Dorothea Fields and played by the estimable Annette Bening) is raising him with the ad hoc help of a couple of younger women, Abbie (Greta Gerwig) and Julie (Elle Fanning).

“Annette and I talked about my real mom a lot,” Mills says, “looked at pictures and stuff like that, but it was always with the idea that ‘I’m not asking you to mimic her, I’m asking you more just to inhabit her, her problems and her position in history, and her desires and fears,’ and run with it—with Annette’s soul, and Annette’s timing, and body and spirit. That came very easily to Annette.”

Given that Mills based his screenplay on a real situation and actual events, you might expect him to feel protective of every line and detail. (In the service of authenticity he used his parents’ actual furniture, though he adds with self-effacing charm, “It’s mine, and it’s free.”) Perhaps because he went to art school rather than film school, and gravitated to the movies from a successful career as a conceptual artist, he relishes collaboration.

“I try not to have too many preconceptions of what the character’s really going to be like until I meet the actor who’s going to play it,” Mills says. “There’s so many different ways to play something you’ve written, and I really want the actor to be free and to be adventurous—in preparation and on the day that we’re shooting. So I’m always hunting for the thing that I didn’t see coming that’s very true and unexpected. Annette’s a real hunter for the real, live moment that she didn’t expect either.”

Knowing that it’s drawn from Mills’ life, audiences may walk away from 20th Century Women assuming the film is more of a memoir than it actually is. Reality was the starting point for the film, but it was never Mills’ end goal.

For the first time, the Festival honors an ensemble with the MVFF Award. The terrific collaborations in Mike Mills’ film are a testament to femaledriven storytelling; as part of our Mind the Gap women’s initiative, we recognize this great work and Mills’ role as a significant ally for women.

“Sometimes my mom’s real story provided a very interesting kind of concrete nugget to feed Annette’s performance, but it was always presented as a sort of ‘by any means necessary’ process,” Mills recalls. “’If I tell you something about my mom that helps, great, but it’s nothing precious, and it’s nothing to feel too precious about.’ We’re making something that needs to feel real for Annette and real for the audience.

“But it all worked out very copacetically,” Mills adds. “I feel like Annette could explore this woman in a way that made sense to her as an actress and as a mother. And that was all fed by my real mom. Annette and my mom would have been good friends, I think,” he says with a laugh. “Their souls share some qualities. I think it was a very peaceful, harmonic relationship between my mom’s ghost and Annette’s very real process.”

The fluid relationship between fact and creation extends to Greta Gerwig and Elle Fanning’s characters, who are amalgamations of people Mills grew up with and knew fairly well. While Mills relied on his memories to depict his mother, he actively did research to augment his portrayals of Abbie and Julie.

“I went and found women who had lived in this time at the ages that those characters were, and were dealing with the issues that are in the film,” Mills recalls. “I interviewed them and got details from them because I’m always most happy when I’m sitting on a real, specific, concrete detail of real life and finding a way to make it cinematic. So these characters came from more of a journalistic approach, an approach that blended journalism with fiction.”

Many actors are comfortable with and gifted at improvisation, and at extrapolating their characters, but not all. Mills encouraged Gerwig and Fanning to take authorship of their characters, and the results are on screen—though so organically that moviegoers will be challenged to identify those scenes.

“I asked them to write stuff, and I interviewed them when we were preparing,” Mills explains. “Not in character, but I’d ask them how their character would feel about boys and sex, or how they would react to this or that. When Julie makes this decision, what does Elle feel about it? And some of that stuff worked its way into the script. I’d rewrite it based on what they said. There are scenes that each of them do that I asked them to explore on their own. When we came to the scene, I said, ‘Let’s do it the way that you wrote it,’ and that stuff is in the film, very happily.” Mills notes, “Elle and Greta make great writer-directors, both of them.” (Mills asked Fanning to read chunks of the 1970’s bestseller The Road Less Traveled, pointing her to specific passages about love and marriage. When Julie riffs on relationships, that’s her improvising in reaction to M. Scott Peck’s philosophizing.)

It takes enormous confidence and trust for a writer-director to accept such a high degree of collaboration with a story that he’s so personally invested in. But Mills didn’t just allow it. He welcomed the “intrusion” of fresh voices.

“It makes it way more alive for me, too. By the time I meet the actors, I’m so tired of myself and my thoughts,” he confides with a laugh. “I’ve been writing it for three-plus years by that time. I’m like, ‘Please, tell me something’.”

Mills ambitiously wove animation into the family drama of Beginners, and his visual imagination is likewise on display amid the personal struggles and scuffles of 20th Century Women. “I definitely love naturalism and verisimilitude in the acting and in the acting process, and just the space of the room and what’s happening in front of the camera,” Mills muses. “But then I’m very playful with the different techniques or the different perspectives I’m willing to combine in one film, for a more polyphonic filmmaking style that goes on top of these very natural performances.”

Going forward, we can anticipate that Mills’ films will continue to marry a strong personal connection to real people with the urge to experiment visually and structurally.

“I feel most inspired and most clear when I’m trying to show the audience someone I know,” he confesses with a chuckle. “I experienced that with Christopher Plummer’s character playing my dad. There were a lot of real memories, and I liked having that direction and that type of purpose. Those are really high stakes for me so it raises the project to this very all-important level for me, which is maybe not the healthiest choice, but I end up kind of liking it being that important. I feel like it’s more interesting, my observations and reporting on people, than pure fabrication.”

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

Mike Mills

JU lie da SH

Filmmaker and author Julie Dash combined a uniquely female perspective and visually stunning composition with her personal history of rich Gullah heritage to produce the 1991 groundbreaking and internationally acclaimed Daughters of the Dust, the first feature-length film by an African American woman with theatrical release in the US. Dash has continued to produce impressive works, including The Rosa Parks Story, Incognito, Funny Valentines, Love Song , and Subway Stories. Her upcoming projects include Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl, a documentary about writer-actor-griot-culinary anthropologist Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor.

daUGHTeRS

oF THe dUST

US 1991, 112 min director Julie Dash

Exquisitely cinematic and profoundly imagined, Julie Dash’s lyrical story of family migration is unlike any other, establishing her as a strikingly original artist in the pantheon of American cinema. The film commands the powerful myths of the Georgia Sea Island Gullah people, whose ancestors rejected enslavement and—as the Old Ones say—walked across the ocean home to Africa. Set to a sensuous soundtrack, Daughters of the Dust is an unforgettable portrait of the Peazant family on the eve of exodus to the mainland during the Great Northern Migration. Dash breaks new ground in storytelling and content, exploring the Gullah’s matriarchal traditions, combining West African animism, Islam, and christianity in a fluid mix. Great Grandmother Nana Peazant, a former slave who carries the clan’s genealogy in her head and hand, and an unborn child act as guides through the journey. A sparkling new digital restoration reveals the gorgeous visual palette, adding yet another element to cherish and inspire.

Our Tribute program will feature an onstage conversation with Julie Dash; a screening of her new short film, Standing at the Scratch Line ; a screening of Daughters in the Dust, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of her pioneering and visonary work as a cinema artist. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Green chile Kitchen in San Rafael.

Friday, October 14 | 7:30pm Smith Rafael Film Center

Program & Party | $50 general | $45 CFI members

Program only | $25 general | $20 CFI members

REcEPTION SPONSORS

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by Zoë Elton

Twenty-five years ago, Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust was released into theaters across the U.S., garnering accolades for the director’s strikingly original talent and for the film’s spellbinding visual beauty. A landmark in American cinema, this was the first time an African American woman had ever had a film in general theatrical release. Now a classic and a film school staple, it remains a marker in cinema history, and, like all great films, it is timeless.

Earlier this year, Cohen Media approached Dash to restore the film and create a new, digital print. And then—as if to prove the film’s enduring influence—Beyoncé’s album Lemonade was released in tandem with an hour-long film whose visual references echo Dash’s iconic imagery.

In a recent interview, Dash noted that when Lemonade came out, “we were already in the throes of [the restoration], having it scanned, looking at the negative, having it color corrected.” So, the whole schedule got pushed forward very quickly. It seemed serendipitous, and also that “the re-release would be a lot of fun.”

While it seems unlikely that Beyoncé had any idea that Daughters of the Dust was being restored, her connection with its imagery confirms the resonance and importance of Dash’s work. Dash says, “I think one of the things for African American women and women of the African diaspora is that they’ve always related to stories of the dust.” Dust. Which I take to mean the dust of Africa, the earth and the culture that African Americans come from—and, perhaps, that we all come from.

I asked Dash whether, when she was working on the restoration, there were things that surprised, pleased, or challenged her about what digital cinema had to offer to her original print. Interestingly, digital offered a definite boost: “Back in 1991, we ran out of resources and money, beyond what was called the second answer print. We never really got to a proper release print. The color correction was close, but not quite there. So now, with the digital restoration, the color is where it should be, and now it looks like the work print that we edited.” For Dash, cinematographer Arthur Jafa, and production designer Kerry James Marshall, “one of our primary concerns was the coloring and the way we wanted to reframe and redefine how various African American skin tones and African American characters are reflected in the visual media, especially in film.” The new digital print means “all of our work, our composition, our lighting, our production design—all of that now will be displayed properly.” Dash adds, “It makes me feel like I’m right back down there on St. Helena Island!”

to the point where one cinematographer, rather than fix the lighting, “was trying to remove certain people from the scene because he couldn’t light them.”

Dash has been consistently proactive in addressing these kinds of challenges, both aesthetically and technically, and her engagement with the technical side of filmmaking makes me note that it seems that Dash was a geek long before the phrase was coined. Her comeback: “No, let’s put it this way—that was before it was cute! Before it was trending, in a way.”

“I think being a pioneer has its drawbacks.”

Much is said in the film industry about the challenges of lighting African American skin. I asked Dash whether people have failed to light appropriately, not because it cannot be done, but because it isn’t properly seen. Dash says it isn’t properly taught or experimented with: Directors of photography and cinematographers she’s worked with have noted a two-stop difference between characters they are shooting when one is white and one is black—

Her career has spanned a huge shift in the technology of filmmaking. “I started all the way back with 8mm and Super 8, 16mm and 35mm,” she says, “and now I’m even shooting with my iPhone. I made a short film this summer and shot digital and 4K film, celebrating The Great Migration.”

A consummate artist, Dash’s sensibility is visually, rhythmically, and culturally astute. Hailing from what she calls “the old school of New York filmmakers,” she’s now basically bicoastal. She says, “I left New York at such an early age. I left as soon as I got my undergraduate degree in film and went out to Los Angeles and went to The American Film Institute for two years, and then when I finished there I went to UCLA for four years to get my graduate degree. I am equally balanced.” She also cites the Anthology Film Archives and The Studio Museum of Harlem, which helped mold her early years.

On the West Coast, she was at the heart of the L.A. Rebellion, the movement of African American filmmakers who came out of UCLA from the late ’60s to the late ’80s. It was an incredible community of filmmakers, and a time that was also about participation. “It was a whole different world,” she says. “Participating with other filmmakers was so important to us. That’s why I’ve been loving how Ava DuVernay reaches out across borders, so to speak, across party lines, and does the same thing. She supports young filmmakers. She supports older filmmakers. She supports women filmmakers,

foreign filmmakers, and that’s the kind of environment and culture I came out of. It warms my heart.”

Much of Dash’s work explores heritage in different ways: African American heritage, diaspora heritage, women’s heritage. Her heritage as a filmmaker has an international perspective: In interviews, she has mentioned seeing Battleship Potemkin as a teenager and how it changed her. As a filmmaker, she says that she was molded “by seeing Battleship Potemkin, by seeing the films of Satyajit Ray, Truffaut, Kurosawa. You start saying, ‘Wow, they’re intimate films about a culture that I’m not supposed to know anything about,’ but somehow I feel like I know them. Somehow I feel like I’ve been there because I have experienced their stories, their dramas, in such an intimate, totally specific way. I come out of those theaters, those screenings, knowing a little bit about the world and a little bit more about myself, and how we’re all alike in many ways. So I wanted to be like those filmmakers.”

“I like to grab your attention. Sometimes the quickest way to grab someone’s attention is by offering them contrast, rather than what they normally expect.”

videos; shorts like Diary of an African Nun, based on an Alice Walker story; and documentaries. Notable in all her work is the influence of music, whether in the subtle aesthetics and rhythm of Daughters of the Dust, or, more directly, in music videos like those for Tracy Chapman or Sweet Honey in the Rock.

In her new short, Standing at the Scratch Line, she uses a piece by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, written in 1920. Of her unusual choice of music, she says, “I like to grab your attention. Sometimes the quickest way to grab someone’s attention is by offering them contrast, rather than what they normally expect.” In her choice, she avoids the obvious clichés of Southern music—the banjo, the harmonica—in order to “shake you and wake you up a little bit, and try to instigate conversation.” (Standing at the Scratch Line will play as part of Dash’s Tribute at MVFF.)

Asked what she thinks inspires young people now, she says that they want to be challenged by “what-if scenarios that include a lot of action. They want to be challenged by ideas of alternate realities in life, like Christopher Nolan does with Memento or Inception. It crosses boundaries at work, and it also segues into gaming. That’s where gaming and movies are coming together, where you’re holding information on various levels. I just love that way of thinking. I think it exercises your brain, your cognition. It’s active. You’re immersed in the world of the filmmaker.” Dash shares that, early on, she started writing screenplays that combined with games—but met with a lot of resistance: “I think being a pioneer has its drawbacks.”

Nevertheless, pioneer she is, with a body of work that is eclectic and includes movies for television such as the acclaimed Rosa Parks Story (with Angela Bassett), Love Song, and Incognito; music

She is also working on a new documentary, Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl, based on culinary anthropologist Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s Vibration Cooking, which is part cookbook, part memoir. Now in her late 70’s, Smart-Grosvenor’s rich life included a stint in Paris, where she lived at the legendary Beat Hotel. Yet, unlike many of its other residents, Dash found that her subject was largely overlooked, despite photographic evidence of her alongside the likes of William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. While the Beat Hotel was notable for “interracial exotica,” the black woman in the picture remained unnamed. As Dash notes, “This kind of systemic erasure continues.”

Which makes the work of filmmakers like Dash all the more important, as the upcoming re-release of Daughters of the Dust in its new digital restoration promises to open the eyes and hearts of a whole new generation to this seminal work.

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

A LEGENDARY MIX THEATER REOPENS

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~ Experienced, professional tech and support staff to assist your project. For more information and to book the Fantasy Film Center, call 510 486 2038 or visit fantasyﬁlmcenter.com.

aa R on eck H a RT

Aaron Eckhart’s blistering breakout role in Neil LaBute’s In the Company of Men ignited a promising career in which he continued his acclaimed independent work with LaBute (Your Friends & Neighbors, Nurse Betty, Possession ) while developing a notable profile in Hollywood features (Erin Brockovich, Thank You for Smoking , The Black Dahlia, The Dark Knight ). Eckhart’s supporting role in Ben Younger’s hotly anticipated Bleed for This assures another outstanding performance.

Bleed FoR THiS

US 2016, 134 min Director Ben younger

When horrifying injuries from a car accident threaten to derail the future of freshly minted light middleweight boxing champion Vinnie “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza, he refuses to accept that his burgeoning career could be over. Instead, he sets out to stage one of the greatest real-life comeback stories in sports history. Stubborn and unrelenting—with a shocking tolerance for intense pain—Vinnie (an uncharacteristically buff and mustachioed Miles Teller) enlists the help of veteran trainer Kevin Rooney (an uncharacteristically paunchy and balding Aaron Eckhart) to fight his way back into the ring against the advice of his doctors and the wishes of his closeknit Italian family—all while wearing an immobilizing stainless steel halo. Director Ben Younger ( Boiler Room) recreates 1985 Providence, Rhode Island, in all its big-haired, acid-washed glory, with an eclectic soundtrack to match. A satisfying physical and emotional workout, Bleed for This is this generation’s Raging Bull.

Our Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with Aaron Eckhart, a screening of Bleed for This, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of his significant performance. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Il Davide in San Rafael.

Saturday, October 15 | 7:30pm Smith Rafael Film Center

Program & Party | $85 general | $75 CFI members Program only | $45 general | $40 CFI members

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by Pam Grady

When the Mill Valley Film Festival throws a spotlight on Aaron Eckhart, it will be paying homage to a local boy made good—he was born in Cupertino and spent much of his childhood there—and also an actor at the top of his game. Already this fall he has been seen as Captain Chesley Sullenberger’s copilot Jeff Skiles in Clint Eastwood’s miracle-on-the-Hudson drama Sully. The MVFF audience will see him sink under the skin of another real-life character, trainer Kevin Rooney in Ben Younger’s Bleed for This, a drama that limns the relationship between Rooney and boxer Vinnie Pazienza (Miles Teller), a partnership that only intensifies after Vinny suffers a near-fatal car accident that ought to mark the end of his career.

Though played by the same man, the physical differences between Skiles and Rooney are startling. The most striking thing about Skiles is his mustache, an impressive specimen that would not be out of place on a 1970s disco dandy. In Bleed for This, Eckhart, 48, bears little resemblance to his normally svelte, fit self. He gained weight to play the role and adopted the paunchy, balding Rooney’s hairline. The simple act of packing on pounds is itself an element of the performance as Eckhart notes how the extra weight changed his metabolism and energy level.

“I do whatever’s necessary to look like the character, first of all,” says Eckhart. “Second of all, any impediments or physical transformations you can do help you as an actor, because you don’t have to act it. Kevin was heavy. He was a drinker and a gambler, and he was at a low point in his life. He’d gained weight. He used to be a really physical fighter. He was in great shape. I think the weight helped me get into his psyche.”

Whether venturing that deep into a character’s physical manifestation or not, Eckhart has, in a body of work going back nearly 20 years, proved himself to be a chameleon who takes on the emotional colors of whatever character he is playing. He had garnered a few small roles in movies and on TV when playwright and writer/ director Neil LaBute cast Eckhart, friends since they met as students at Brigham Young University, in LaBute’s feature film debut In the Company of Men (1997).

The role earned Eckhart an Independent Spirit Award while demonstrating his willingness to go all in with a role. He is not an actor who needs to be liked, and he proved that with his portrayal of Chad, a despicable yuppie misogynist who conceives of a revenge plot in which he and a colleague (Matt Malloy) will romance and then abandon a woman (Stacy Edwards), using her as a surrogate for all women.

“Now here is true evil: Cold, unblinking, reptilian. The character Chad in In the Company of Men makes the terrorists of the summer thrillers look like boys throwing mud pies,” wrote Roger Ebert upon the film’s release. For Eckhart, it was a career-making performance.

He would go on to make three more pictures with LaBute, each revealing a distinctly different character: a withdrawn husband who admits that, ultimately, his most satisfying sexual partner is himself yet is shocked to discover that his wife has been unfaithful in Your Friends and Neighbors (1998); a shabby, drug-dealing used car dealer who is abusive to his fantasy-prone, emotionally fragile wife (Renee Zellweger) in the black comedy Nurse Betty (2000); and an ambitious literary scholar resistant to intimacy even as he finds himself attracted to his colleague (Gwyneth Paltrow) in LaBute’s 2002 adaptation of A.S. Byatt’s Booker Prize-winning novel Possession

Over the years since In the Company of Men, Eckhart has established himself as both leading man and supporting player; an adaptable, charismatic, and reliable figure on the screen. Among his vivid turns are the offensive coordinator at odds with his coach in Oliver Stone’s epic football drama Any Given Sunday (1999); a tattooed, long-haired biker and boyfriend to social justice warrior Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) whose rough appearance belies his gentleness in Steven Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich (2000); a police detective with a knack for getting confessions in Sean Penn’s bleak crime drama The Pledge (2001); a boxer turned police detective obsessed with a woman’s grisly murder in Brian De Palma’s James Ellroy adaptation The Black Dahlia (2006); a huckster promoting the glory of smoking in Jason Reitman’s acclaimed satire Thank You for Smoking (2006), for which Eckhart earned a second Independent Spirit Award nomination; principled, doomed district attorney Harvey Dent in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008); and a husband and father coping with the loss of a child and the fraying of his relationship with his wife (Nicole Kidman, 2016 MVFF Tributee) in John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole (2010), for which he received a third Independent Spirit Award nomination.

Eckhart first worked with his Bleed for This costar Miles Teller in Rabbit Hole, in which Teller played the guilt-stricken teenager who hit Eckhart’s son with his car. At the time, the young actor was an up-and-comer in his first important role. Now, Eckhart observes, Teller is a fully-fledged movie star, but it was that initial experience together that helped them define their characters as boxer and trainer in Bleed for This. “Miles and I already had a little bit of a relationship,” he says. “We worked off of that to build the on-screen relationship, which was crucial to the film, to making it work. There was one key thing: Kevin’s love of Vinny and of boxing. It was two down-and-out fighters. They got together. That was the whole thrust of the story, and a wonderful tale.”

aaron eckhart

“Any impediments or physical transformations you can do help you as an actor, because you don’t have to act it.”

Huddleston in Time Out. “Impressive,” in the words of Variety ’s Peter Debruge.

“More often seen as well-turned-out, presentable gents, Eckhart lets caution to the wind and digs down to find dramatic potential he’s never mined before and thereby socking over his portrayal of a morally fluctuating guy with many foibles who still provides Vinny with the tactical guidance he needs to put his opponents on the canvas,” Todd McCarthy writes in The Hollywood Reporter

Bleed for This is the story of two underdogs. Vinny Pazienza, aka the Pazmanian Devil, was a champion boxer who won belts in two weight classes prior to his crash. With a halo screwed to his skull, the accident should have ended his career. Rooney had once been a boxer himself, and, in the mid-’80s, was Mike Tyson’s trainer; Vinny represented another shot at glory in the ring. What is perhaps the most intriguing element of the story is how, until this cinematic moment, it has not been the stuff of legend.

“I am a boxing fan. I’ve been boxing on and off, training, for years. I had never heard of Vinny Pazienza,” says Eckhart. “I didn’t know the story, but I got familiar with it. Kevin Rooney is a very famous trainer and it was a pleasure to get to know him and to get to know his business in the boxing world.”

Eckhart also spent time with another boxer turned trainer, Freddie Roach, who worked with such champions as Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Julio César Chávez Jr., and Georges St-Pierre, gleaning further insight into the work and life of a trainer.

Bleed for This made its debut at the Telluride Film Festival and already Eckhart is receiving stellar reviews. “Superb,” writes Tom

Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Bleed for This joins a pantheon of films that celebrate real-life pugilists and their art— whether winning, losing, or searching for redemption—and that includes Scorsese’s own Raging Bull (1980), Gentleman Jim (1942), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Tyson (1995), The Hurricane (1999), Cinderella Man (2005), The Fighter (2010), and the recent Robert Duran biopic Hands of Stone (2016). Eckhart finds himself in sometimes heady company.

In a sense, Bleed for This is the perfect vehicle for an MVFF spotlight on Aaron Eckhart. True, it is his newest film and tipped to be one of the big films of the important, pre-Oscar ® fall movie season. But more than that, it is an illustration of Eckhart’s versatility and commitment to his craft. From that first calling-card role as In the Company of Men’s vicious Chad to troubled Kevin Rooney taking a shot at redemption in Bleed for This, Eckhart has proven himself an actor up to any challenge and willing to take on the most difficult of roles.

And how does he feel about traveling to the region he once called home and screening Bleed for This for the MVFF audience? “I’m excited,” he says. “I’m flattered. I’m looking forward to going up there and showing the film.”

Pam Grady is a San Francisco freelance writer and editor. She is a member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists

FAMIL y FILMS

This year’s Family Films section is full of fun and mystery for audience members aged 4 to 94. Join us for feature films from Japan, Germany, new Zealand and the US—and dozens of shorts from around the world, including our special 3D shorts showcase. Dazzle your eyes and ears, and enjoy the global view!

THE 3D SIDESH o W

5@5 HA r M ony

F r EE o UTD oor SC r EE n I n G AT o LD MILL PA rk

I n SIDE o UT

k EPLE r ’S D r EAM

MISS H ok USAI

M o LLy M on STE r

o D D BALL

STA r WA r S T r ILo G y EVE n T

yo UTH r EEL

THE 3 D SIDESHoW: InnEr Work InGS

AGE rECoMMEnDATIonS for Family Films programs are provided merely as suggestions in order to assist parents in making appropriate film selections. We recognize that these recommendations cannot adequately reflect the standards of every parent or the needs of every child, so please plan your movie-going experience accordingly.

Experience the indelible magic of George Lucas’ heroic clash of good and evil in all its big-screen, THX-thunder glory as MVFF celebrates this cinematic touchstone with a day-long special screening of the original trilogy to commemorate the final days of the Century Cinema—a theater steeped in Star Wars history and the legend of Lucas.

Bring family and friends of all ages to these special screenings of the blockbuster franchise that keeps on giving.

Activities include:

Costume parade! Dress up as your favorite Star Wars character and join the Imperial March (preceding Episode IV ).

Prizes and giveaways!

Special guests! Stormtroopers! Fun!

Saturday, October 8 | Century Cinema, Corte Madera 11:00am

STAR WARS, EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE US 1977, 125 min Director George Lucas 2:30pm

STAR WARS, EPISODE V: THE EmPIRE STRIk ES bAck US 1980, 124 min Director Irvin Kershner 6:30pm

STAR WARS, EPISODE VI: RETuRN Of THE jEDI US 1983, 131 min Director Richard Marquand

FAMILy FILMS SPonSorED By

CFI EDUCA t ION

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 39 years, CFI Education has been building the next generation of filmmakers and film lovers through its creative film programs for Bay Area students, which serves 8,000 young people annually.

W. GoLDSMITh FoUNDATIoN

PANEL

BEHIND THE SCREENS

Panels | Master Classes | Conversations

THE WOMEN BEHIND HIDDEN FIGURES

Saturday, October 8, 11:00am | Rafael

Invited Guests:

RICARdO BACA , journalist, Denver Post

S TE vE dE ANGELO, founder, Harborside Health Center

MITCH dICKMAN, director, Rolling Papers

What does it take to create and launch a film about the brilliant African-American mathematicians who worked behind the scenes at NASA on the first space missions? The female filmmakers behind the scenes at 20th Century Fox present a special sneak peek at the creation of the highly-anticipated Hidden Figures Showcasing footage of the film and its incredible cast (including Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe), the team will give insights into the creative processes behind a film that celebrates—and claims recognition for—these unsung heroes.

Invited Guests:

ELIZABETH GABLER, president, Fox 2000

CO - PRESENTEd BY

MARISA PAIvA , vice president of production, Fox 2000

MIMI vALdES, executive producer, Hidden Figures

MANdY WALKER, director of photography, Hidden Figures

MOdERATOR: MALINA SAvAL, associate features editor, Variety

PANEL

GrE aT SpOrTS! CaNNaBIS IN aTHlETICS

Saturday, October 8, 11:00am | Sweetwater

FOCUS: SMOKE SCREENS This panel discussion with leading experts in the sports field will examine the budding connections between cannabis and professional athletics, and the corresponding medicinal and legislative issues that are impacting the profession.

Invited Guests:

SPONSOREd BY

RYAN MCBEAN, former NFL football player, denver Broncos

EUGENE MONROE, former NFL football player, Baltimore Ravens

dR. PERRY SOLOMON, chief medical officer, HelloMd

AdAM S TEINBERG, former NCAA football player; head of bizdev and marketing, Flow Kana

MOdERATOR: JIM MC ALPINE, founder, 420 Games

ScREENiNg + PANEL

rOllING papErS

Saturday, October 8, 12:30pm | Sequoia (film ticket required)

FOCUS: SMOKE SCREENS Following the screening of the documentary Rolling Papers (page 146), this hour-long panel conversation with media professionals and industry leaders will explore the historical and contemporary legislative issues affecting our communities and our lives.

SPONSOREd BY

TAWNIE LOGAN, executive director, Sonoma County Growers Alliance

EMILY PA xHIA , managing director, Poseidon Asset Management

GAYNELL ROGERS, managing director/founder, Bloom Cannabis Group

MO dERATOR: ILANA ‘SUGAR ’ LAYTART, founder and chairwoman, Women Grow Sonoma County Chapter

mAStER cLASS

DOCUMENTarY STOrYMaKErS

Saturday, October 8, 2:00pm | Rafael

Join leading female documentary filmmakers and thought leaders in this storytelling master class with story consultant

TOM SCHLESINGER. Learn how their personal heroines’ journeys while making their films inspired them to create transformational stories, as they address the importance—and role— of socially conscious filmmaking. Learn how solution-oriented stories engage audiences, marketing campaigns help you get to final cut, universal themes resonate with viewers—and much more—as you embark on your own journey.

Invited Guests:

BARBARA BOxER, U.S. Senator, California

NICOLE BOxER, producer (The Hunting Ground, The Invisible War, The Dean Scream), director (How I Got Over)

ROBIN HAUSER REYNOLdS, director (CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap)

PANEL

STOrYTEllING IN VIrTUal rE alITY

Saturday, October 8, 5:00pm | Rafael

SPONSOREd BY

As the use and impact of v irtual Reality rapidly expands, vR accessibility for consumers and audiences becomes an increasingly important issue. Join this panel of filmmakers and technicians as they discuss the many challenges and opportunities of storytelling within this medium.

Invited Guests:

JASON FIBER, head of business products, THx Ltd.

TANNA FREdERICK , producer, Defrost, Feral dog Productions

PAUL T. KIM, director, content & services, Samsung Electronics America

R ANdAL KLEISER, director, Defrost

MOdERATOR: NATHALIE MATHE, post-production vR supervisor; co-creator, Uturn

behind the screens

ScREENiNg + PANEL

SHE STarTED IT

Sunday, October 9, 12:00pm | Rafael (film ticket required)

SPONSOREd BY

Following the screening of the documentary She Started It (page 147), there will be a panel discussion with young entrepreneurs, investors, and stakeholders about the strategies and opportunities involved in the world of startups. Intended to inspire as well as inform, young people are encouraged to attend!

Invited Guests:

SHEENA ALLEN, entrepreneur; founder, Sheena Allen Apps & InstaFunds

CHRISTINE HERRON, director, Intel Capital

KELLY KEENAN TRUMPBOUR, angel investor; founder, See Jane Invest

THUY TRUONG, entrepreneur; co-founder, GreenGar and Tappy

MOdERATOR: MARCO dELLA CAvA, USA Today

PANEL + REcEPtiON MVFF STaTE OF THE INDUSTrY CONVErSaTION

Sunday, October 9, 1:00pm | Rafael Reception to follow | il Davide, 901 A St | San Rafael

More movies are being produced than ever before, but the film industry is going through some of the most dramatic changes in its history. Come hear some of the leading experts in the business discuss the future of independent cinema and how filmmakers will be affected by the new trends in production, marketing, distribution, and exhibition.

Invited Guests:

Ed ARENTZ, managing director, Music Box Films (The Innocents, Frantz, Ida, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

BLYE FAUST, partner and cofounder, Rocklin|Faust; producer (Spotlight)

AMY HOBBY, vice president, Artist Programs, Tribeca Film Institute; producer, Tangerine Entertainment (Paint It Black, Secretary)

RUTH vITALE, chief executive officer, CreativeFuture; founder, Paramount Classics (The Virgin Suicides, Hustle & Flow)

MOdERATOR: PAUL COHEN, distributor (Mephisto); executive director, Torchlight Film Program, Florida State University

ScREENiNg + PANEL COMpaNY TOWN

Sunday, October 9, 2:00pm | Sequoia (film ticket required)

What happens if you love tech but can’t stand the hype? Is the “sharing economy” liberating or disempowering? How do we preserve diverse communities in cities we love? A panel discussion following the screening of Company Town (page 122) will address these issues and more.

Invited Guests:

dEBORAH K AUFMAN, director, Company Town

JOE “FITZ” ROdRIGUEZ, The San Francisco Examiner

ALAN SNITOW, director, Company Town

SUE vAUGHAN, Sierra Club, SF Group

Ac tivE ciNEmA HikE

NETWOrKING IN NaTUrE

Saturday, October 15, 10:00am | tennessee valley | FREE

Join Festival staff and guests on this easy 3.5 mile hike to the ocean and exchange ideas and wisdom on filmmaking, filmmaker resources, activism, and strategies for action. Bring water and sunblock, and wear good walking shoes. Meet at the Tennessee valley trailhead parking lot. tennessee valley info: nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm

mAStER cLASS + SNEAk PRE viE w ScREENiNg THE FIlMMaKEr a S HErOINE

SCREENWRITING WITH TOM SCHLESINGER & VALERIE WEISS

Saturday, October 15, 11:30am | Rafael

Following up on last year’s inspiring “Heroine’s Journey” workshop, filmmaker vALERIE WEISS ( A Light Beneath Their Feet, MvFF 2015) and story consultant TOM SCHLESINGER return to explore Weiss’s newest film, The Archer, and her upcoming Amazon project as they address the heroine’s journey of the filmmaker, how her journey parallels the journeys of her characters, and how she connects with her audience.

Followed by a special sneak preview:

THE ARCHER

Saturday, October 15, 2:00pm | Rafael (separate admission) Archery champion Lauren Pierce lands in a corrupt juvenile correctional facility in the wilderness. She escapes with an alluring inmate and must survive a desperate warden who is bow-hunting his prey to make sure his secret stays buried.

PANEL

DISNEY aNIMaTION TECHNISTa S

Sunday, October 16, 2:00pm | Rafael

The huge critical and box office successes of Walt disney Animation Studio’s Frozen and Zootopia —with onscreen heroines Elsa, Anna, and Judy Hopps—have proven that the time is now for great girl role models. But what about behind the scenes? This family-friendly panel brings together an amazing group of women technologists and creators of recent disney movies—including the upcoming feature Moana —to discuss their groundbreaking work and innovations and explain some of the magic we see onscreen.

Invited Guests:

CO - PRESENTEd BY

SARA dRAKELEY, general technical director (Moana, Zootopia)

HEATHER PRITCHETT, general technical director (Moana, Zootopia)

ERIN R AMOS, effects animator (Moana, Zootopia)

MICHELLE ROBINSON, character look supervisor (Moana, Zootopia)

MARYANN SIMMONS, senior software engineer (Moana, Zootopia)

MO dERATOR: S TE v EN GAY d OS, vice president, executive editor, Variety

Program participants are subject to change. Check mvff.com for program updates and full participant bios. Except where noted, tickets for all Behind the Screens programs are $15 general | $12.50 CFI members.

MVff Music returns for a second year with a diverse series of concerts at the sweetwater Music hall. nine nights of live music include performances by artists featured in MVff films, as well as local, national, and international musicians. drop in and discover your new favorite act, or make a night of it and pair a screening about an artist with their corresponding live show!

thao nguyen

of t hao and the g et d own Stay d own

a s t hao nguyen says in A Song for You: The Austin City Limits Story (page 148), she grew up in Virginia watching Austin City Limits, teaching herself to play guitar, and writing songs. s o it’s only fitting that the documentary would highlight the first time she and her band, t he get down stay down, played the ACL stage. now an established san franciscan who packed the fillmore earlier this year, t hao brings a special solo version of her “country-tinged indie folk-pop” ( a llMusic) to MVff Music.

Friday, October 7

Doors 8:00pm | Show 9:00pm

PR e ZI dent BR own and the I ta LS

Join Jamaican roots reggae artist Prezident Brown and reggae veterans the itals as they take the spirit of MV ff39’s Cannabis focus day (see page 111) into the night. w ith decades of music-making behind them, the itals are stalwarts of the Jamaican harmony group sound, and Prez is a champion of the new roots and reality consciousness reggae movement that entertains, informs and inspires.

Saturday, October 8

Doors 8:00pm | Show 9:00pm

a L a S da IR F R a S e R & nata LI e haa S

you’ve heard the fiddle skills of a lasdair fraser on such soundtracks as Titanic and Last of the Mohicans now the subject of MVff39 documentary The Groove Is Not Trivial (page 129), fraser has also been dubbed “the Michael Jordan of scottish fiddling” by The San Francisco Examiner along with Juilliard-trained cellist n atalie h aas, fraser presents a musical evening of unrivaled beauty, eloquence, and passion.

Sunday, October 9

Doors 7:30pm | Show 8:30pm

e RI ka wenne RS t R om

with Pette R Stakee (of a lberta Cross)

Best known as the leader and energetic core of the indie rock band heartless Bastards, erika wennerstrom steps into her own spotlight as a solo artist, her powerful, soulful voice “exquisitely engaging in its world-weary twang” (Pitchfork). insider’s tip: watch closely in the MVff39 film A Song For You: The Austin City Limits Story (page 148), and you’ll catch wennerstrom sharing her admiration for fellow ACL alumna loretta lynn!

Monday, October 10

Doors 7:00pm | Show 8:00pm

thao nguyen

alasdair

fraser & natalie haas

Prezident Brown

a Benefit for CFI e ducation

Be R t Be R n S Ce L e BR at I on with SP e CI a L gue S t S

Bert Berns wrote all your favorite songs: “Piece of My heart,” “Cry to Me,” “twist and shout” are all his, along with countless other chart-toppers. Celebrate the late songwriter and producer’s hits with an all-star band featuring Berns’ fellow rock and roll hall of famers and many more. to assemble the set list, MVff Music teamed up with music critic and author Joel selvin, who literally wrote the book on Berns: selvin’s Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues provided the basis for the MVff39 documentary Bang! The Bert Berns Story (page 119).

Tuesday, October 11

Doors 8:00pm | Show 9:00pm

FR ed he RSC h

in 2006, lauded by Vanity Fair as “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade,” fred hersch became the first artist in the history of new york’s legendary Village Vanguard to play a weeklong engagement as a solo pianist. now, having been named the Jazz Journalists a ssociation’s “Jazz Pianist of the year” and doris duke a rtist award recipient for 2016, the eight-time grammy® nominee graces the MVff Music stage with another solo performance to complement a new documentary about his life and career, The Ballad of Fred Hersch (page 119).

Wednesday, October 12

Doors 7:30pm | Show 8:30pm

a L ejand R o e SCovedo t RI o

it’s impossible to classify alejandro e scovedo in just one genre of music. Born in texas and raised in southern California listening to ranchera music with his Mexican father and with l atin jazz percussionists for brothers, his own career has encompassed everything from the san francisco punk scene of the ’70s, the intersection of punk and country in the ’80s, and, after resettling in texas, all stripes of a mericana. after a multi-decade solo career, e scovedo’s musical range manifests as guitar-forward roots rock with emotional depth and singalong choruses.

Friday, October 14

Doors 8:0 0pm | Show 9:00pm

a Benefit for CFI e ducation

t he gR eat mILL va LL ey goSPe

L Show

Celebrate MVff’s 11 days of film church with the second installment of the great Mill Valley gospel show. Musician, producer, songwriter, composer, multiple- grammy-winner and musical director narada Michael walden (who produced hits for a retha franklin, stevie wonder, and w hitney houston, among many others) curates a spirit-moving, hand-clapping, sweetwater-shaking performance to close out year two of MVff Music.

Saturday, October 15

Doors 7:30pm | Show 8:30pm

w ith support from j ennifer Coslett m acCready

Show to Be added thu RSday, oC to Be R 13 | C heC k mv FF.Com/muSIC Fo R u Pdate S

t ickets for all mv FF m usic shows are available online at mvff.com/music or in person at the Sweetwater box office. mv FF m usic tickets are not available at the mv FF Box o ffice.

n o Festival badges, except the mv FF m usic Pass, will grant admission to mv FF m usic shows.

Sp O n SO re D by

venue S p O n SO r

erika wennerstroM

fred hersCh

ale Jandro esCoVedo narada MiChael walden

ACADEMY

MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

MVFF’s women’s initiative, Mind the Gap, is both a celebration and a call to action, this year exploring women, film, and technology. In a wealth of festival-wide programming, we explore three aspects of the film and tech worlds: innovation/entrepreneurism, creativity, and gender representation. Through screenings, Q&As, panels, master classes, and special events, we highlight and explore the work and the impact of women in these fields. Pioneers abound: the premiere of a first narrative feature by an 80-year-old artist and documentary filmmaker (Paris Can Wait , page 144); the digital restoration of the first feature film by an African American woman to gain wide theatrical release (Daughters of the Dust , pages 73 and 123); a panel about creating Hidden Figures , the highly anticipated film about the unsung female scientists at NASA (page 90); a discussion with some of the technistas behind the scenes at Walt Disney Animation Studios (page 91), and more. Girl power rules. Be there!

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

CoRPoRATe SuPPoRT FRoM

INDuSTRy SuPPoRT FRoM

MoM AND oTHeR LooNIeS IN THe FAMILy

GIRL FLu

FouNDATIoN SuPPoRT FRoM

MVFF’s Active Cinema films are united in their commitment to explore the world and its issues, engage audiences, and transform ideas into action. Join us for screenings throughout the Festival, support the grassroots activism of filmmakers, and engage with the admirable work of special guests, co-presenters, and partners. And join us online to stay connected year-round: facebook.com/ MVFFActiveCinema

Best and Most Beautiful t hings

In association with No Bully

Co M pany town

In association with Sierra Club, SF Group d eath By d esign

In association with International Campaign for Responsible Technology

d o n ot Resist

f i R e at s ea

t he l ast dalai l a M a?

In association with Buddhist Film Foundation

Visito R ’s day

In association with Hanna Boys Center

yasuni Man

In association with Amazon Watch and Pachamama Alliance

ACTIVE CINEMA HIKE: Networking in Nature

saturday, october 15 | 10:00am free

Meet at the tennessee Valley trailhead parking lot (see page 91 for details)

¡Viva el Cine! is a survey of the best Spanish-language and Latin American films of 2016. This year’s eclectic collection includes a series of new works from Mexico as well as genre-defying films from Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Spain; a Spotlight program on Gael García Bernal and his new film Neruda; and a special musical performance by Alejandro Escovedo at the Sweetwater as part of MVFF Music (see page 97 for details).

aqua R ius ( Brazil)

f inding o s C a R ( us )

iC a R os: a Vision ( peru / us )

Julieta ( s pain)

t he long n ight of fR an C is Co s an C tis ( a rgentina)

l upe u nde R the s un ( Mexico / us )

n e R uda ( Chile/ f rance/ s pain/a rgentina)

t he p leasu R e i s Mine ( Mexico)

Visito R ’s day ( Mexico / us )

yasuni Man ( us )

you w ill Know w hat to d o with Me ( Mexico)

you’ R e Killing Me, s usana ( Mexico/Canada)

Look for this icon to identify ¡Viva el Cine! programs throughout the festival.

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

LuPE uNdER THE SuN

CoMPANy ToWN

LIBRE ET ASSOUPI

focus | kinowerks

gutsy and original stories from germany, with an emphasis on female characters and creators

24 weeks

fukushima, mon amour

molly monster

toni erdmann

focus | culinary cinema

a delicious selection of mouth-watering films that celebrate the creatives of cuisine

ella brennan: commanding the table

Jeremiah tower: the l ast magnificent paris c an wait theater of life

focus | smoke screens

saturday, october 8 | mill valley

a full day of programming featuring mind-expanding films and conversations about cannabis

panel: great sports!

cannabis in athletics ( page 90) 11:00am sweetwater rolling papers (screening & panel) 12:30 pm sequoia

5@5 i want to take you higher 1:30 pm sweetwater

green is gold 3:45 pm sequoia reception 4:20 pm mv filmmaker lounge

mvff music show: prezident brown & the itals 8:00 pm sweetwater one week and a day 9:30 pm sequoia

canna-pass | $50

access to all smoke screens programs, events, and filmmaker lounges (oct 8 only)

fukushima, mon amour

green is gold rolling papers

paris can wait

sponsored by

sections | premieres

sections

WORLD c I n EM a stories from six continents that foster a new understanding of our global neighbors and ourselves

U s c I n EM a a showcase of new films by master and emerging a merican filmmakers who share a talent for independent storytelling

Va LLEY O f THE DO cs the latest in documentary filmmaking, from heartfelt stories of activism to historical profiles, current events, and more

fa MILY fILM s a sampling of cultures and adventures for young people (and their families) that nurture their love of film

MV ff MU s I c

cinematic portraits of musical artists and eras, from the brill building to cbgbs, the scottish highlands to austin, t X.

5@5 s HORT s collections of short cinematic gems from every genre including narratives, documentaries, animation, family films, and youth works

Premieres

WORLD

circus kid

company town the groove is not trivial

kepler’s dream

a l ate s tyle of fire: l arry levis, american poet love t wice monday nights at seven the rendezvous

she s tarted it yasuni man

Jim Boyce Trus T and Kris oT is

nORTH aMERIcan Us

bench cinema

devil’s bride egon schiele: death and the maiden mom and other loonies in the family zhaleika

baden baden death in sara Jevo in dubious battle iqaluit

katie says goodbye keeper like crazy mum is wrong nelly the pleasure is mine a quiet passion a serious game theater of life unleashed you’re killing me, susana

kepler’s dream

bench cinema

l ike crazy

s ponsored By

bang! the bert berns story

5@5 Ev E ryday PE o Pl E

5@5 Short S

Total Program 64 min

“The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then, makes no difference what group I’m in. I am everyday people.” A collection of truelife tales about extraordinary individuals. In Joshua Dylan Mellars’ Stolen Youth: Political Prisoner of the Dictatorship (US 2016, 6 min), a Buenos Aires resident revisits the prison where he was “detained” 40 years ago during the Argentine military dictatorship. Joshua Moore’s Oddball (US 2016, 5 min) serves up a creative profile of Stephen Parr, the entrepreneur behind San Francisco’s Oddball Films. In Nascent (US 2015, 7 min), two children, one Christian and one Muslim, seek answers from each other about a bloody civil war that has divided Central African Republic. In Dana Nachman’s Washed Away (US 2016, 16 min) we meet Brandon, sufferer of debilitating chronic pain, who can only find catharsis through his unique artistic pursuit. And finally, we present the latest from Will Parrinello, John Antonelli, and Tom Dusenbery of the Mill Valley Film Group and their Emmy® Award-winning series narrated by Robert Redford. The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania (US 2016, 30 min) features inspiring portraits of six dedicated activists from around the world who have placed themselves squarely in harm’s way to battle intimidating adversaries while safeguarding the Earth’s natural resources from exploitation and pollution.

—Kelly Clement

Sun Oct 9 9:15pm Rafael Mon Oct 10 5:00pm Sequoia

5@5 Family aFFair

5@5 Short S

Total Program 70 min

“You see it’s in the blood…Blood’s thicker than mud…You can’t leave ‘cause your heart is there.” These shorts prove that ties that bind come in all sorts of unpredictable varieties. In Michael W. Catlin’s I Remember You (US 2015, 11 min), Oscar® nominee Bruce Davison ( Longtime Companion ) gives a moving performance as a man who, along with his son, faces some harsh inevitable truths about his future. In Justin and Christian Long’s parodic Abe & Ike (US 2016, 11 min), the events of Genesis 22 —the ultimate deus ex machina—are given a contemporary spin in the age of therapy and Istatements. Famed playwright Neil LaBute ( In the Company of Men ) posits a tense confrontation between two strangers with an unlikely and dangerous connection in The Mulberry Bush (US 2016, 17 min). A series of family traumas continue to reverberate with a mother and daughter as they attempt to rebuild their lives in Ali Pour Issa’s searing The Ground Is Breathing (Iran 2016, 15 min). And in Joe Garrity’s droll Twinsburg (US 2016, 16 min), a convention of identical twins is the catalyst for one pair of brothers who aren’t as alike as they appear. For all these protagonists, closure and clarity remain strictly relative.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Tue Oct 11 9:30pm Rafael Wed Oct 12 4:30pm Sequoia

Total Program 72 min

In English or non-verbal “That’s harmony: Simple as A-B-C, easy as 1-2-3.” And what could promote harmony better than familyfriendly films from around the world? In Evgenia Golubeva’s I Am Not a Mouse, childhood names are repudiated (UK 2015, 2 min). Dottie Kultys creates spooky fun in The Girl Who Spoke Cat (UK 2014, 6 min). Ainslee Henderson uses odds and ends to create Stems (UK 2015, 3 min). Rhiannon Evans portrays an idea in need of a brain in Fulfilament (UK 2015, 7 min). Alyce Tzue’s extraordinary Soar (US 2014, 6 min) channels The Little Prince . Cynthia Pepper’s ultra-cute Polka Dott will make you smile (US 2016, 6 min). George Rosenfeld shows puppets at their best in Strings Attached (US 2016, 10 min). Seth Boyden is serious as a stone in An Object at Rest (US 2015, 5 min). Elena Walf tells a wise fable in Some Thing (Denmark 2015, 7 min). Kohei Kajisa explodes the screen with color in The Gift (Japan 2016, 5 min). The prize-winning SAF Cakovec in Croatia debuts My Favorite Tree (Croatia 2016, 2 min) and The Little Spider (Croatia 2016, 3 min). And it’s a double bill from Brent Dawes with Lifted (South Africa 2014, 5min) and Thunderstruck (South Africa 2015, 5 min). Ages 4+

—John Morrison

Sat Oct 8 11:00am Sequoia

Mon Oct 10 10:15am Rafael* Sat Oct 15 2:00pm Lark

*CFI education screening open to school groups and general public

5@5 h armony

Family Film

5@5 i Want t o tak E you h igh E r

5@5 Short S

Total Program 70 min

FOCUS: SMOKE SCREENS “Feeling that should make you move. Sounds that should help you groove. Boom shaka-laka-laka! Boom shaka-laka-laka!” Join us as we inhale deep into the world of marijuana shorts, both fact and fiction. First, we flashback to the ‘70s, with Weed: The Story of Marijuana (US 1971, 24 min), which you may have seen in your own high school homeroom! Come for how the scientific and legal community viewed pot 45 years ago; stay for the fantastic period fashion and state-of-theart technology. Next, Brian Applegarth’s The Secret Story (US 2016, 16 min) chronicles the critical role San Francisco activists played on the road to legalizing medical cannabis. In Bad Habits (US 2016, 9 min), Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz and Lyntoria Newton present a pair of real-life nuns who’ve taken on a very special mission of outreach, compassion, and good humor. In Todd Bishop’s Deflowered with the Marines (US 2015, 4 min), two ex-servicemen discuss the power of cannabis in relation to injury and PTSD. And finally, in Kiel Murray and Phil Lorin’s Green Thumb (US 2014, 11 min), a couple discovers that their child has taken on an unusual project in the backyard. Plus, trailers, clips, and a few surprises that span the decades!

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Sat Oct 8 1:30pm Sweetwater Thur Oct 13 9:00pm Rafael In Assoc IA t I on

5@5 m y World

5@5 Po E t

5@5 Short S 5@5 Short S

Total Program 64 min

“My world—the one thing I defend. She’s my friend and best of kin.” These diverse tales about women, all directed by women, are as eclectic and perceptive as they are entertaining. Kate Lain’s animated She Collage (US 2015, 10 min) is a vibrant window into one artist’s highly individual creative sensibility. Leonora Pitts’ playful Step 9 (US 2015, 13 min) follows two friends as they discover how an epic journey is often best broken down into the smallest of increments. Kristy Guevara-Flanagan’s incredible and haunting What Happened to Her (US 2016, 16 min) is a must for any cinephile or fan of crime dramas, as it bores into the psychology of our obsession with female victims in movie and TV police procedurals. Darlene Johnson’s Bluey (Australia 2015, 14 min) is an incisive look at one juvenile delinquent as she’s confronted with her own personal rage. Kerry Bishe’s charming As If to Say (US 2015, 4 min) visualizes Elizabeth Cantwell’s poem with lovingly stylized grace. And one mom’s hectic day, informed with regret and resolve, plays itself out in Autumn McAlpin’s Another Time (US 2016, 7 min). Don’t miss this extraordinarily rich collection of independent voices and visions.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Mon Oct 10 9:00pm Rafael Tue Oct 11 5:30pm Sequoia

Total Program 61 min

“My only weapon is my pen. And the frame of mind I’m in. I’m a songwriter. A poet.” Hand-drawn, CG, and stop-motion characters, both dramatic and comedic, evoke life in this year’s animated shorts program. In Dan McHale’s Splotch (US 2015, 4 min), coffee takes on many morphing forms, while in David Jansen’s Daewit (Germany 2015, 15 min), a man raised by wolves learns to forgive. A mash-up of interstellar dimensions is the focus of Kathleen Quillian’s Stardust Serenade (US 2014, 4 min), and in Nina Paley and Theodore Gray’s Chad Gadya (US 2015, 3 min), spinning matzah dances with animated embroidery. Puppets are raucous in Tamara Hahn’s Honky Cat (US 2016, 5 min), and found objects create cadence in Ainslie Henderson’s Stems (UK 2015, 3 min). In Michael Dudok de Wit’s Oscar®winning Father and Daughter (Netherlands/UK/Belgium 2000, 9 min), a girl matures while longing for her missing father. Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj’s Borrowed Time (US 2015, 7 min) portrays a sheriff haunted by a childhood memory, and in Diego Maclean’s Clouds (Canada 2016, 11 min), a villager interprets the skies to ominous effect.

—Amanda Todd

Fri Oct 7 5:00pm Rafael Fri Oct 14 9:00pm Rafael

5@5 t hank you Fal E ttinm E B E m ic E El F agin

5@5 Short S

Total Program 70 min

“Thank you for the party, but I could never stay. Many things is on my mind, words in the way.” Join us for these four terrific tales of conflicted characters, each at a crossroads on their own personal voyage of selfdiscovery. To get things rolling, an intrepid young member of The Firefly Girls (US 2016, 11 min) tries to sell cookies to a very reluctant customer with surprising results in Katie Micay’s memorable short. Swimming in memory and longing, a homecoming vet chooses a momentous day to discover what lies in store for him back in his small town in Jacob Kirby’s At Ease (US 2015, 13 min).

Lili Taylor ( I Shot Andy Warhol ) delivers a bravura turn as a cutting-edge architect who has a lot on the line with her latest creation in Matthew Dixon’s masterful Modern Houses (US/Australia 2016, 17 min). And in Leandro Goddinho’s remarkable and unforgettable Pool (Brazil 2016, 29 min), an abandoned swimming pool is the unlikely center of a story where memories of the Holocaust and a forbidden love prove to be a bridge across multiple generations. Be sure not to miss this powerhouse quartet, filled with tragedy and uplift.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Fri Oct 14 4:00pm Sequoia Sat Oct 15 9:15pm Rafael

Total Program 60 min

“Wishful thinking, playing with the moon. Won’t you realize we’ll get there soon.” Landscapes prove indelible characters all their own in short films where the tension with their inhabitants plays out in dramatic ways. In Manuel Alvarez Diestro and Sergio Belinchon’s gorgeous The Trader (Spain 2016, 12 min), a busy executive has a very unlikely commute to work. In Aaron Stoller’s very funny Killing the Coat (US 2015, 4 min), a man takes retribution on a particular item of clothing. Marc and Karina Ripper’s The Child and the Dead (US 2015, 18 min) is a rich gothic tale of a family stranded in a brutal and mysterious wilderness. A Romanian folk song is the jumping-off point for a stunning musical voyage in Kirk Kelley’s Lamentation (US 2015, 5 min). In Freddy Syborn’s quirky story, a fiancé in mourning, seeking to come to terms with his loss, takes an unexpected trip to Isla Traena (UK 2015, 15 min) for some stark revelations. And history comes vibrantly to life as Bob Yothers’ Down South (US/Netherlands 2016, 6 min) takes a fierce, poetic view of the horrific legacy of slavery. This is sublime, concise filmmaking, epic in sensibility, writ large on the big screen.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Wed Oct 12 9:00pm Rafael Thur Oct 13 4:30pm Sequoia

t h E 3 d Sid ES hoW

Family Film S

Total Program 88 min

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! The 3D Sideshow is back in town! Depth-defying attractions for all ages from the four corners of the earth! Journey from inside a snowflake to the surface of Mars. Thrill to microscopic monsters and giant bats. See dramatic moments captured by Sports Illustrated ’s stereo photographer. Marvel at time-lapse images of the heavens, a 1940 Studebaker magically assembling itself, and the alien world of fractals. Come see Pixar’s classic Knick Knack (John Lasseter, US 1989, 4 min) in its original, rarely seen, 3D; their latest gem, Piper (Alan Barillaro, US 2016, 6 min); and the US 3D premiere of Disney’s newest short, Inner Workings (Leo Matsuda, US 2016, 7 min). But wait, there’s more! We’ve also got Hidden Worlds (Robert Bloomberg, US 2016, 20 min), New Dimensions (Jack Theakston, US 1940, 9 min.), Working For Peanuts (Jack Hannah, US 1953, 6 min), The Problem with Friends (Jeff Boller, US 2016, 4 min), I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat (Matthew O’Callaghan, US 2011, 4 min), Animated Amusements (Bob Venezia, US 2011, 4 min), Hidden Stereo Treasures (Robert Bloomberg, US 2015, 5 min), and 3Deee Mirrors (Franklin Londin, US 2016, 3 min). All this, plus door prizes and a few more surprises! It’s all inside! Ages 10+

—Robert Bloomberg

Sun Oct 9 12:30pm Rafael Sun Oct 16 11:15am Rafael

5@5 Wi S h F ul t hinkin’

5@5 Short S

24 W EE k S

(24 Wochen)

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 110 min

Director/Screenwriter Mike Mills

Producers Megan Ellison, Anne Carey, Youree Henley Cinematographer Sean Porter Editors Mark Bennett, Laura Rosenthal Cast Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, Billy Crudup, Lucas Jade Zumann Print Source A24

CENTERPIECE ENSEMBlE SPOTlIGHT In a beguiling style that evokes the French New Wave by way of Judy Blume and Talking Heads, writer-director Mike Mills ( Beginners ) brings to vivid life three thoroughly modern women and the young man they hope to influence. On the cusp of a new decade and a new era in sexual politics, fiercely independent single mother Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening) enlists Abbie (Greta Gerwig) and Julie (Elle Fanning) to help raise her teenage son in hopes that he might someday grow into a man who truly understands women. A decidedly unglamorous, late-‘70s Santa Barbara serves as backdrop to this tender, often funny look at women lurching towards happiness in an age of unprecedented freedom and confusion. Under a near-constant cloud of Salem Menthol smoke, Dorothea is both radiant and infuriating in her refusal to be categorized. Abbie and Julie are equally complex: at once innocent and jaded, full of rage and full of wonder.

—Atissa Manshouri

Thur Oct 13 7:00pm Rafael

Germany 2016 • 102 min

Director Anne Zohra Berrached Producers Melanie Berke, Tobias Büchner, Thomas Kufus Screenwriters Carl Gerber, Anne Zohra Berrached Cinematographer Friede Clausz Editor Denys Darahan Cast Julia Jentsch, Bjarne Mädel, Johanna Gastdorf, Emilia Pieske, Maria-Victoria Dragus Print Source Beta Cinema

FOCUS: KINOWERKS In German with English subtitles The story of a woman facing a moral dilemma when, deep into her pregnancy, she learns that there are problems with her baby, 24 Weeks avoids cliché and judgment with a tender, multi-faced exploration of choice. Award-winning actress Julia Jenstch ( Sophie Scholl: The Final Days , MVFF 2005) is Astrid, a popular feminist comedian and already the mother of a young child. As she weighs her decision, in addition to trying to determine in her own heart what is right, she also evaluates the impact the baby’s disabilities might have on her partner and daughter, and fears how an abortion might affect her career in light of her very public pregnancy. Jenstch makes Astrid’s journey wholly personal, gripping, heartbreaking, and real as she forcefully portrays Astrid’s gamut of emotions from resolution to fear, certitude to doubt, joy to grief in this powerful, uncompromising drama.

—Melissa Howden

Fri Oct 14 6:00pm Larkspur Sun Oct 16 2:00pm Sequoia

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE G ENERA l OF G ERMAN y

In Assoc IA t I on W I th Goethe-Inst I tut sA n Fr A nc I sco/ b erl I n & b eyond F I lm Fest I v A l

aF t E r th E Storm

World cinEma

Japan 2016 • 117 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Hirokazu Kore-eda Producers Kaoru Matsuzaki, Akihiko Yose, Hijiri Taguchi Cinematographer Yutaka Yamazaki Cast Hiroshi Abe, Yôko Maki, Taiyô Yoshizawa, Kirin Kiki Print Source Film Movement

In Japanese with English subtitles With delicate precision and wry humor, writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda ( Like Father, Like Son , MVFF 2013) wields gentle comedy like a bemused surgeon to dissect one family’s tiny disappointments and postponed dreams. Fifteen years have passed since his promising first novel, but now sad-sack Ryota is divorced, struggling with a gambling problem, and stuck in a dubious job as a private detective. He can’t even make child-support payments for his young son. But Ryota’s wily mother—played with mischievous wit by veteran Kiki Kirin in a film-stealing performance—may be quietly plotting to get him to reconcile with his ex-wife and child by inviting them all to shelter in her apartment during a typhoon. Hovering over each of the characters is a question the young boy puts to his dad: “Are you the person you wanted to be?” With warmth and compassion, After the Storm deftly takes the measure of one family’s cumulative heartbreaks and joys. —Peter Stein

Fri Oct 7 12:00pm Sequoia Mon Oct 10 4:00pm Lark

Spon S ored by Marin Co MM unity Foundation

(Umi yori mo mada f U kakU)

World cinEma

20th cE ntury Wom E n

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 126 min

Director Ewan McGregor Producers Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg Screenwriter

John Romano Cinematographer Martin Ruhe Editor Melissa Kent Cast Ewan McGregor, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Connelly, Rupert Evans, Valorie Curry Print Source Lionsgate

SPOTlIGHT: EWAN MCGREGOR Seymour “Swede” Levov (Ewan McGregor) seems destined to have it all: A sports star in high school, he marries a beauty (Jennifer Connelly), fathers a child, and settles in rural bliss while continuing to run his father’s successful New Jersey manufacturing business. But then the placid 1950s evolve into the roiling 1960s. As young Americans question the status quo, as the Vietnam War rages, as the civil rights movement evolves, destiny shifts and his perfect life begins to unravel. His increasingly politicized teenage daughter Merry (Dakota Fanning) becomes involved with an underground group and disappears after being implicated in a bombing. Swede struggles to find meaning as he searches for his lost daughter—whose own journey into the depths is portrayed with impressive nuance by Fanning. Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Philip Roth novel, is driven by performances that embody the poignancy of human frailties struggling to navigate those turbulent times. l ily Buchanan

Sun Oct 9 7:00pm Rafael

Brazil 2016 • 142 min

Director/Screenwriter Kleber Mendonça Filho Producers Saïd Ben Saïd, Emilie Lesclaux, Michel Merkt Cinematographers Pedro Sotero, Fabricio Tadeu Editor Eduardo Serrano Cast Sonia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Humberto Carrão, Zoraide Coleto, Fernando Teixeira Print Source Vitagraph Films

In Portuguese with English subtitles Kleber Mendonça Filho’s second feature film shares the themes and aesthetic vision of his remarkable 2012 debut, Neighboring Sounds , where the old is endangered by the new and the past is inextricable from the present. In Aquarius , a retired music critic is the only occupant of a genial old building already emptied of its other residents in one of Recife’s rapidly changing seaside neighborhoods. Played by a radiant Sonia Braga, Clara defies little old lady stereotypes, refusing to give up her sunlit rooms and analog treasures for a hermetically sealed existence offered by the glass towers rising around her. Mendonça’s airy, widescreen compositions and decisively tracking camera reveal a character grounded in the past but still permeable to the present world. The lesser known (to outsiders) classics of Brazilian Popular Music (MPB) provide a welcome additional texture to this portrait of a life that will continue to be richly lived.

—Shari Kizirian

Fri Oct 14 8:45pm Lark Sun Oct 16 5:00pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the Assoc IA t I on

Attorneys, the

US 2016 • 95 min

Director Jonathan Parker Producers

Catherine DiNapoli, Jonathan Parker, Patrick Peach Screenwriters

Catherine DiNapoli, Jonathan Parker Cinematographer Svetlana Cvetko Editor

David Scott Smith Cast Parker Posey, James Frain, Eric McCormack Print Source Parker Film Company

Propelled by fine performances led by stars Parker Posey ( Best in Show ) and Eric McCormack ( Will & Grace ), The Architect straddles the line between comedy, drama, and tragedy in local filmmaker Jonathan Parker’s ( Bartleby ) smart and funny film. Opposites clearly attracted free-spirited Drew (Posey) and straitlaced Colin (McCormack) once upon a time, but trouble is brewing for the upper-crust Seattleites even as they try to start a family and engage suave architect Miles Moss (James Frain, Orphan Black ) to design their dream house. Moss has grand vision and poetic flair. He’s also an oddball wary of right angles and budgetary constraints, but passionate about delving into the hopes, dreams, and bathing habits of his clients. While Drew gravitates towards Miles’ eccentricity, the wacky interloper pushes Colin to his wit’s end. Will the duo’s already rocky marriage turn out to be as precarious as the staircase railing in their perpetually unfinished home?

—Alexis Whitham

Thur Oct 13 7:00pm Sequoia Fri Oct 14 2:30pm Rafael

Spon S ored by Marin Magazine

Spon S ored by Sol Food

t h E a rchit E ct

uS cinEma

aquariu S

World cinEma

a m E rican Pa S toral

a rrival

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 116 min

Director Denis Villeneuve Producers Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Karen Lunder Screenwriter Eric Heisserer Cinematographer Bradford Young Editor Joe Walker Cast Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker Print Source Paramount Pictures

OPENING NIGHT “Memory is a strange thing—it doesn’t work like I thought it did.”

In award-winning director Denis Villeneuve’s ( Sicario ) riveting and deeply thoughtful drama, five-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams is Dr. Louise Banks, a brilliant linguistics professor recruited by US military intelligence for a top-secret mission: to investigate the sudden simultaneous appearance of extraterrestrial spacecraft over several global sites, and to establish communication to determine whether the aliens have come in peace, or with intent to harm. In this deeply humane tale, supported by strong performances from Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker, the common tropes of science fiction are secondary to Villeneuve’s focus on the subtleties of language and the complex continuum in which human memory and emotion coexist. With gentle nods to Robert Wise’s 1951 classic The Day the Earth Stood Still , Arrival arrives none too soon with its message of universal peace, understanding, and the power of everlasting hope.

—Karen d avis

Thur Oct 6 7:00pm Corte Madera

t h E Bacchu S l ady

World cinEma

South Korea 2016 • 110 min

Director/Screenwriter E J-yong Producer

Suh Dong-hyun Cinematographer Kim Young-ro Editor Hahm Sung-won Cast

Youn Yuh-jung Print Source M-Line

Distribution

In Korean, Tagalog, and English with English subtitles They’re called “Bacchus grannies”—geriatric South Korean women who solicit sex from strangers by offering them energy drinks as an invitation to intimacy. It’s not the easiest life, but for sexagenarian So-young (Yoon Yeo-joeng) and her elderly clients, the encounters are one last chance to connect in the dog days of their autumn years. Lately, So-young has forged a different kind of connection, taking in a young boy (Choi Hyun-jun) while his mother is in jail. E J-yong’s film focuses on So-young and her colorful neighbors in the courtyard of a low-rent apartment block, marginalized people in a country where money is everything and there is no social safety net for the elderly. Anchored by a compelling, poignant central performance and featuring the most heartbreaking rendition of ABBA’s “Fernando” ever, this socially conscious character study blends drama and humor, leaving no heartstring unplucked.

d avid Fear

Fri Oct 7 3:15pm Sequoia Tue Oct 11 2:15pm Lark

World cinEma

Belgium/France 2016 • 93 min

Director/Screenwriter Rachel Lang

Producers Jeremy Forni, Joseph Rouschop, Valérie Bournonville, PierreLouis Cassou Cinematographer Fiona Braillon Editor Sophie Vercruysse Cast Salomé Richard, Claude Gensac, Swann Arlaud, Zabou Breitman Print Source MUBI

In French with English subtitles Rachel Lang’s impressive feature film debut effortlessly interlaces comedy and drama with spare, striking compositions and understated droll humor. Lang fully immerses us in free-spirited Ana’s quarter-life crisis, as she negotiates the disparate elements of her peripatetic existence and her love life. Discovery Salomé Richard is intoxicating as Ana: erratic, unreliable, yet very relatably human. Whether expressing her story in cinematic views of a jungle dreamscape, stunning shots of Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame de Haut chapel, or cringeworthy squirts of ketchup onto a plate of vegetables, Lang’s images beautifully float along much like Ana’s life, constructed loosely upon the completion of an interminable bathroom renovation for her beloved grandma, in the company of a lovelorn handyman who can’t seem to fix anything. Ana’s meandering inspires recognition of our own lost moments in life, and the ability to find the strength and faith required to embrace the journey every step along the way. us prem Iere l eah l oSchiavo

Sun Oct 9 8:30pm Sequoia Mon Oct 10 2:00pm Rafael* Tue Oct 11 12:00pm Rafael

I N ASSOCIATION WITH THE All IANCE F RAN ç AISE d E SAN FRANCISCO

*Reception with director to follow at Theresa & Johnny’s (separate admission)

Spon S ored by Well S Fargo

C o-Spon S ored by MVFF 39 oFF i C ial a irline d elta a irline S

Bad E n Bad E n

(J U h-yeo- JU -ne U n yeo- Ja)

US 2016 • 74 min

Directors/Producers Charlotte Lagarde, Carrie Lozano Cinematographers Andy Schocken, Octavio Warnock-Graham, Charlotte Lagarde Editors Warwick Meade, Carrie Lozano Print Source Swell Cinema

With his hands on the piano keys, eyes closed, leaning forward as if listening for the instrument to guide him, Fred Hersch is a man in complete harmony with his universe, fluidly carving melodies out of thin air. Away from the keys, he’s a soft-spoken, warm but exacting composer and collaborator in music and in life, who knows precisely what he wants to hear. Hersch has always been a rarity in the jazz world—a young musician in the ‘70s and ‘80s accepted by an older generation of bebop greats; a publicly gay man in the ‘90s Midwest, bravely and openly HIV-positive; and presently, an eight-time Grammy® nominee staging a multimedia performance inspired by his miraculous survival of a two-month, AIDS-related coma. MVFF alumnae filmmakers Charlotte Lagarde and Carrie Lozano began working with Hersch to document that performance, and that collaboration led to a much deeper and wonderfully intimate portrait of an incomparable artist.

l aura Henneman

Tue Oct 11 8:00pm Lark Wed Oct 12 6:00pm Sequoia*

In Assoc IA t I on W I th Fr A mel I ne A nd s FJAZZ

*Live Music Event to follow at Sweetwater. Separate ticket required. See page 97 for details.

US 2016 • 95 min

Directors Brett Berns, Bob Sarles

Producers Michael B. Bororfsky, Brooks Arthur Screenwriter Joel Selvin Cinematographers Gil Gilbert, Aaron Medick Editor Bob Sarles Print Source HCTN, LLC

Pop music pop quiz: Who co-wrote “Piece of My Heart” and “Twist and Shout,” produced “Under the Boardwalk,” and hired a young Jimmy Page as a session guitarist? If you don’t know, you need to see BANG! The Bert Berns Story. Berns was “the white soul brother,” a prolific songwriter and staff producer at Atlantic Records in the 1960s. He befriended mobsters, lived in a penthouse with a gigantic Great Dane, and later founded his own label, all before his early death at 37. BANG! hurtles through Berns’ life and whirlwind career as quickly as his records raced up the charts; his achievements, quirks, and foibles recounted fondly by friends and family, Brill Building contemporaries, and the artists he fostered. MVFF alumnus filmmaker Bob Sarles ( Sweet Blues: A Film About Mike Bloomfield , MVFF 2013) and Berns’ son Brett have crafted a thoroughly enjoyable portrait of a behind-thescenes artist and an essential documentary for music lovers.

l aura Henneman

Tue Oct 11 6:15pm Sequoia* Thur Oct 13 8:45pm Larkspur

*Live Music Event to follow at Sweetwater. Separate ticket required. See page 97 for details.

Iran 2016 • 124 min

Director/Screenwriter Mohammad Rahmanian Producer/Cinematographer Turaj Mansuri Cast Mohammad Amir Naji, Hooman Barghnavard, Mahtab Nasirpour Print Source Farabi Cinema Foundation

In 1980s Iran, Nasi (Mohammad Amir Naji), an enterprising cinéphile, discovers a unique way to overcome government censors: He reenacts banned movies (including Fellini’s La Strada and Milos Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ) in cafés and makeshift outdoor theaters, acting out all of the roles himself and bringing lost treasures to life again. The classics of Hollywood and world cinema delight his village audiences, and his oneman show slowly grows into a small traveling troupe with music, special effects, and even a leading lady—but Nasi eventually learns that real-life relationships don’t follow Hollywood’s rules. This is the first film made inside Iran by renowned playwright Mohammad Rahmanian, who himself has faced significant censorship over the years. With a virtuosic performance by Naji, Bench Cinema is an unforgettable portrait of Iran’s enduring love of international cinema and a tribute to the power of stories to shape reality, and our lives. north AmerIc An premIere

—Emelie Mahdavian

Fri Oct 7 1:45pm Rafael Mon Oct 10 11:00am Sequoia Wed Oct 12 5:30pm Lark

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he p ers IA n c enter

Spon S ored by paragon r eal eS tate g roup

Spon S ored by Marin a rt & g arden Center

B E nch c in E ma

World cinEma

Story

t h E Ballad o F Fr E d hE r S ch m uSic

US 2015 • 91 min

Director Garrett Zevgetis Producers

Ariana Garfinkel, Jeff Consiglio, Garrett Zevgetis Cinematographers Sarah Ginsburg, Jordan Salvatoriello Editors

Jeff Consiglio, Sarah Ginsburg Print

Source Ariana Garfinkel

Michelle is an endlessly curious young woman, absorbed with her obsessions and powerfully motivated to find her place in the world. But Michelle faces challenges: She is legally blind and high-functioning on the autism spectrum. She is also the last person to be tempered by these supposed “limitations,” choosing instead to reach beyond the life many have assumed for her and finding commonality, self-discovery, empowerment, and even love within an unexpected fringe community. Through the use of incisive cinematography, an original score, and a compelling nonlinear structure, this debut feature documentary never condescends to its subject as it explores Michelle’s complicated family past, the restless present, and her uncertain future, effectively mirroring many of her unique perceptions with empathy and compassion. Her inspired journey connects the audience to a brave and precocious spirit living beyond her presumptive disabilities and celebrates the determination of outcasts everywhere to live authentic lives.

l eah l oSchiavo

Sat Oct 8 2:30pm Rafael Mon Oct 10 2:00pm Sequoia

In Assoc IA t I on W I th n o b ully

US 2016 • 134 min

Director/Screenwriter Ben Younger

Producers Chad A. Verdi, Noah Kraft

Cinematographer Larkin Seiple Editor Zac Stuart-Pontier Cast Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart, Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds, Ted Levine Print Source Open Road Films

SPOTlIGHT: AARON ECKHART When horrifying injuries from a car accident threaten to derail the future of freshly minted light middleweight boxing champion Vinnie “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza, he refuses to accept that his burgeoning career could be over. Instead, he sets out to stage one of the greatest real-life comeback stories in sports history. Stubborn and unrelenting—with a shocking tolerance for intense pain—Vinnie (an uncharacteristically buff and mustachioed Miles Teller) enlists the help of veteran trainer Kevin Rooney (an uncharacteristically paunchy and balding Aaron Eckhart) to fight his way back into the ring against the advice of his doctors and the wishes of his close-knit Italian family— all while wearing an immobilizing stainless steel halo. Director Ben Younger ( Boiler Room ) recreates 1985 Providence, Rhode Island, in all its big-haired, acid-washed glory, with an eclectic soundtrack to match. A satisfying physical and emotional workout, Bleed for This is this generation’s Raging Bull

—Joanne Parsont

Sat Oct 15 7:30pm Rafael

US 2016 • 90 min

Directors/Cinematographers Timothy Marrinan, Richard Dewey Producers Timothy Marrinan, Richard Dewey, Josh Braun Editors Aaron Wickenden, Michael Aaglund Print Source Magnolia Pictures

Part scientist, part engineer, and sometime punk provocateur, controversial artist Chris Burden upended expectations throughout his life. In this timely portrait of the recently deceased artist, Burden helps narrate his own story in an edgy, often insightful investigation into what made him so unique, called variously by others “magician,” “daredevil,” “sadomasochist,” and “art martyr.” Augmenting numerous perspectives offered by other artists, collaborators, curators, critics, ex-wives, and girlfriends, are contemporary interviews with Burden along with moments recorded earlier in his career. Probing childhood years in an unusually nomadic family, but concentrating on the series of startling artworks launched when he locked himself into a two-cubic-foot storage locker for five days, and peaking with his infamous “Shoot” piece, in which he was publicly and deliberately wounded, Burden is underscored with a quirky minimalist soundtrack by Andrew Bird and Roger Goula, with musical excerpts by David Bowie and bands including Can, Suicide, and Television. —Brian Karl

Mon Oct 10 1:00pm Lark Wed Oct 12 6:30pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th s onom A vA lley m useum o F Art

Spon S ored by Wareha M d e V elop M ent

Spon S ored by z ener S C hon Conte M porary a rt

Spon S ored by KQ ed

Burd E n

vallE y oF thE d oc S

Bl EE d F or t hi S

uS cinEma

B ES t and m o S t B E auti F ul t hing S

vallE y oF thE d oc S

US 2016 • 103 min

Director/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/ Editor Doug Nichol Producers John Benet, Doug Nichol Print Source

American Buffalo Pictures

Weaving three stories—of a Berkeley repair business, a Canadian collector, and a Bay Area artist—and including interviews with famous typewriter devotees like Tom Hanks, Sam Shepard, and David McCullough, this documentary celebrates the creative virtues and tactile joys of the typewriter. But rather than a eulogy for yet another mechanical device tossed on the slag heap of obsolete technology—joining the Polaroid, the album, and sprocketed film—this microhistory is both a love letter to this humble tool and a pointed critique of our digital age. As metal, ink, and paper collide with a click-clack and a ping, our thoughts slow to the speed of our fingers, our words become tangible, and creativity flows uninterrupted by a machine that thinks for us. For some, the typewriter’s limits are benefits, even a state of mind. Ultimately, the film suggests we move past that modern technological conundrum—analog or digital?—and simply embrace both.

—Jeff Campbell

Fri Oct 7 3:00pm Sequoia Mon Oct 10 8:00pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th eA t d r I nkF I lms. com

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 107 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Kelly

Reichardt Producers Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt Cast Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone, Kristen Stewart, James Le Gros, Jared Harris

Print Source IFC Films

The indispensable Kelly Reichardt ( Wendy and Lucy, MVFF 2008) continues her exploration of quiet lives and open spaces with this adaptation of three Maile Meloy stories. Set with great regional specificity in Montana, the film richly portrays several women at a personal or professional crossroads. Gina, coveting sandstone for the house she’s building with her husband; Laura, a lawyer contending with a volatile client; and Jamie, a young ranch hand besotted with her adult education teacher: these complex characters have lives that intersect in subtle ways, and all share the inchoate desire for something more or different from what they already possess. In depicting their efforts to break free of quotidian constraints, Reichardt balances the emotional valences with inimitable grace and delicacy. Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Laura Dern, and Lily Gladstone sublimely bring the protagonists to life while cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt delivers counterpoint to their interior struggles with a visual palette evoking their hopes, dreams, and desires.

—Rod Armstrong

Sat Oct 8 2:15pm Rafael Sun Oct 16 11:00am Sequoia

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 115 min

Director Antonio Campos Producers

Melody C. Roscher, Craig Shilowich

Screenwriter Craig Shilowich

Cinematographer Joe Anderson Editor Sofia Subercaseaux Cast Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts, Maria Dizzia, Timothy Simons, J. Smith-Cameron Print Source The Orchard

Rebecca Hall delivers a haunting performance as a troubled journalist in this intense, resonant drama drawn from an actual 1975 incident that shocked the nation. A reporter for a struggling Sarasota, FL TV station, socially awkward 29-year-old Christine Chubbuck suffers from crippling social anxiety, mysterious stomach pains, and a secret crush on affable anchor George (Michael C. Hall). But what really vexes her is station manager Michael’s (Tracy Letts) new directive, adopting the newly fashionable “if it bleeds, it leads” approach to the news and abandoning the civic-minded stories on which Christine thrives. Director Antonio Campos vividly recreates the mid-‘70s milieu from the soft-rock songs that Christine favors to transactional analysis. Hall receives terrific support from Michael C. Hall, Letts, theater legend John Cullum as the station’s owner, and J. Cameron-Smith as Christine’s worried mother. But this is Christine’s story, and Hall seizes the role with ferocious, heartbreaking, and unforgettable intensity.

—Pam Grady

Sat Oct 15 8:00pm Larkspur Sun Oct 16 8:00pm Lark

Spon S ored by Marin i ndependent Journal

c hri S tin E

cE rtain Wom E n

c ali F ornia t y PEW rit E r

vallE y o F thE d oc S

t h E con FESS

(Le confessioni)

World cinEma

ion S

US 2016 • 68 min

Director Lorenzo Pisoni Producers Daniel Radcliffe, Karen Lehner, Sarah Dusseault

Cinematographer William Rexer II Editors

Sarah Devorkin, Christopher White Print

Source Lorenzo Pisoni

Growing up isn’t easy when your father’s a clown. That’s one lesson of Lorenzo Pisoni’s moving documentary, which offers an intimate portrait of San Francisco’s famed Pickle Family Circus and of its mercurial founder, Larry Pisoni. Started in the 1970s, the one-ring circus entertained with dazzling acrobatics, juggling, and often-subversive clowning—a direct precursor of Cirque du Soleil. Born into this milieu, Lorenzo was six when he donned matching greasepaint and baggy pants to join Larry in a brilliant father-son act. Exhaustion and personal demons eventually drove Larry to abandon the troupe and his family. With Circus Kid , Lorenzo seeks to reconstruct what happened and reconcile with his father’s complex legacy. Including vintage footage and interviews with legendary performers Bill Irwin and Geoff Hoyle, this unique glimpse of clown life shouldn’t be missed. World premIere —Jeff Campbell

preceded by

N EW M O ’ C UT: DAVID PEOPLES’ LOST F ILM OF M OE’ S B OOKS

US 2015, 14 min

Director Siciliana Trevino

The discovery of a 16mm film at a Berkeley dump leads to a nostalgic journey featuring one of the Bay Area’s legendary characters.

Sun Oct 9 8:00pm Lark

Mon Oct 10 5:45pm Larkspur

Tue Oct 11 10:00am Rafael*

In Assoc IA t I on W I th Amer I c A n c onserv A tory t he A ter

* c FI e ducation screening open to school groups and general public

US 2016 • 77 min

Directors/Producers/Screenwriters

Deborah Kaufman, Alan Snitow

Cinematographers Andy Black, Vicente Franco, Marsha Kahm, Alan Snitow Editor Manuel Tsingaris Print Source SnitowKaufman Productions

Few American cities have experienced the upheaval of San Francisco in the Internet Age. The influx of highly paid tech workers, and the decampment of artists and bohemians to remote locales, is a sign o’ the times. Another is the aggressive advancement of the “sharing economy” and its impact on affordable housing and the city’s character. Last year’s spirited race for District 3 supervisor between incumbent Julie Christensen and former supervisor and lefty firebrand Aaron Peskin marked a crossroads in the fight for the future. Meanwhile, SF Examiner reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, whose grandfather was evicted in the recent Gold Rush, provides a tour of the Mission and running commentary on the city’s changing state. The focus throughout Company Town is on individuals, underscoring that a city’s strength isn’t its power brokers but its residents. World prem Iere —Michael Fox

preceded by

CRESCITE

US 2016, 14 min

Director Will Agee

Napa Valley’s growing migrant farm worker population presents challenges. But when a community unites, great things can happen.

Sun Oct 9 2:00pm Sequoia* Sat Oct 15 12:00pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the sI err A c lub, s F bA y c h A pter

* p anel discussion to follow. s ee page 91 for details.

Italy/France 2016 • 103 min

Director Roberto Andò Producer Angelo Pasquini Screenwriters Roberto Andò, Angelo Pasquini Cinematographer Maurizio Calvesi Editor Clelio Benevento Cast Toni Servillo, Daniel Auteuil, Connie Nielsen, Moritz Bleibtreu, Lambert Wilson Print Source Mike Repsch

In Italian, French, and English with English subtitles A Carthusian monk holds the secrets to a high-level banker’s suicide in Roberto Andò’s suspenseful critique of the international finance community. At a G8 summit gathering in Germany, IMF director Daniel Roché (French writer/director Daniel Auteuil) invites Roberto ( The Great Beauty ’s Toni Servillo), a monk, to observe the meeting. After a kick-off dinner celebrating Roché’s birthday, the financier asks Roberto to take his confession. When Roché is found dead the next day, presumably by his own hand, it throws the various international representatives into a tizzy and puts Roberto under suspicion. The Confessions has big themes at its core—the moral vacuity at the heart of capitalism, the arrogance of politicians and economists who put money above all else, and how the absence of religion can make people forget there is evil in the world—but folds them into a powerful drama that becomes a superbly entertaining exploration of conscience for all concerned.

—Rod Armstrong

Fri Oct 14 8:30pm Sequoia Sat Oct 15 1:45pm Sequoia

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE I NSTITUTO I TA l IANO d I C U lTURA

Spon S ored by Wareha M d e V elop M ent

Spon S ored by b SS p

com Pany t oW n

vallE y oF thE d oc S

c ircu S k id

vallE y oF thE d oc S

uS cinEma

US 1991 • 112 min

Director/Screenwriter Julie Dash

Producers Julie Dash, Arthur Jafa, Lindsey Law Cinematographer Arthur Jafa Editors Amy Carey, Joseph Burton Cast Barbara-O, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Adisa Anderson, Kaycee Moore Print Source Cohen Film Collection

TRIBUTE: JUlIE dASH Exquisitely cinematic and profoundly imagined, Julie Dash’s lyrical story of family migration is unlike any other, establishing her as a strikingly original artist in the pantheon of American cinema. The film commands the powerful myths of the Georgia Sea Island Gullah people, whose ancestors rejected enslavement and—as the Old Ones say—walked across the ocean home to Africa. Set to a sensuous soundtrack, Daughters of the Dust is an unforgettable portrait of the Peazant family on the eve of exodus to the mainland during the Great Northern Migration. Dash breaks new ground in storytelling and content, exploring the Gullah’s matriarchal traditions, combining West African animism, Islam, and Christianity in a fluid mix. Great Grandmother Nana Peazant, a former slave who carries the clan’s genealogy in her head and hand, and an unborn child act as guides through the journey. A sparkling new digital restoration reveals the gorgeous visual palette, adding yet another element to cherish and inspire.

—Shari Kizirian

Fri Oct 14 7:30pm Rafael

US 2015 • 73 min

Director/Screenwriter Sue Williams

Producers Sue Williams, Hilary Klotz

Steinman Cinematographer Sam Shinn

Editor Adam Zucher Print Source Ambrica Productions

Do you love your phone? Can’t imagine life without your trusty digital sidekick? After watching this intense and illuminating exposé of the nasty global underbelly of electronics manufacturing and disposal, we all might pause before our next upgrade. Driven by expert interviews and fascinating behind-the-scenes footage, this doc reveals how we got into this computer-driven environmental mess and how we might turn it around. From Silicon Valley to China, the film follows the secretive supply chain required to produce everyone’s favorite toys. Filmmaker Sue Williams does a masterful job of laying out the brutal facts of people and places affected by this toxic reality, while communicating a sense of urgency and measured optimism around solutions. Along the way we meet a handful of heroes focused on making companies accountable for their products and entrepreneurs creating world-friendly goods. This is necessary viewing for fans of planet earth; just turn off your device.

—Brendan Peterson

preceded by I DON’T CARE

US 2016, 5 min

Director John Sanborn

A sharp-witted, tongue-in-cheek commentary on 21st century overload and the trendiness of me-me-me-ennui as “fashion-statement.”

Fri Oct 7 12:15pm Sequoia Tue Oct 11 6:15pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the Intern A t I on A l cA mp AIG n F or r espons I ble t echnolo G y

Spon S ored by re V

World cinEma

Bosnia and Herzegovina 2016 • 85 min

Director/Screenwriter Danis Tanović

Producers Francois Margolin, Amra Bakšić

Čamo Cinematographer Erol Zubcevic

Editor Redzinald Simek Cast Jacques Weber, Snežana Vidović, Izudin Bajrovic, Vedrana Seksan, Muhamed Hadžović Print Source The Match Factory

In Bosnian and French with English subtitles This scintillating, complex portrait of national identity crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Danis Tanović (No Man’s Land) transpires over the course of a single, chaotic afternoon at a grand hotel in Sarajevo. In Altmanesque fashion, the hotel staff, who are on the verge of a strike after nearly two months of working without being paid, prepare to welcome European Union delegates to an event commemorating the centenary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, the incident which served as the catalyst for World War I. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, Tanović’s thoroughly engaging ensemble drama captures multiple layers of disparity, expanding beyond the hotel and its disgruntled personnel to the nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the collective countries in the Balkan Peninsula, and the European Union us prem Iere —Joe Bowman

Thur Oct 13 5:15pm Rafael Sat Oct 15 3:15pm Rafael

dE ath in Saraj E vo

(s mrt U saraJ evU)

dE ath B y dES ign

vallE

daught

dE nial

World cinEma

US/UK 2016 • 110 min

Director Mick Jackson Producers Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff Screenwriter David Hare Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos Cast Rachel Weisz, Andrew Scott, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson Print

Source Bleeker Street Media

It’s the truth that is at stake when American historian Deborah E. Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) takes British Holocaust denier David Irving (Timothy Spall) to task in print for his lies and over-the-top grandstanding. Claiming libel, Irving takes Lipstadt to court—in the UK, where, ironically, the burden of proof is on the accused. Lipstadt’s legal team, including barrister Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson), set out on a long journey of proof that takes them through mounds of research as well as through the rubble of Auschwitz. It’s gripping at every level, with a stellar ensemble led by Weisz, Wilkinson, and Spall—who plays Irving with all the bravura of a confident narcissist. Avoiding mere courtroom drama, the intellectual and strategic jousting and the emotional turmoil involved are brilliantly balanced in David Hare’s screenplay. In its exploration of freedom of speech versus perversion of truth, and the humanity underlying it all, this powerful film couldn’t be timelier.

—Zoë Elton

Thur Oct 6 7:00pm Rafael

d iani and dE vin E mEE t th E aP ocaly PSE

World cinEma

Finland 2016 • 109 min

Director Saara Cantell Producer Markku Flink Screenwriters Leena Virtanen, Saara Cantell Cinematographer Konsta Sohlberg Editor Malin Lindström Cast Tuulia Eloranta, Magnus Krepper, Claes Malmberg, Kaija Pakarinen, Elin Petersdottir, Antti Reini Print Source Finnish Film Institute

In Swedish and Finnish with English subtitles This riveting historical drama is set against the backdrop of widespread 17thcentury Scandinavian witch hunts. Awardwinning director Saara Cantell illuminates the cinematic beauty of every frame, with scenes composed as artfully as classical Baroque-era paintings. But beneath the shimmering surface is a spreading horror as innocent women, both young and old, are terrorized by a new governor dead-set on rooting out and eradicating what he believes is a secret nest of witchcraft from the village. Those accused include women healers and midwives using traditional herbs and plant-based knowledge to cure ailments and—in some cases—to influence love. The beautiful young maidservant Anna Eriksdotter, a free-spirited and innocent romantic, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the witch hunt as panic overtakes the village. A lethal web of false accusations, suspicions, fears, and misogyny play out to horrifying consequence—until one voice speaks the truth.

n orth Amer I c A n prem Iere

—Melissa Howden

Tue Oct 11 3:30pm Rafael Wed Oct 12 9:15pm Rafael

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 90 min

Directors/Screenwriters Etta Devine, Gabriel Diani Producers Etta Devine, Gabriel Diani, Chad Meserve Cinematographer Matthias Schubert

Editor Chad Meserve Cast Etta Devine, Gabriel Diani, Barry Bostwick, Kirsten Vangsness, Janet Varney, Jonathan Silverman, Robert Pine Print Source Diani & Devine Productions

When a mysterious force brings down all forms of communication, electricity, and the basic law and order of Los Angeles, things aren’t looking great for partners in life and comedy Gabriel Diani and Etta Devine. Illprepared to cope with Hollywood (and general adulthood), they’re definitely not ready for the apocalypse. Setting out for a friend’s sustainable hippie commune with their cat and dog in tow (and a vivid plan on which animal they should eat first if it comes to that—no spoilers here!), the couple meets looters, religious zealots, and even potential cannibals. Will they (and their relationship) survive? How about their pets? Though a struggling stand-up duo in their onscreen personas, real-life couple Diani and Devine are wildly successful in their outright hilarious turn as the writers, directors, and stars of this wacky comedy. Cameos by Barry Bostwick ( The Rocky Horror Picture Show ), Janet Varney, and other familiar faces keep the laughs coming.

—Alexis Whitham

Sat Oct 15 5:30pm Lark Sun Oct 16 11:15am Sequoia

In Assoc IA t I on W I th s F s ketch F est

dE vil’ S Brid E ( tULen morsian)

Schi E l E : dE ath and th E m aid E n

World cinEma

US 2016 • 72 min

Director/Cinematographer Craig

Atkinson Producer Laura Hartrick Editors

Craig Atkinson, Laura Hartrick Print

Source VANISH Films

Many have been alarmed by the recent spectacle of law enforcement in full riot gear and armored vehicles moving through peaceful demonstrations. At first glance, it’s easy to suspect our police forces are preparing for war or terrorism instead of protecting and serving citizens exercising their civil rights. In Craig Atkinson’s disquieting documentary, such suspicions are reinforced as we learn that since 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security has given police departments $34 billion in grants to purchase equipment, while the Department of Defense has contributed additional billions in free military equipment. What changed and where are we heading? Have the War on Drugs and the War on Terror formed an alliance that apparently justifies the use of military technology, including preemptive surveillance systems on civilians? Sure to spark debate, Do Not Resist thrusts the viewer into the action on the streets and seeks to examine the growing culture of militarized policing.

—Frako l oden

preceded by

THE DEAN SCREAM

US 2016, 10 min

Director Bryan Storkel

A case study of how the media can take a simple, innocent moment in time and spin it into something completely different.

Sun Oct 9 3:45pm Rafael Wed Oct 12 2:15pm Sequoia

UK/Mongolia/US 2016 • 87 min

Director Otto Bell Producers Otto Bell, Sharon Chang, Stacey Reiss Editor Pierre Takal Cast Daisy Ridley, Aisholpan Print

Source Sony Pictures Classics

In Kazakh with English subtitles For centuries in Mongolia, men have hunted with eagles—fearsome, noble creatures they’ve trained to attack and capture foxes, in order to obtain the pelts that will help them survive the region’s brutal, unforgiving winters. Tradition has dictated that it’s always been the duty of men, until 13-year-old Aisholpan decides she wants to become the very first eagle huntress. The elders frown on the idea that a girl could perform such a masculine task. But with the help of her father and an eaglet she’s helped raise since its early years, she may be able to win the annual eagle-hunting championship and prove that she has what it takes. Part familyfriendly nature documentary and part parable of female empowerment, Otto Bell’s stunning you-are-there look at one young woman and her bird of prey may very well be the most inspiring nonfiction girl-power film of the year.

d avid Fear

Sun Oct 9 11:15am Sequoia Mon Oct 10 12:45pm Rafael

In Assoc

Austria/Luxembourg 2016 • 109 min

Director Dieter Berner Producers Franz Novotny, Alexander Glehr, Bady Minck Screenwriters Hilde Berger, Dieter Berner Cinematographer Carsten Thiele Editor Robert Hentschel Cast Noah Saavedra, Maresi Riegner, Valerie Pachner, Larissa Aimée Breidbach, Marie Jung, Elisabeth Umlauft Print Source Picture Tree International

In German with English subtitles Although only 28 when he died in the influenza pandemic of 1918, Egon Schiele remains among the great figurative painters of the 20th century. Schiele’s disarming, erotically charged canvases rose to international prominence with support from his mentor and fellow Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, advancing aesthetic and social values for a new century. Director Dieter Berner’s novelesque biopic begins near the end of Schiele’s short life amid a Vienna shattered by the First World War, unfolding in flashbacks triggered by the memory of his devoted sister and model Gerti. What follows is an intimate, sensuous portrait that captures a passionately individual young man, haunted by the destructive insanity of his late father, but driven by artistic genius and erogenous attachment to a series of young muses. Schiele’s art thrives where he seeks freedom from convention and authority—near the edges of respectable society and at the brink of disaster and madness. n orth Amer I c A n prem Iere

—Robert Avila

Sat Oct 15 4:00pm Larkspur Sun Oct 16 8:15pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th s onom A vA lley m useum o F Art

Spon S ored by luna F e S t

Spon S ored by San Fran C i SCo Chroni C le

Egon

t h E Eagl E h untr ESS

vallE y oF thE d oc S

d o n ot rES i S t

vallE y o F thE d oc S

vallE y oF thE d oc S

US 2016 • 96 min

Director/Screenwriter Leslie Iwerks

Producers Leslie Iwerks, Debra Shriver, Karol Martesko-Fenster, Michael E. Tang

Cinematographers Steve Parker, Antonio Rossi, Tony Arenth Editor Mo Stoebe

Print Source Iwerks & Co.

FOCUS: CUlINARy CINEMA A celebrity restaurateur before there were celebrity chefs, nonagenarian Ella Brennan is a James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award winner and influencer of culinary staples ranging from Bananas Foster to the farm-to-table movement. Her acolytes include star chefs Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme, but this vibrant matriarch redefined American cuisine through her impeccable palate and an unrivaled joie de vivre. Leslie Iwerks’ warming documentary looks back on Brennan through decades, from her teen years learning the ropes in 1940s New Orleans. Balancing the family and the family business for over half a century, Brennan has inspired and collaborated with generations of chefs, ultimately launching cuisine that marries French fine dining with soulful Louisiana creole. With Ella’s welcoming personality jumping off the screen and plates of shrimp crawling by, it’s easy to be enamored with the Brennan legacy. It’s perhaps harder to refrain from booking a flight to New Orleans to experience the magic in person.

—Alexis Whitham

Sat Oct 15 7:00pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th lA c oc I n A A nd eA t d r I nkF I lms.com

France/Germany/Belgium 2016 • 130 min

Director Paul Verhoeven Producers Saïd Ben Saïd, Michel Merkt Screenwriter

David Birke Cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine Editor Job ter Burg Cast

Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling, Virginie Efira, Christian Berkel Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

In French with English subtitles Yuletide in Paris is anything but merry for video game CEO Michèle (Isabelle Huppert) in Paul Verhoeven’s ( Black Book ) astute, indelible psychological thriller, and portrait of a woman living in the shadow of childhood trauma. The victim of a brutal sexual assault (depicted in Elle ’s opening scenes), Michèle (Huppert) goes on with her life as if nothing has happened, not even reporting the crime to the police. But as we mine her traumatic past, it becomes apparent why she has become an expert at compartmentalizing and bottling up emotions. When at last she discovers her attacker’s identity, she makes moves to reclaim her life. Elle is Verhoeven at the top of his game, delivering a film that is, in turns, violent, suspenseful, and darkly humorous. Showcasing Huppert’s tremendous talent, Verhoeven delivers his unique brand of acerbic wit and 21st-century social commentary for the technological age.

—Pam Grady

Fri Oct 7 9:00pm Sequoia

Wed Oct 12 12:00pm Sequoia

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE G ENERA l OF F RANCE AN d THE F RENCH A MERICAN C U lTURA l S OCIET y

y oF thE d oc S

Guatemala/US/Canada 2016 • 98 min

Director Ryan Suffern Producers Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern Screenwriters

Mark Monroe, Ryan Suffern Cinematographer Michael Parry Editor

Martin Singer Print Source The Kennedy/ Marshall Company

In English and Spanish with English subtitles In December 1982, at the height of Guatemala’s long and bloody civil war (1960–1996) and only two days after President Ronald Reagan publicly defended the US-backed military regime of General Efraín Ríos Montt, all the people in the village of Dos Erres disappeared. A population of some 40 farming families, they were among tens of thousands of indigenous Mayan Guatemalans disproportionately targeted as rebel sympathizers during Ríos Montt’s short but brutal reign. Drawing powerfully on experts, eyewitnesses, and archival materials, director Ryan Suffern’s gripping account of the massacre dovetails with the subsequent investigation into the enormous population of disappeared persons by a determined group of bereaved family members and under-resourced government attorneys. The trail back to Dos Erres and the truth includes two small boys taken by soldiers and spared the massacre. One, who later fled to the US, may prove crucial to the case—if he can be located.

—Robert Avila

Sun Oct 9 3:30pm Rafael Thur Oct 13 5:30pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the c enter F or Just I ce A nd Account A b I l I ty, the lA t I no c ounc I l, A nd the hI sp A n I c c h A mber o F c ommerce o F mA r I n

Spon S ored by San Fran C i SCo Magazine

Spon

Finding oS car

vallE

Ell E

World cinEma

Ella Br E nnan: commanding th E ta B l E

Fir E at S E a (fU ocoammare)

World cinEma

Italy/France 2016 • 114 min

Director/Cinematographer Gianfranco Rosi Producers Donatella Palermo, Gianfranco Rosi, Serge Lalou Editor Jacopo Quadri Cast Pietro Bartolo, Samuele Puccilo Print Source Kino Lorber

In Italian and English with English subtitles Samuele, an anxious young boy and slingshot aficionado with a lazy eye, is among the locals who takes a turn in the spotlight alongside migrants in Gianfranco Rosi’s beautiful and moving neorealist documentary. For the director, the small Sicilian island of Lampedusa acts as a focal point to address the European refugee crisis, a rocky and barren place that has become a primary entry for those fleeing war and other ravages in Africa. Fire at Sea shows the perils of these journeys—overcrowding, dehydration, and death—while avoiding emotional grandstanding or partisan politics. No hyperbolic voiceover or intrusive score here; just the undeniable, heart-wrenching facts of the situation. Fire at Sea , which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, brilliantly juxtaposes the side-by-side relationship of Lampedusa’s residents with the desperate people trying to reach her shores and leaves the viewer to make the subtle connections between the two.

—Rod Armstrong

Fri Oct 14 8:30pm Rafael Sat Oct 15 5:00pm Larkspur

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE I NSTITUTO I TA l IANO d I C U lTURA

Fuku S hima, m on a mour (Grü ss e aU s fU kU shima)

World cinEma

Germany/France 2016 • 113 min

Director/Screenwriter François Ozon Producers Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmeyer, Stefan Arndt, Uwe Schott Cinematographer Pascal Marti Editor Laure Gardette Cast Pierre Niney, Paula Beer, Ernst Stötzner, Marie Grüber, Yohann von Bülow, Anton von Lucke Print Source Music Box Films

In French and German with English subtitles In François Ozon’s elegant, stylish, and incredibly smart WWI-era period drama, appearances—and disappearances—are deceptive. César award-winning French actor Pierre Niney ( Saint Laurent ) stars as Adrien Rivoire, a mysterious and seductive young Frenchman who insinuates himself into the life of the German Hoffmeister family, griefstricken over the recent loss of their beloved son Frantz in the trenches of battle. Introducing himself as Frantz’s pre-wartime friend from Paris, Adrien’s apparent devastation over his death deeply touches each member of the family, especially the beautiful Anna (luminous Paula Beer), Frantz’s betrothed. Secrets and lies abound in this moral tale of truth and its deadly consequences. With cleverly subtle nods to Hitchcock’s Vertigo alongside Ozon collaborator Philippe Rombi’s soundtrack-homage to the great Bernard Herrmann, Frantz may be this 21st-century auteur’s best work to date. Ozon has crafted a bewitching labyrinth of a film that leaves you breathless at every twist and turn of events.

—Karen d avis

Fri Oct 7 8:30pm Rafael Fri Oct 14 8:45pm Larkspur

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE

G ENERA l OF F RANCE AN d THE F RENCH

A MERICAN C U lTURA l S OCIET y

I N ASSOCIATION WITH THE F RENCH

H ERITAGE S OCIET y

Spon S ored by g ood g reen MoV ing

World cinEma

Germany 2016 • 104 min

Director/Screenwriter Doris Dörrie

Producers Harry Kügler, Molly von Fürstenberg Cinematographer Hanno Lentz Editor Frank Müller Cast Rosalie Thomass, Kaori Momoi Print Source The Match Factory

FOCUS: KINOWERK S In English, German, and Japanese with English subtitles Two strangers—one European, one Japanese— forge an unlikely bond in the shadow of a city’s brutal devastation. If this premise sounds familiar, it should. For in Doris Dörrie’s ( Enlightenment Guaranteed , MVFF 2001) powerful new film, she intentionally evokes Alain Resnais’ masterpiece Hiroshima, Mon Amour, but layers on her own unique vision. In this case, the city is Fukushima, still suffering from the destruction of the 2011 tsunami and nuclear reactor disaster. The two women—one an aging geisha, the other an aimless German—try to build a life in “The Zone,” now a wasteland still beset by lingering radiation and abandoned buildings. Can they overcome their cultural and generational divides, as well as the ghosts of the past that still haunt each of them? Or will they succumb to their tragic memories? Shot in gorgeous black and white, the answers are always in vivid shades of gray.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Fri Oct 14 6:30pm Sequoia Sat Oct 15 12:45pm Larkspur

Frantz

US 2016 • 108 min

Director/Screenwriter Jim Jarmusch

Producers Carter Logan, Fernando Sulichin, Rob Wilson Cinematographer Tom Krueger Editors Affonso Gonçalves, Adam Kurnitz Print Source Magnolia Pictures

Music is essential to each and every film by American auteur Jim Jarmusch ( Only Lovers Left Alive , Stranger Than Paradise ). With Gimme Danger, Jarmusch follows his 1997 Neil Young documentary Year of the Horse with another portrait of a musical legend, Iggy Pop. Appropriately raucous and exciting, Gimme Danger —its title a nod to both The Stooges’ song and the famed Rolling Stones documentary Gimme Shelter chronicles Pop and his seminal punk band The Stooges from their early days in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the late 1960s through their multiple breakups and rotating band members and eventually the recording of their classic album, Raw Power. After decades of friendship and even appearances in two of the director’s films, Dead Man and Coffee and Cigarettes , Pop offers Jarmusch an all-access glimpse into the world of a true musical icon with candid discussions of stardom, performance, and—most importantly—rock ‘n’ roll.

Fri Oct 14 9:30pm Sequoia Sat Oct 15 9:30pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th n o I se p op Industr I es

US 2016 • 94 min

Director/Screenwriter Dorie Barton

Producers David Wilson, Jay Lowi

Cinematographer Alice Brooks Editor

John Alan Thompson Cast Katee Sackhoff, Jade Pettyjohn, Jeremy Sisto, Heather Matarazzo, Judy Reyes, Diego

Josef Print Source Free Chicken Films

A lively, witty mother-daughter comingof-age story, Girl Flu centers on precocious 12-year-old Bird and her single mom Jenny, whose cheerful prolonged adolescence makes bookish Bird the mature one in the family. When Bird gets her first period very publicly at a school event, it throws both mom and daughter into a relatable and often hilarious tailspin. While Jenny reels from the realization that she’s old enough to have a child entering puberty, Bird tries to cope through uncharacteristic rebellion: getting in a fistfight, smoking her mom’s pot, and shoplifting tampons. And just wait until they get the fire department involved. Writer/director Dorie Barton’s directorial debut is a fresh, funny, and compassionate film that jettisons the taboo that too often surrounds this particular rite of passage. Girl Flu features a standout lead performance by newcomer Jade Pettyjohn and a wonderful supporting cast of adults, including Katee Sackhoff, Jeremy Sisto, and Heather Matarazzo.

—Whitney Summers

Fri Oct 7 6:00pm Sequoia Mon Oct 10 11:00am Rafael Tue Oct 11 4:45pm Larkspur

US 2015 • 85 min

Director/Screenwriter/Editor Ryon

Baxter Producer Anthony Burns

Cinematographers Justin Potter, Mike Revolvalcke Cast Ryon Baxter, Jimmy Baxter, David Fine, Liz Claire, Shelley Mitchell, Sam Cohen-Wage Print Source Wildfire Finishing

FOCUS: SMOKE SCREENS Set against the complex, captivating world of cannabis, this riveting coming-of-age story focuses on two young brothers forced to fend for themselves in the gorgeous green hills of Northern California. First-time director Ryon Baxter stars as 20-something Cameron, thrust into parenting his 13-year-old brother Mason after their father is sent to prison. Soon, the young men are fully immersed in the family business, an isolated pot farm, as they prepare for a dramatic deal. The intimate story gets inside the dense emotional world of brothers in search of stability and love, as they exist in an off-the-grid underworld. From the opening scenes, it’s clear we are in the hands of an exciting filmmaker. Baxter focuses on the hypnotic details of minimal moments and brief, believable conversations to generate magnetic movie energy. Heartwarming and heartbreaking at once, this shining festival gem bears the essence of poetic filmmaking, tense drama, and emotional truth.

—Brendan Peterson

Sat Oct 8 3:45pm Sequoia Sun Oct 9 6:30pm Rafael g r EE

Spon S ored by l agunita S b re W ing Co M pany

Spon S ored by Marin h otel S

uS cinEma

t h E g roov E i S n ot t rivial

m uSic

US 2016 • 60 min

Director/Producer Tommie Dell Smith

Cinematographers Robert Elfstrom, Michael Anderson Editor Elizabeth Finlayson Cast Print Source Tommie Dell Smith

“Music is the universal language of mankind” is a sentiment that Alasdair Fraser lives from the tips of his fiddle-playing fingers right down to the marrow in his bones. Raised in Scotland in a time when traditional music and language were suppressed, Fraser has spent his adult life in Northern California reclaiming his culture and hosting multi-generational music camps in three countries. His unconventional style of teaching gives people permission to explore their own voices and tap into the rhythmic undercurrent at the root of music and identity—be it individual, cultural, or globally human. Whether you’re a musician, a fan of traditional Scottish music, or someone who simply appreciates sincere, joyful artistic expression, pull up a chair (or put on your dancing shoes) and join the cèilidh! World prem Iere

l aura Henneman

preceded by JOE’S VIOLIN

US 2016, 24 min

Director Kahane Cooperman

In this heartwarming short documentary, one violin changes the lives of a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor and a talented 12-year-old girl.

Sun Oct 9 5:45pm Sequoia* Mon Oct 10 6:15pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he cA ledon IA n c lub o F sA n Fr A nc I sco

*Live Music Event to follow at Sweetwater. Separate ticket required. See page 96 for details.

t h E h i dE h o ShoW

World cinEma

Director Park Chan-wook Producers Park Chan-wook, Syd Lim Screenwriters

Chung Seo-kyung, Park Chan-wook

Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon

Editors Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum Cast Min-hee Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Kim Tae-ri, Jin-woong Jo, So-ri Moon, Hae-suk Kim

Print Source Magnolia Pictures

In Korean and Japanese with English subtitles Filmmaker extraordinaire Park Chanwook returns with a sensual, 1930s-set adaptation of Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith , in which Sookee (Kim Tae-ri), a former thief, is recruited as part of an elaborate con. The young woman is to become a handmaiden at the house of a rich, degenerate Japanese bibliophile with a priceless collection of vintage erotica and a beautiful, damaged niece (Kim Min-hee, in a star-making turn). Sookee will convince the frail waif to marry her partner (Ha Jung-woo), a slick hustler posing as a count, and they’ll take her inheritance—but what’s really going on? And who is conning who? Not since his infamous Sympathy trilogy has the South Korean auteur given us something so stylistically bold and sumptuous, piling on the S&M kink, triple-crosses, and social commentary until this psychological thriller goes way past its boiling point. Don’t miss it.

d avid Fear

Wed Oct 12 8:30pm Larkspur Sat Oct 15 8:15pm Lark

muSic

Total Program 120 min

This year’s installment of the perennially popular Hi De Ho Show threatens to gain its host and resident curator, John Goddard, the moniker of the Ed Wood of rock ’n’ roll. In this marvelous miscellany of scintillating silliness, he’ll veejay some of the unclassifiable moments from his personal music video archive—performances that defy definition but have, perhaps, a certain resonance with Plan 9 from Outer Space . In this “Cabinet of Curiosities,” oddities abound in weird combos (Joan Baez and Phil Spector? Tom Jones and Little Richard?); in suave duds (who’s that in the Nehru jacket?); and in performances that stretch the notion of rock ’n’ roll and go, let’s say, against type (Boris Karloff? Yes, that Boris). And, let’s not forget: Dyan Cannon. Of these odd pairings and unexpected forays into rock, some, oddly, work: and some, oddly, don’t. Expect to see the good, the bad, and the simply bizarre. Get your tickets early—and bring your sense of humor!

—Zoë Elton

Sat Oct 8 9:30pm Sequoia Sat Oct 15 8:30pm Rafael

South Korea 2016 • 144 min

t h E h andmaid E n (aGassi)

World cinEma

UK/France/Belgium 2016 • 100 min

Director Ken Loach Producer Rebecca O’Brien Screenwriter Paul Laverty

Cinematographer Robbie Ryan Editor

Jonathan Morris Cast Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Dylan McKiernan, Briana Shann Print Source IFC Films

A heartrending drama, I, Daniel Blake poignantly chronicles the luckless people who fall through society’s cracks. Dave Johns plays Daniel, a middle-aged carpenter who is out of a job yet unable to collect benefits after a heart attack. He’s trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare, but one that brings him into contact with Katie (Hayley Squires), a young single mother of two in similar financial straits. The winner of this year’s Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or—the second for veteran director Ken Loach ( The Wind That Shakes the Barley )— I, Daniel Blake is spare but sympathetic. The drama illustrates how poverty strips away people’s dignity, our most vulnerable citizens essentially forced to fend for themselves when uncaring government employees turn a blind eye. Johns embodies Daniel’s quiet decency, but Squires is the film’s secret weapon: Her Katie is a deeply felt portrait of perseverance in the face of seemingly overwhelming hopelessness.

—Tim Grierson

Tue Oct 11 7:00pm Rafael Fri Oct 14 1:00pm Sequoia

World cinEma

US/Peru 2016 • 91 min

Directors Leonor Caraballo, Matteo Norzi

Producers Abou Farman, Aziz Isham, Matteo Norzi Screenwriters Leonor Caraballo, Matteo Norzi, Abou Farman

Cinematographer Ghasem Ebrahimian

Editor Èlia Gasull Balada Cast Ana Cecilia Stieglitz, Filippo Timi, Arturo Izquierdo

Print Source The Film Collaborative

In English and Spanish with English subtitles This gorgeous, immersive experience accompanies Angelina and her fellow “passengers” as they seek healing in the jungles of the Peruvian Amazon. The dreamlike nature of the journey is enhanced by on-point visual effects and grounded by soothing rainforest sounds and icaros plant medicine songs. Diagnosed with cancer, fearful American Angelina enters the community at Anaconda Cosmica Healing Center, joining those facing addiction, stuttering, and other issues. In nighttime ceremonies, two shamans, Guillermo and his grandson Arturo, offer specific plant medicines like the ayahuasca, an entheogenic vine known to bring spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Angelina befriends Arturo, whose own health is threatened. He goes on a solo vision quest to receive healing for himself and bring back an icaro healing song to share. Angelina, Arturo, and the others must listen to the voice of nature, essential to the deeper healing of people and planet.

—Carol Harada

Sat Oct 8 8:00pm Rafael Sun Oct 9 2:00pm Lark

In Assoc IA t I on

US 2016 • 110 min

Director James Franco Producers Monika Bacardi, James Franco, Andrea Iervolino Screenwriter Matt Rager

Cinematographer Bruce Thierry Cheung

Editors Aaron I. Butler, Gary Roach

Cast James Franco, Vincent D’Onofrio, Selena Gomez, Josh Hutcherson, Bryan Cranston, Nat Wolff Print Source AMBI

Distribution

“Which side are you on? Which side are you on?” So inquires the famous worker’s rights song that echoes through actor/director James Franco’s powerful and passionate adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Depressionera novel about fruit pickers organizing for a strike. In a bid to create economic equality in a fertile California valley, a neophyte party member joins forces with a professional labor agitator. After they infiltrate a group of apple pickers (led by Vincent d’Onofrio, in a fabulous supporting role) and encourage a strike for better wages, the retribution from the landowners is swift and brutal. But does fighting for justice justify ethically murky measures? In Dubious Battle offers no easy answers, but between the stunning cinematography and excellent support from Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, and Selena Gomez, the film joins John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath and John Sayles’ Matewan in evoking the strength of the human spirit in the face of exploitation. us prem Iere

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Sun Oct 9 5:00pm Sequoia* Fri Oct 14 1:00pm Rafael

*Reception with director to follow at Mill Valley Filmmaker Lounge (separate admission)

i n d u B iou S Battl E

uS cinEma

i caro S: a v i S ion

i , dani E l Blak E

World cinEma

Canada 2016 • 103 min

Director/Screenwriter Benoit Pilon

Producers Bernadette Payeur, Robert Lacerte, Marc Daigle Cinematographer Michel La Veaux Editor Richard Comeau Cast Marie-Josée Croze, François Papineau, Natar Ungalaq, Christine Tootoo, Paul Nutarariaq, Sébastien Huberdeau Print Source Seville International

In English, French, and Inuktitut with English subtitles The stunning northern landscape of Iqaluit, an island in Frobisher Bay, is as much a character as a setting for this story of secrets, redemption, and forgiveness. In French, English, and Inuktitut, the drama features Québécois star Marie-Josée Croze ( The Barbarian Invasions ) and a superb cast of First Nations actors, including Natar Ungalaaq. Iqaluit deftly and sensitively examines the schisms between northerner and southerner, native and non, after city dweller Carmen arrives in the Arctic to care for her injured husband Gilles, a construction supervisor. As she struggles to uncover the mysterious source of Gilles’ injuries, Carmen comes face to face with literal and figurative signposts indicating: “Road to Nowhere.” Gilles’ Inuk friend Noah helps her navigate new territory as she finds herself lost between long-held beliefs and uncovered secrets in a land where night and day merge, revealing different sides of the same story. us prem Iere

—Melissa Howden

Tue Oct 11 5:00pm Lark Wed Oct 12 3:30pm Rafael W ITH S UPPORT FROM S O d EC

US 2016 • 103 min

Director Lydia Tenaglia Producer Susan Porretta Cinematographer Morgan

Fallon Editor Eric Lasby Print Source The Orchard

FOCUS: CUlINARy CINEMA Was visionary chef Jeremiah Tower’s name a sign of destiny, or mere prescience? Because this father of California cuisine has a legacy that looms over the culinary landscape, as told in this savory documentary. Featuring wonderful archival footage and a who’s who of household names in all things gastronomic, Lydia Tenaglia’s delicious cinematic treat examines Tower’s early days at Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, his creation of San Francisco’s revolutionary Stars restaurant—and then his sudden prolonged period of self-exile. But like peeling an onion, we slowly learn more about his contradictions—the generous control freak, the elusive social dandy—and his overriding passion: Not only to serve great food, but also to create a universe of experience around a simple dinner plate. As Anthony Bourdain observes, “We should know who changed the world. We should know their names.” And this film does exactly that, in the most mouthwatering way possible. Bon appétit!

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Sun Oct 9 8:15pm Sequoia Tue Oct 11 5:00pm Larkspur

Spain 2016 • 99 min

Director/Screenwriter Pedro Almodóvar

Producer Esther Garcia Cinematographer Jean-Claude Larrieu Editor Jose Salcedo Cast Emma Suarez, Adriana Ugarte, Daniel Grao, Inma Cuesta, Dario Grandinetti, Michelle Jenner Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

In Spanish with English subtitles Spain’s premier auteur Pedro Almodóvar returns with an adaptation of three Alice Munro short stories that meld into one gorgeously torrid tale of grand passion, guilt, and grief. Julieta (Emma Suárez) is a classics professor who’s leaving for Portugal for the summer. But when a chance encounter on the street brings news of Julieta’s long-lost daughter, she goes into a freefall. After hiding out in her old apartment in Madrid, our heroine begins to write a letter to her now-grown child—and viewers are treated to the story of how the young Julieta (Adriana Ugarte) once met a man on a train who changed her life. Blessed with the director’s usual eyepopping use of color, a beautifully Bernard Hermann-esque score, and Almodóvar regular Rossy de Palma’s one-woman riff on Rebecca , this exploration of mothers and daughters is classic Pedro: a cinephilic rush filled with breathtaking female performers and brilliant-yet-tender soap operatics.

d avid Fear

Tue Oct 11 7:45pm Larkspur Sat Oct 15 5:00pm Sequoia

In Assoc IA t I on W I th Fr I ends o F the sA n Fr A nc I sco p ubl I c lI br A ry, the lA t I no c ounc I l, A nd the hI

Spon S ored by StraW berry Village

World cinEma

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World cinEma

US/France 2016 • 90 min

Director/Screenwriter Wayne Roberts

Producers Kimberly Parker, Eric Schultz

Cinematographer Paula Huidobro Editor

Sabine Emiliani Cast Olivia Cooke, Christopher Abbott, Mireille Enos, Mary Steenburgen, Keir Gilchrist, Jim Belushi, Chris Lowell, Nate Corddry Print Source Relic Pictures

In a breathtakingly fluid and evocative performance, indie breakout Olivia Cooke ( Me, Earl & the Dying Girl ) reveals astonishing depth and range as Katie, whose scant 17 years have seen little in the way of nurturing. She receives more mothering from her kind, perceptive boss Maybelle (an excellent Mary Steenburgen) than her actual mother, searingly portrayed by Mirielle Enos ( The Killing ). Resilient, sweet Katie dreams of leaving the bleak reality of trailer parks, roadside diners, and cordial backseat prostitution behind, through enormous self-determination and sheer belief in the romance of her ambition. Her escape fantasy is propelled by her affair with Christopher Abbot’s ( James White ) sullen mechanic Bruno, an enigmatic ex-con who provides the barest hint of what might be love. Wayne Roberts’ powerful directorial debut resonates with sympathy for the unbroken spirit of his heroine, even as we sense Katie’s gossamer dreams will not come without some form of reckoning. us prem Iere

l eah l oSchiavo

Sat Oct 8 7:00pm Sequoia* Mon Oct 10 3:30pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th s F Ind I eFest

*Special Premiere & Party. See page 41 for details.

Belgium 2015 • 95 min

Director Guillaume Senez Producer Isabelle Truc Screenwriters Guillaume Senez, David Lambert Cinematographer Denis Jutzeler Editor Julie Brenta Cast Kacey Mottet Klein, Galatea Bellugi, Catherine Salée, Sam Louwyck, Laetitia Dosch Print Source Be For Films

In French with English subtitles Like a lot of teenagers, 15-year-olds Maxime (Kacey Mottet Klein) and Mélanie (Galatéa Bellugi) fall hard and fast for one another. As the goalkeeper for a local soccer team, Maxime has a clear trajectory of where he wants to go with his life and career, but all of that is turned upside down when Mélanie becomes pregnant. After exploring their options, the couple decides to keep the baby, and the realities of that decision—financially and otherwise—start to weigh down on them and their respective families. Director Guillaume Senez shows incredible promise with this feature debut, a drama that is sensitive and moving without veering into sentimental or melodramatic territory. Aided by coscripter David Lambert ( Beyond the Walls ), Senez takes a familiar tale and transforms it into something both authentic and poetic, anchored by rising stars Mottet Klein and Bellugi’s exceptionally nuanced, compelling performances. us prem Iere

—Joe Bowman

Tue Oct 11 8:45pm Rafael Wed Oct 12 3:00pm Sequoia

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE

G ENERA l OF S WITZER l AN d

US 2016 • 88 min

Director Amy Glazer Producer Sedge Thomson Screenwriters Sylvia Brownrigg, Vijay Rajan, Ann Cummins, Amy Glazer Cinematographer Nancy Schreiber Editor Mags Arnold Cast Holland Taylor, Isabella Blake-Thomas, Sean Patrick Flanery, Steven Michael Quezada, Kelly Lynch, Stafford Douglas Print Source Sedge Thomson

Spirits and stars are intertwined themes in this coming-of-age story gorgeously set in New Mexico. Eleven-year-old Ella’s mother is fighting a fierce battle against leukemia. With Mom (Kelly Lynch) launching her last medical “mission” and her father absent, Ella is sent to spend the summer with an intimidating grandmother she’s never met. Sparks fly between steely “GM” (Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men ) and her strong-willed granddaughter, but the theft of a precious rare book from GM’s library sets events in motion that reveal secrets, betrayals, and sorrows that have shaped the family for generations. Ella, like the North Star, helps point the way to resolution as she learns to draw strength from the constellation of love formed by her grandfather’s legacy, the bonds of friendship, and her own fighting spirit. Based on an acclaimed novel by Juliet Bell, Kepler’s Dream is a compassionate, artful family drama. Ages 8+ d eanna Quinones

Fri Oct 7 6:30pm Lark Thur Oct 13 3:00pm Lark Sat Oct 15 11:00am Sequoia

Spon

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uS cinEma

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 126 min

Director/Screenwriter Damien Chazelle Producers Fred Berger, Gary Gilbert, Jordan Horowitz, Marc Platt

Cinematographer Linus Sandgren Editor Tom Cross Cast Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons, Finn Wittrock Print Source Summit Entertainment

OPENING NIGHT Everything you love about classic musicals gets a pitch-perfect update in the cinematic, colorful, and enormously enjoyable La La Land . Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress and playwright, slings coffee on the Warner Bros. lot between auditions. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling, infusing his character with just the right mix of romantic cynicism) is a jazz pianist, a purist lamenting the world’s indifference to his treasured art form. Though their first few meetings are rocky (they all but break into “Anything You Can Do” in their first number together), they have artistic passion in common, and the orbits of their lives intersect more and more as the SoCal “seasons” go by. Director Damien Chazelle’s follow up to Whiplash (MVFF 2014) is exquisitely designed and shot, with wonderful music and a clever script. With La La Land , Chazelle achieves what Sebastian strives for: preserving an artistic style by revising it just enough to make it fresh and new again.

l aura Henneman

Thur Oct 6 7:00pm Sequoia

Thur Oct 6 7:15pm Sequoia

Thur Oct 6 7:30pm Larkspur l

Ethiopia 2016 • 94 min

Director/Screenwriter Yared Zeleke

Producer Ama Ampadu Cinematographer

Josée Deshaies Editor Véronique Bruque

Cast Redial Amare, Kidist Siyum, Welela

Assefa, Rahel Teshome Print Source KimStim

In Amharic with English subtitles From first frame to last, Lamb is a lovely piece of visual poetry. Tender and captivating, writerdirector Yared Zeleke’s feature debut has already made its mark, honored as the first Ethiopian film ever named a Cannes Film Festival official selection. Lamb centers on Ephraim, a boy adjusting to life with distant relatives following his mother’s death. His one anchor to home is his beloved pet lamb, and Ephraim will fight off any threat to protect it—whether chomping the arm of a brutish market vendor or concocting a series of money-making schemes to save up for their getaway. The film’s quiet surface is tightly stretched over its characters’ tumultuous emotions that emerge in both fierce and gently humorous ways. As Ephraim’s journey brings him around to newfound connection and acceptance within his fractious family, so does this impressive debut bring a bright new talent’s work to our side of the world.

d eanna Quinones

Sat Oct 8 5:15pm Rafael Tue Oct 11 3:00pm Rafael*

*Reception with director to follow at LaVier Latin Fusion (separate admission)

l and lE g S ( tempête)

World cinEma

France 2015 • 89 min

Director/Cinematographer Samuel Collardey Producer Grégoire Debailly

Screenwriters Samuel Collardey, Catherine Paillé Editor Julien Lacheray Cast Dominique Leborne, Matteo Leborne, Mailys Leborne, Vincent Bessonnet Print Source Stray Dogs

In French with English subtitles Thirty-sixyear-old Dominique Leborne loves two things: deep-sea fishing and the teenagers, Matteo and Mailys, he’s raising in western France. With jobs at sea drying up and crises on the home front, Dom is forced to reevaluate his life. There are many things that are compelling about Land Legs , from the starkly beautiful fishing scenes to the naturalism of its story, but it’s the rapport between this loving but difficult father and his willful kids that astonishes. Director Samuel Collardey takes a huge risk here— after spending a year observing Leborne and his life, he asked the family members to basically play themselves—but rarely have the elements of narrative and documentary storytelling been woven together with such grace and dramatic heft. With star-quality charisma and gravity, Leborne (who won the Orrizzonti Award for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival) shows us the poetry and passions of this workingman’s life.

—Rod Armstrong

Tue Oct 11 3:15pm Sequoia Thur Oct 13 2:15pm Rafael

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE

G ENERA l OF F RANCE AN d THE F RENCH

A MERICAN C U lTURA l S OCIET y

In Assoc IA t I on W I th sA n Fr A nc I sco F I lm s oc I ety A nd THE All IANCE

F RAN ç AISE d E SAN FRANCISCO

Spon S ored by Well S Fargo

C o-Spon S ored by MVFF 39 oFF i C ial a irline d elta a irline S

l am B

World cinEma

World cinEma

Denmark/Germany 2015 • 100 min

Director/Screenwriter Martin Zandvliet Producers Malte Grunert, Mikael Chr. Rieks Cinematographer Camilla Hjelm Knudsen Editors Per Sandholt, Molly Malene Stensgaard Cast Roland Møller, Mikkel Følsgaard Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

In German, Danish, and English with English subtitles As the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany ends its bitter five-year occupation of Denmark, in a conflation of justice and revenge, some 2,000 German POWs are given the treacherous task of removing more than a million live landmines. On a barren sandy beach on the remote west coast, Danish Sgt. Carl Leopold Rasmussen (Roland Moller) commands 14 former soldiers— teenage boys—to defuse and remove thousands of buried mines with their bare hands. Writer-director Martin Zandvliet skillfully addresses sensitive issues of postwar culpability, while shifting our perceptions of perpetrators and victims. Resolutely avoiding sentimental clichés, the film achieves its power with acts of character, conscience, and courage. Zandvliet’s exploration of the bond forged between the sergeant and his charges, through cruelty and compassion, places Land of Mine in the great humanist tradition of Renoir’s classic Grand Illusion , fueled with a powerful dose of suspense à la Clouzot’s Wages of Fear —Michael Fox

Wed Oct 12 8:45pm Larkspur Thur Oct 13 6:30pm Rafael

US 2016 • 90 min

Director/Screenwriter Mickey Lemle

Producers Mickey Lemle, Linda Moroney

Cinematographer Buddy Squires Editors Don Casper, Mickey Lemle Print Source Lemle Pictures

Simple monk and geopolitical rock star, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has transformed spirituality, neuroscience, and education by adapting ancient Tibetan Buddhist practices for a secular world. Mickey Lemle ( Ram Dass, Fierce Grace; MVFF 2001) updates his 1991 Compassion in Exile with this intimate look at the good humor and enduring wisdom of His Holiness, now 81. Archival and new footage, plus Compassion in Exile clips, trace his incredible journey from Tibet to the leading edge of neuroscience and heart-mind education. With great concern for our global health and wellbeing, His Holiness promotes compassion and mind training to tame destructive emotions. Gradually preparing for his eventual death, he vows to reincarnate. Whether he will return to serve as the 15th Dalai Lama or elsewhere in the world remains uncertain. Nonetheless, his consciousness lives on in his teachings and in each of us. Original score by Philip Glass and Tenzin Choegyal. —Carol Harada Sat Oct 8 11:30am Rafael Sun Oct 9 5:00pm Lark

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he b uddh I st F I lm Found A t I on

US 2016 • 93 min

Director Michele Poulos Producers

Gregory Donovan, Michele Poulos

Cinematographer Kevin Gallagher Editor

Gloriana Fonseca Wills Print Source

Michele Poulos

From the gorgeous opening shots of windswept Central California fields, enhanced by the evocative score of indie artist Iron & Wine, this engaging documentary celebrating poet Larry Levis (1946-1996) sets the tone for a unique American voice. Testimony aplenty from a wide range of his thoughtful contemporaries—fellow poets, ex-wives, coworkers, friends, and family— creates a rich context of understanding and appreciation for the film’s most impressive highlight: Levis’s words themselves. While portraying some of the complexity and darkness of his character, and acknowledging a life sadly cut short, the film doesn’t wallow in simplistic romantic notions of a “tortured artist.” Instead, it expands on the qualities and accomplishments of a vision that transports the reader powerfully through long-form narrative “poems of witness.” From contemplation of the immediate and ordinary in pursuit of the mystery of experience and loss, Levis’s work embraces mundane reality even while heading towards an infinite beyond.

World prem Iere

—Brian Karl

Sat Oct 15 8:00pm Sequoia Sun Oct 16 11:15am Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the mA r I n p oetry c enter

Spon S ored by e lena Calabre S e d e S ign & d e Cor and 7 o n lo C u S t

t h E l a S t dalai l ama?

vallE y oF thE d oc S

l and o F m in E

l ik E c razy

(La pazza Gioia)

World cinEma

Italy/France 2016 • 116 min

Director Paolo Virzi Producer Marco Belardi Screenwriters Francesca Archibugi, Paolo Virzi Cinematographer Vladan Radovic Editor Cecilia Zanuso Cast Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Micaela Ramazzotti, Valentina Carnelutti Print

Source BAC Films

In Italian with English subtitles Beatrice (the inimitably amazing Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in a fabulous tour-de-’farce’) may seem like an attentive and driven supervisor at the Tuscan mental institution Villa Biondi—if she weren’t a patient there. Living in a charming alternate reality where she can indulge in her former experiences as a blooming socialite, Beatrice befriends withdrawn newcomer Donatella (a rivetingly complex Micaela Ramazzotti). Beatrice doesn’t just take Donatella under her wing; she takes her on the lam. Escaping the hospital, the women journey through Tuscany, creating an indivisible bond through their adventures even as they begin to exhibit symptoms of their instabilities. The more time Beatrice and Donatella spend away from the facility, the more they are drawn to the circumstances that brought them there in the first place. Director Paolo Virzi skillfully keeps the action at full speed and allows the actors to awaken their inner afflictions in this exhilarating social comedy of manners. us prem Iere d ominique O’Neil

Mon Oct 10 7:00pm Lark Sun Oct 16 2:15pm Rafael

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE I NSTITUTO I TA l IANO d I C U lTURA

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Australia/UK/US 2016 • 120 min

Director Garth Davis Producers

Iain Canning, Angie Fielder, Emile

Sherman Screenwriter Luke Davies

Cinematographer Greig Fraser Editor Alexandre de Franceschi Cast Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham Print Source The Weinstein Company

TRIBUTE: NICOlE K IdMAN With impressive skill and delicacy, director Garth Davis knocks it out of the park with Lion , an unforgettable tale of lost-and-found family identity. The film recreates the amazingly true (and truly amazing) story of IndianAustralian businessman Saroo Brierley’s extraordinary quest to find his birth mother and siblings, from whom he was separated at the age of five by thousands of miles and eventually, by several continents. Outstanding performances by Dev Patel ( Slumdog Millionaire , MVFF 2008) as Saroo, and Nicole Kidman as Sue, his adoptive mother, the film’s excellent cast is rounded out by Rooney Mara as Saroo’s girlfriend and David Wenham as his adoptive father. Also playing a significant role is the virtual geographical mapping program Google Earth, without which Saroo’s search might have come to quite a different conclusion. Under Davis’s expert direction, Lion roars with emotional power and purrs with the contented joy of finding oneself at home, at last.

—Karen d avis

Sun Oct 9 3:00pm Corte Madera l ion

World cinEma

Argentina 2016 • 78 min

Directors/Screenwriters Francisco Marquez, Andrea Testa Producers

Francisco Márquez, Andrea Testa, Luciana Piantanida Cinematographer Federico Lastra Editor Lorena Moriconi Cast Diego Velázquez, Laura Paredes, Valeria Lois, Marcelo Subiotto, Rafael Federman Print Source Films Boutique

In Spanish with English subtitles During the so-called “Years of Lead,” military dictatorships overthrew democratically elected governments throughout South America, purging political and cultural life of liberal ideas and people. The era, roughly from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, claimed up to 30,000 lives and has since been treated many times in films as having two clearly demarcated sides—but what about the middle? In this spare suspense film, an everyman living in the chokehold of Argentina’s rightwing oppression has yet to choose a side. Shot with an uneasy camera and tinged with hues of an urban midnight, The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis is adapted from a novel by the late exiled writer Humberto Costantini. As the title character agonizes over whether he should warn two strangers about their impending arrest, the sound of his own footfalls down deserted Buenos Aires’ city streets punctuates an escalating anxiety of what lies beyond the next corner.

—Shari Kizirian

Wed Oct 12 8:15pm Lark Fri Oct 14 11:45am Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the Assoc IA t I on o F lA t I no mA r I n Attorneys, the lA t I no c ounc I l, A nd the hI sp A n I c c h A mber

Spon S ored by Chri S topher b . and Jeannie Meg S M ith

t h E l ong n ight o F Franci S co Sancti S

(La Lar Ga n oche d e f rancisco sanctis)

France 2016 • 83 min

Directors/Screenwriters Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon Producers Charles Gillibert, Christie Molia Cinematographers Claire Childeric, Jean-Christophe Leforestier

Editor Sandrine Deegen Cast Emmanuelle Riva, Pierre Richard, Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon Print Source Oscilloscope

In French with English subtitles A missing auntie, pilfered champagne, and a Canadian Mountie all factor into this whimsical tale in the City of Lights. When librarian Fiona receives a mysterious missive from her dear Aunt Martha (Emmanuelle Riva, Amour ), she sets out from Canada to visit her aged relative in Paris. But on Fiona’s arrival, Martha is nowhere to be found and Fiona is a fish out of water—except for the few occasions when she tumbles into the Seine. Enter Dom, who lives peacefully in a tent by the river, taking dumpster diving to new heights of artistry and discernment. Serendipity and fated coincidences turn the search for the missing Martha into a madcap, quirky, romance-inflected chase. Filmmaking/performing duo Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel’s films have a childlike sense of wonder, their storytelling packed with appealingly awkward dancing, slapstick, and sight gags, marking them as stylistic successors to Buster Keaton, Jacques Tati, and Harpo Marx.

l aura Henneman

Thur Oct 13 8:00pm Larkspur Fri Oct 14 6:15pm Sequoia

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE G ENERA l OF F RANCE AN d THE F RENCH A MERICAN C U lTURA l S OCIET y

I N ASSOCIATION WITH THE All IANCE F RAN ç AISE d E SAN FRANCISCO

UK 2016 • 101

min

Directors Emily Harris, Ate de Jong Producers Matt Barber, Mike Dickman, Ate de Jong Screenwriter Ate de Jong Cinematographer Zoran Veljkovic Editor Antonio Rui Ribeiro Cast Lydia Wilson, Johnny Flynn, Juliet Stevenson, Henry Goodman, Ellie Kendrick, Al Weaver Print

Source Jinga Films

A tale as old as time, or at least as old as Shakespeare: star-crossed lovers, bound by passion and creative ambition, pulled apart by religion, culture, socio-economics—and a broken jar of peanut butter. Arthur and Vida (the amazingly photogenic Johnny Flynn and Lydia Wilson) are young Londoners tumbling headlong into all-consuming love, attracted by their mutual free-spiritedness and boundless sense of possibility. But Vida’s upper-middle class, Jewish intellectual upbringing clashes with Arthur’s Welsh, working-class roots, and soon their myriad differences threaten to pull them apart. A timely tale of modern, multi-cultural European romance, Love Is Thicker Than Water provides a charming showcase for its two appealing leads, notably Flynn ( The Lotus Eaters , MVFF 2011), in real life a folk-singing South African heartthrob and UK sensation. Whimsical animated interludes and a soulful folk score (supervised by Flynn) add another level of buoyancy to this memorable and deeply relatable romance.

—Atissa Manshouri

Sat Oct 15 2:00pm Sequoia Sun Oct 16 8:00pm Rafael

US 2016 • 115 min

Director/Screenwriter Rob Nilsson

Producers Rob Nilsson, Vicki De May

Cinematographers Christopher Damm, Ryan Leaneagh, Galina Pasternak Editor

Daniel Kremer Cast Deniz Demirer, Jeff Kao, T. Moon, Carl Lumbly, John Cale, Brette McCabe Print Source Citizen Cinema

“What do you do when the spark touches down—brief and hot?” So begins awardwinning director Rob Nilsson’s ( Permission to Touch , MVFF 2015; A Bridge to a Border, MVFF 2014) provocative meditation on the Möbius relationship of fiction to reality, and the notion of creative control. In Love Twice , Luz and Ken are star-crossed lovers in screenwriter Sal’s script, until their desire takes shape, inscribing itself into a movie of their own design. Risking his sanity to save the screenplay, Sal struggles to regain control of his characters and satisfy the demands of his producer Lester (legendary Velvet Underground founder John Cale), driving a wedge between the lovers with a desperate attempt to seduce Luz. Veteran actor Carl Lumbly appears as Rodrigo, another controlling interest in Sal’s film, who imposes his own designs on the production. In Love Twice , the pulls of competing desire may be difficult to bear, but impossible to give up. World prem Iere

—Karen d avis

Thur Oct 6 7:15pm Rafael

World cinEma

l o S t in Pari S

World cinEma

uS cinEma

US/UK 2016 • 123 min

Director/Screenwriter Jeff Nichols Producers Ged Doherty, Colin Firth, Nancy Buirski Cinematographer Adam Stone Editor Julie Monroe Cast Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, Terri Abney, Alano Miller Print

Source Focus Features

CLOSING NIGHT It’s the late ‘50s, and Richard and Mildred are in love. He’s chosen the place where he will build their home, with their families nearby. They run off to Washington, DC, to tie the knot; then they return home, and it’s not long before these two regular folks find that they have to face the consequences of their action. Because home is Virginia, and they are an interracial couple, their marriage is against the law. They are thrown into jail, and thus begins the journey that takes them all the way to the Supreme Court. Based on real events, Jeff Nichols imbues his extraordinary film with a lyrical eloquence that honors the heart of this couple’s story. The power of Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton as the loving couple is in the understated brilliance of their portrayals of two people whose quiet courage helped change the face of the law of marriage in the US.

—Zoë Elton

Sun Oct 16 5:00pm Rafael

Sun Oct 16 5:00pm Sequoia Sun Oct 16 5:15pm Sequoia l oving

PE u nd E r th E Sun

World cinEma

Mexico/US 2016 • 78 min

Director/Screenwriter Rodrigo Reyes

Producers Su Kim, Inti Cordera, Pau

Brunet Cinematographer Justin Chin

Editor Manuel Tsingaris Cast Daniel

Muratalla, Ana Maria Muratalla Print

Source Rodrigo Reyes

In Spanish with English subtitles A dawning sense of mortality and a sudden desire to return to the Mexican homeland he long ago left behind disrupt aging immigrant farmworker Lupe’s life. Relationships that he has formed over long years in the United States are made vulnerable by his hopes of reconnecting with his distant family. In this almost documentary-like drama drawn from stories told to writer-director Rodrigo Reyes by his own grandfather, first-time actor Daniel Muratalla delivers an affecting performance that captures Lupe’s pathos and stubbornness, his sensitivity and his selfishness. With little dialogue, a muted ambient soundscape, an affecting score, and scenes of extraordinary beauty glimpsed in the agricultural fields and modest dwellings of Central California, Lupe Under the Sun stands as a loving homage from a grandson to his grandfather and a celebration of the sacrifices immigrants make so that their children and grandchildren might have better lives.

—Brian Karl

Thur Oct 13 6:00pm Lark Sat Oct 15 5:45pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th cA n A l All IA nce, the Assoc IA t I on o F lA t I no mA r I n Attorneys, the lA t I no c ounc I l, the hI sp A n I c c h A mber o F c ommerce o F mA r I n, A nd the

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Sweden 2015 • 116 min

Director/Screenwriter Hannes Holm

Producers Annica Bellander, Nicklas Wikström Nicastro Cinematographer Göran Hallberg Editor Fredrik Morheden Cast Rolf Lassgård, Bahar Pars, Zozan Akgün Print Source Music Box Films

In Swedish and Persian with English subtitles The man called Ove is a grouch of the highest order, tyrant of the housing development, and hater of Volvos and dogs who pee on the paving stones. He is also at the end of his rope. At 59, the widower is ready to stride off this mortal coil—shuffling is for the lazy good-for-nothings he spends his days scolding. Enter pregnant Parvaneh (Bahar Pars), an Iranian émigré who moves in across the way with her inept Swedish husband and children. Determined and friendly, she coaxes Ove into an unlikely friendship and, little by little, helps him to love, not loathe, his neighbors, an adorable stray cat, and himself. Rolf Lassgård is unforgettable as Ove, whose painful past is revealed in crystalline flashbacks. But any hint of schmaltz (yes, you’ll need a tissue or three) is tempered by the (often literal) gallows humor of the Swedes in this crowdpleasing adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s popular novel.

l ucy l aird

Mon Oct 10 8:15pm Larkspur

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE G ENERA l OF S WE d EN AN d THE B ARBRO O SHER P RO S UECIA F OUN d ATION

Spon S ored by Where® Magazine

anch ES t E r B y th E S E a

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 135 min

Director/Screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan

Producers Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore Cinematographer

Jody Lee Lipes Editor Jennifer Lame Cast

Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, C.J. Wilson, Heather Burns Print Source Roadside Attractions

Casey Affleck’s haunting performance as a man utterly transformed by dark past events drives this masterwork by Kenneth Lonergan ( You Can Count on Me , MVFF 2000), a story set at the edge of an ocean, with a protagonist who is emotionally unmoored. Tragedy lurks in every corner of this intense drama—and in every furrow of Affleck’s tortured brow. The actor plays Lee, who reluctantly returns to his titular hometown in the wake of his brother Joe’s (Kyle Chandler) death. It’s a devastating story played mostly in reverse, with emphasis on the small irritations and interactions of a fractured family’s daily life. As the nonlinear narrative works its way backward, artfully timed flashbacks reveal its secrets like slow leaks. Set against a charming but chilly small-town New England backdrop, Manchester by the Sea is a potent combination of great storytelling, explosive performances (including Michelle Williams as Lee’s ex-wife Randy), and a carefully calibrated score.

—Joanne Parsont

Wed Oct 12 7:00pm Rafael Sat Oct 15 7:30pm Sequoia

m aya a ng E lou a nd Still i r i SE

US 2016 • 114 min

Directors Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack Producers Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack, Jay Alix, Una Jackman

Cinematographers Keith Walker, Christopher Howard, Mike Swanson, Marc Gerke, Nathan Salter Editors David E. Simpson, Lillian Benson Print Source The Film Collaborative

This premier documentary unearths rare archival material to illuminate the life of Dr. Maya Angelou, American poet and performer. James Baldwin, Oprah Winfrey, Alfre Woodard, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Cicely Tyson, Angelou’s son Guy Johnson, and others offer deep insights into this phenomenal woman and the power of her liberated voice. Rooted in humble beginnings and an adventurous creative life, Angelou rose to international prominence with her acclaimed autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , an account of how childhood trauma made her mute and how poetry and individual expression led her out to the wider world where her indomitable spirit could shine. Angelou became a respected mentor and teacher in the African American community, as well as a leader in the universal quest for freedom. As this insightful film attests, her guiding vision and her journey to reclaim her voice and place in society continue to inspire.

—Carol Harada

Tue Oct 11 7:30pm Larkspur Thur Oct 13 12:30pm Rafael

Japan 2016 • 80 min

Director/Editor Steven Okazaki Producers Taro Goto, Toshiaki Nakazawa, Yukie Kito, Tôichirô Shiraishi Cinematographers Tohru Hina, Yasuyuki Ishikawa Print

Source Celluloid Dreams

In English and Japanese with English subtitles Toshiro Mifune played the iconic samurai (anti)hero in well over 100 films, but viewers often forget just what a unique and versatile artist he was. Oscar® winner Steven Okazaki’s documentary examines the legendary actor’s dominance in Japanese cinema’s golden age and his influence on Western films, contextualizing his career in the swordfight film genre and the cataclysm of the Pacific Wars. Lured to Toho Studios by ambitious auteur Akira Kurosawa, Mifune amassed a brilliant filmography over 15 years, inspiring the likes of Sergio Leone, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. Packed with rare archival footage and clips from such masterpieces as Rashômon , Seven Samurai , and Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy, the film includes testimony from crew members, costars, and a swordfight choreographer “killed” by Mifune over 100 times. The documentary illuminates the collaborative alchemy between Kurosawa and Mifune, whose charisma was described as coming from the earth: like the ocean, boundless but turbulent, or like a caged tiger.

—Frako l oden

Fri Oct 14 6:15pm Lark Sun Oct 16 2:15pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he c enter F or As IA n Amer I c A n m ed IA A nd eA t d r I nkF I lms.com

Spon S ored by Wareha M d e V elop M ent

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World cinEma

Japan 2015 • 90 min

Director Keiichi Hara Producers

Keiko Matsushita, Asako Nishikawa

Screenwriter Miho Maruo

Cinematographer Koji Tanaka Editor

Shigeru Nishiyama Cast Anne Higashide, Yutaka Matsushige, Gaku Hamada, Shion Shimizu, Michitaka Tsutsui Print Source GKIDS

In Japanese with English subtitles O-Ei leads an extraordinary life for a girl from any time or any place in the world. Surrounded by talented but often-childish men, she learns the right and wrong ways to approach art, family relationships, and life. Daughter of famed 19th-century Japanese artist Hokusai (creator of The Wave block print), O-Ei lives and works with her enigmatic father. She moves without constraints within the diverse city of Edo, coming to understand the interplay between art and the range of human emotions and experience. Her father’s obsession with his art keeps him emotionally distant from his daughters, but O-Ei’s loving connection to O-Nao, her blind younger sister, sustains them both. O-Ei joyfully interprets the visual world for O-Nao through sounds, smell, and touch. The sisters experience the world together during deeply moving vignettes. Based on the manga Sarusuberi , Miss Hosukai brings the episodic comic to life with vibrant music, rich animation, and emotional depth. Ages 13+

—Roberta McNair

Sat Oct 8 4:00pm Lark

Germany/Switzerland/Sweden

2015 • 72 min

Directors Ted Sieger, Michael Ekblad, Matthias Bruhn Producers Michael Ekbladh, Richard Lutterbeck, Elena Pedrazzoli Screenwriter John Chambers Cinematographer Wolfram Spaeth Editor Melanie Hartmann Cast Tom Eastwood, Stefan Fredrich, Denise Gorzelanny Print

Source Global Screen GmbH

FOCUS: KINOWERKS Vivid animation and delightful songs enhance this charming tale about a little monster family that’s about to get bigger once their egg hatches. Molly Monster is so excited about becoming a big sister that she’s knitting a hat to keep her new baby brother or sister’s head warm. When Mama lays her egg, Papa takes his place atop it, and the couple departs to Egg Island for the hatching. Molly is sad to be left behind, but she soon finds a purpose: Her parents have forgotten the knitted hat, so she and her wind-up best friend Edison set off to deliver it to Egg Island. Edison is full of trepidation and tries to get Molly to take them back home and to safety. But any fear Molly might feel is countered by her determination to be the best big sister ever by getting the hat to the baby. Ages 4+

—Roberta McNair

Sun Oct 9 11:00am Lark Sun Oct 16 11:00am Rafael

Hungary/Germany/Bulgaria 2016 • 118 min

Director/Screenwriter Ibolya Fekete Producers Gábor Garami, Nicole Gerhards, Kalin Kalinov Cinematographers Francisco Gózon, Nyika Jancsó Editors Károly Szalai, Levente Pap Cast Eszter Ónodi, Danuta Szaflarska, Juli Básti, Tibor Gáspár Print Source Cinema-Film Kft

In Hungarian with English subtitles At 92, Berta Gardó (Danuta Szaflarska) spends most of her days in an amiable state of senility. Her nights she spends reliving her days as a young woman (Eszter Ónodi) who flees persecution, finds her true love (Tibor Gáspár), endures two wars, and more. Returning to the big screen for the first time in 15 years, filmmaker Ibolya Fekete presents a rollicking portrait of a Hungarian family, one buffeted by the trials, tribulations, and revolutions of the 20th century. Visually, the film is stunning, a kind of magical realism where still images come to life and characters appear to be part of actual archival war footage. Buoyed by mordant wit, a well-earned sense of pathos, and winking homages to everything from silent comedy to WWII epics, Mom and Other Loonies in the Family is an epic look at a Europe under fire as filtered through an intimate, personal history about the ties that bind.

n orth Amer I c A n prem Iere d avid Fear

Sat Oct 15 6:00pm Rafael Sun Oct 16 1:45pm Sequoia

m om and o th E r l ooni ES in

m olly m on S t E r

Family Film S

m i SS h oku Sai (sar U s UB eri)

Family Film S

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 109 min

Director/Editor Marty Sader Producers

Edward James Olmos, Marty Sader, Laura Keys, Kenyon Robertson

Screenwriter Laura Keys, Marty Sader

Cinematographer Angel Barroeta Cast Marty Sader, Vanessa Cure, Edward James Olmos, Anderson Silva, Kelea Skelton, Mary Apick Print Source MNA7 Productions

This raw cinematic poem about life and love captures the complicated emotions of people searching for meaning in a messy world. Lazo (Marty Sader) is a widowed single dad trapped in the safety of the daily grind. His life’s dream of becoming a fighter long surrendered, he spends his days driving a cab, raising his precocious daughter and clinging to the past. Isabel (Vanessa Cure) works with horses at a local racetrack and puts family obligations ahead of personal happiness. When fate thrusts them together, they begin a journey of mutual self-discovery, passionate encounters, and cultural breakthroughs. Co-written and directed by Sader, Monday Nights at Seven is a marvel of authentic, lyrical filmmaking—a hypnotic blend of dreamy images, genuine conversations, and vibrant settings—and a reinvention of neorealism. Legendary actor Edward James Olmos (MVFF tributee 1992) captures the film’s soulful energy with his moving turn as Lazo’s sad, funny, and vulnerable stepfather. World prem Iere

—Brendan Peterson

Sat Oct 8 6:45pm Sequoia* Tue Oct 11 6:45pm Rafael

*Special Premiere & Party. See page 41 for details.

US/Spain 2016 • 108 min

Director J. A. Bayona Producers Belén Atienza, Mitch Horwits, Jonathan King Screenwriter Patrick Ness Cinematographer Óscar Faura Cast Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Lewis MacDougall Print Source Focus Features

DIRECTORS’ NIGHT IN MILL VALLEY Wise, beguiling, and darkly funny, J. A. Bayona’s ( The Orphanage ) film melds extraordinary visuals with heart-wrenching performances in this tale of loss and healing. Thirteenyear-old Connor has a recurring nightmare: A vast chasm appears in the landscape near his house, and his mother slips from his grasp. In his real life, Connor’s Mum (Felicity Jones, Like Crazy, MVFF 2011) is indeed slipping deeper into illness, leaning increasingly on rather prickly Grandma (Sigourney Weaver) to fill the maternal void. So it’s little surprise when a monster calls on him, in the shape of a wild, elemental creature that emerges from a huge elm tree—a tree known for its healing properties. Lewis MacDougall is terrific as Connor, alternately punchy, brave, and overwhelmed—yet nonplussed in dealing with his gravelly-voiced monster (Liam Neeson). In a story that seamlessly melds everyday reality and fantasy, truth will out—paradoxes, messiness, and all.

—Zoë Elton

Mon Oct 10 7:30pm Sequoia* Fri Oct 14 3:45pm Rafael

*Director’s Night in Mill Valley highlights the original vision of two extraordiary directors.

US 2016 • 110 min

Director Barry Jenkins Producers Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner

Screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney

Cinematographer James Laxton

Editors Nat Sanders, Joi McMillan Cast Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe Print Source A24

dIRECTORS’ NIGHT IN MIll VAllE y Writerdirector Barry Jenkins’ long-awaited return to the big screen after his critically acclaimed San Francisco-set debut Medicine for Melancholy is also a return to his home state of Florida. Based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue , Jenkins’ gritty yet poignant inner city drama presents a young life in three acts. Coming of age in Reagan-era Miami amidst the crack epidemic, young Chiron endures relentless bullying at school and stinging neglect at home. Visibly yearning for a male role model, he continually chases the elusive myth of masculinity while struggling to understand his own sexuality and his place in a harsh, unsympathetic world. Jenkins delivers both intensity and subtlety, supported by an ensemble of powerful performances, including Trevante Rhodes as the adult Chiron along with Naomie Harris ( Spectre ), André Holland ( The Knick ), Oakland native Mahershala Ali ( House of Cards ), and singer Janelle Monáe in her film debut. —Joanne Parsont

Mon Oct 10 7:45pm Sequoia* Thur Oct 13 11:30am Rafael

*Director’s Night in Mill Valley highlights the original vision of two extraordiary directors.

Spon S ored by x F inity

Spon S ored by Cold W ell b an K er r e S idential b ro K erage

a m on S t E r c all S

m onday n ight S at S E v E n

uS cinEma

m um i S Wrong ( maman a tort)

World cinEma

2016 • 110 min

Director Marc Fitoussi Producer Caroline Bonmarchand Cinematographer Laurent Brunet Editor Damien Keyeux Cast Jeanne Jestin, Émilie Dequenne, Annie Grégorio Print Source Kinology

In French with English subtitles Director Marc Fitoussi’s ( Copacabana ) female coming-of-age drama for the globalized world journeys into the heart of corporate greed and explores its corrosive impact on our lives. When 14-year-old Anouk takes an internship at her mother’s insurance company, she observes the petty cruelties of office life: banal humiliations, gossip, and power games. Yet under the surface lies life-and-death stakes, revealing themselves when Anouk resolves to protect a young Moroccan mother from foreclosure. As she uncovers a web of corporate malfeasance, her own mother is caught in the middle. And unlike Hollywood, no superheroes or saviors come to the rescue, and there are no easy answers. With stand-out performances by top-rated French actress Émilie Dequenne ( The Girl on the Train ) and ingénue Jeanne Jestin, Mum Is Wrong is a nuanced drama that reminds us that making your way in the world—right or wrong—is less about success than doing whatever it takes to survive. us prem Iere

—Jeff Campbell

Fri Oct 14 3:15pm Sequoia Sat Oct 15 10:45am Rafael

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE G ENERA l OF F RANCE AN d THE F RENCH A MERICAN C U lTURA l S OCIET y

I N ASSOCIATION WITH THE F RENCH H ERITAGE S OCIET y

US 2016 • 61 min

Directors/Producers Catherine

Ryan, Gary Weimberg Screenwriter/ Cinematographer/Editor Gary Weimberg

Print Source Luna Productions

Meet Dr. Marian Diamond as she pulls a human brain out of a hatbox and lovingly enumerates its astonishing qualities. A mad scientist? Quite the opposite. In this energetic documentary, Dr. Diamond is revealed as one of the great minds—one of the founders, in fact—of modern neuroscience. Dr. Diamond’s unprecedented work includes theorizing and proving previously unimagined brain capabilities, analyzing Albert Einstein’s preserved brain, and building a scientific and academic career that broke barriers for women in science. Much like the old adage about Ginger Rogers doing it all backwards and in heels, Dr. Diamond achieved every success with steely determination behind astonishing positivity, warmth, and magnetism. Watch this to learn about an amazing woman, a brilliant scientist, a fascinating branch of scientific research, and about the core element that fuels great achievement in all endeavors: love. d eanna Quinones

preceded by A LOVE P OEM TO M Y F RIEND E THEL

US 2016, 24 min

Director Wendy Slick

A tribute to Ethel Seiderman, an 85-year-old early childhood education activist and pioneer who’s had a lasting impact on Bay Area children.

Thur Oct 13 6:30pm Sequoia Fri Oct 14 10:00am Rafael* Sat Oct 15 11:15am Sequoia

In Assoc IA t I on

erkeley

*CFI Education screening open to school groups and general public

Spon S ored by Marin Co MM unity Foundation

UK 2016 • 100 min

Director John Dower

Producer Simon Chinn Screenwriters John Dower, Louis Theroux Cinematographer Will Pugh

Editor Paul Carlin Print Source Magnolia Pictures

That no one active in Scientology circles would talk to them was no impediment to director John Dower and presenter Louis Theroux when it came to making My Scientology Movie . Though it’s directed by Dower, the “my” in the title refers to Theroux, whose combination of deadpan wit and dogged persistence recalls fellow British documentarian Nick Broomfield. With no hope of gaining access to Scientology’s inner circle, Theroux turns to former members for insight—notably, short-tempered defector Marty Rathbun, who helps him cast actors to play Scientology leader David Miscavige and celebrity mascot Tom Cruise in reenactments. It doesn’t take long for the Church to begin conducting a counterinvestigation of Theroux’s project, to his unmasked delight. Things only get more surreal and weirdly funny from there in this keep-the-camera-rolling look at what it’s like to try and make a movie about a group that absolutely refuses to cooperate.

—Cheryl Eddy

Thur Oct 13 6:15pm Larkspur Sat Oct 15 5:30pm Sequoia

m y Sci E ntology m ovi E

vallE y oF thE d oc S

World cinEma

Canada 2016 • 101 min

Director/Screenwriter Anne Émond

Producer Nicole Robert Cinematographer

Josée Deshaies Editor Mathieu BouchardMalo Cast Mylène Mackay, Mylia CorbeilGauvreau, Mickaël Gouin, Sylvie Drapeau, Catherine Brunet, Francis Leplay Print

Source Seville International

In French with English subtitles Québécoise literary superstar Nelly Arcan took the French-speaking literary world by storm with her 2004 autobiographical debut novel, Putain ( Whore ). Director Anne Émond’s portrait of the writer eschews traditional biopic chronology in favor of riveting vignettes drawn from Arcan’s life and work. The film reveals a series of Nellys: the curious adolescent, the confident call girl, the druggy beauty, the camera-ready celebrity, and—in private—the young, gifted, and insecure writer plagued by her own set of self-created demons. Émond’s strong through line ties the story together with Nelly’s powerful literary voice, exploring ideas of sexuality, gender, performance, and exploitation. “People buy my book for my face on the cover,” Nelly tells a journalist, “But do they read it?” Émond’s haunting film vividly illustrates her subject’s struggles with the particular pressures faced by women artists in the 21st century. us prem Iere

—Monica Nolan

Thur Oct 13 9:15pm Sequoia Fri Oct 14 3:15pm Lark

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he c enter F or s ex & c ulture

Chile 2016 • 107 min

Director Pablo Larraín Producers Juan de Dios Larraín, Peter Danner, Renan Artukmaç Screenwriter Guillermo Calderón Cinematographer Sergio Armstrong Editor Hervé Schneid Cast Gael García Bernal, Luis Gnecco, Mercedes Morán, Diego Muñoz, Pablo Derqui, Michael Silva Print Source The Orchard

SPOTlIGHT: GAEl GARCíA BERNAl In Spanish and French with English subtitles Beloved poet and respected senator, Pablo Neruda is also the most famous communist in all of post-WWII Chile. When the political tides suddenly shift, he goes underground with his Argentine artist wife Delia (Mercedes Morán), shepherded from one hideout to the next by a small group of “fellow travelers.” Not so fast on his trail is police inspector Oscar Peluchonneau (Gael García Bernal, playing marvelously against type), tasked by the President to “harm and humiliate” Neruda while battling his own personal demons and a habit of Clouseauesque bad timing. But Neruda’s populist loyalties run deep throughout Chile, and discrediting him proves to be as hard as capturing him. Narcissistically narrated by the perseverant Peluchonneau, director Pablo Larraín’s ( The Club , MVFF 2015) selfproclaimed “anti-bio” plays more like a le Carré spy thriller with sly comic undertones. Part fact and many parts fiction, it is a brilliant blend of politics, poetry, history, and hedonism.

—Joanne Parsont

Mon Oct 10 7:00pm Rafael

Spon S ored by Jenni F er Co S lett MaCCready

US 2016 • 95 min

Director/Cinematographer Katy Grannan Producers Marc Smolowitz, Katy Grannan Screenwriters Katy Grannan, Artimese Fairley Editor Stephen Berger Print

Source Marc Smolowitz

In a shabby motel room in California’s Central Valley, Kiki showers, fixes her hair and cheerfully repeats her father’s promise to buy her a condo. Outside her door is a living hell of drugs, prostitution, and bitter regrets. This is Modesto’s South Ninth Street, or “the Nine,” a neighborhood on the nightmare end of the American dream and the setting for dustbowl stories like Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and the hard-luck portraits of Dorothea Lange. Katy Grannan’s intimate documentary explores the lives of those who struggle with their past tragedies and current addictions. The filmmaker’s delicate but deepening focus on the mystery of Kiki—whose clinging, childlike world-view belongs to someone a fraction of her actual age—looks for answers in those around her, who still dream of reuniting with their children, working a garden, running a mud wrestling club. Despite their ravaged lives, their songs burst out with a terrible and unflinching beauty. —Frako l oden

Tue Oct 11 9:00pm Sequoia Wed Oct 12 2:30pm Lark

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World cinEma

n E W EE k and a day

World cinEma

Director Jeff Barry Producers Jeff Barry, Gene Gallerano, Johnathan Brownlee Screenwriter Gene Gallerano

Cinematographer Michael Belcher

Editors Jim Rubino, Zeke O’Donnell Cast Peri Gilpin, Lorelei Linklater, Catherine Elvir, Gene Gallerano, Reed Birney, Nikki Moore Print Source The Neboya Collective

Sharp, warmhearted, and consistently surprising, Occupy Texas answers the age-old question: What happens when a scruffy, longtime New York Occupy protestor comes home to Texas? When his parents die, disheveled 20-something Beau (screenwriter Gene Gallerano) is summoned back to Dallas. His two younger sisters need their brother’s love, support, and guidance, but he’s not prepared for the job. Director Jeff Barry skillfully prioritizes colorful people and vivid places to generate a down-toearth, believable energy that captures the emotional experience of these complex characters. Featuring a who’s who of Texas actors, the film’s soul is anchored by newcomer Catherine Elvir as 13-year-old Arden. Her scenes with big brother Beau jump off the screen with infectious love and laughter. Meanwhile, iPhone-obsessed older sister Claire (Lorelei Linklater) stares with sardonic disapproval. An original and funny dysfunctional-family drama, Occupy Texas combines an indie edge with a glossy glow to ask: What is normal?

—Brendan Peterson

Thur Oct 13 8:30pm Lark Fri Oct 14 6:30pm Rafael

Australia 2015 • 93 min

Director Stuart McDonald Producers

Richard Keddie, Sheila Hanahan Taylor

Screenwriter Peter Ivan Cinematographer

Damian Wyvill Editors Cindy Clarkson, Marcus D’Arcy, Max Miller Cast Shane Jacobsen, Sarah Snook, Alan Tudyk, Coco Jack Gillies Print Source Global Screen GmbH

Oddball has all the elements of a classic family film and more: a lovable dog; a clever little girl; a warm, eccentric grandfather; comedy; adventure; and—penguins! Based on actual events and set against the backdrop of Australia’s wild, breathtaking coast, this is an exciting and hilarious race against time to save the endangered fairy penguin population. It’s been declining rapidly because of deadly foxes—both animal and human. Nine-year-old Olivia and her doting, chicken-farming granddad “Swampy” hatch a plan to save the flightless fowl, using Swampy’s gentle, troublemaking Maremma sheepdog, Oddball, to guard them. Olivia and Swampy must overcome a wild-eyed dogcatcher, the town council’s scheme to generate revenue using the penguins’ habitat for whale watching, and a plan afoot for Olivia and her mom Emily—the penguins’ protector—to move to New York with Emily’s American boyfriend. The colony of tiny birds stands in the way of everything. Ages 7+

—Roberta McNair

Sat Oct 8 11:30am Rafael Sun Oct 16 3:00pm Lark

In Assoc IA t I on W I th Woodl A nds p et Food & t re A ts

Israel 2016 • 98 min

Director/Screenwriter Asaph Polonsky

Producer Naomi Levari Cinematographer

Moshe Mishali Editor Tali Helter-Shenkar

Cast Sharon Alexander, Shai Avivi, Evgenia Dodina, Uri Gavriel Print Source Oscilloscope

FOCUS: SMOKE SCREENS In Hebrew with English subtitles Rarely has the grieving process been portrayed in such amusing and touching fashion than in Asaph Polonsky’s marvelous debut. On the day following the end of shiva for his son Ronnie, Eyal returns to the hospice to retrieve Ronnie’s blanket, but leaves with the boy’s medical marijuana instead. Enlisting his neighbors’ exuberant son Zooler to help him roll a joint is just the start of some less-than-responsible grieving behavior. Though predominantly a comedy, there’s gravity at One Week and a Day ’s heart. Whether it’s the emotional distance between Eyal and his wife, the bursts of anger that mask his despair, or the ways in which encounters with strangers help him heal, the film adeptly upends commonly held notions of how to mourn. Shai Avivi, well known in Israel for his part in the satirical sketch show The Chamber Quintet , gives a subtle, moving performance as Eyal while Tomer Kapon is hilarious as the feckless Zooler.

—Rod Armstrong

Sat Oct 8 9:30pm Sequoia Mon Oct 10 5:00pm Rafael

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE G ENERA l OF I SRAE l

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he Je WI sh F I lm Inst I tute

o dd B all

Family Film S

US 2016 • 93 min

o ccu P y, tE xa S

uS cinEma

cinEma

US 2016 • 96 min

Director Amber Tamblyn Producers Wren Arthur, Amy Hobby, Anne Hubbell, Amber Tamblyn Screenwriters Amber Tamblyn, Ed Dougherty Cinematographer Brian Rigney Hubbard Editor Paul Frank Cast Alia Shawkat, Alfred Molina, Janet McTeer, Rhys Wakefield Print Source Tangerine Entertainment

Waking up from a hard-partying night in ‘80s LA’s punk scene, Josie (Alia Shawkat, Arrested Development ) learns that her boyfriend Michael has committed suicide. At the funeral, Josie encounters Meredith (Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds , MVFF 1999), Michael’s icy, couture-clad mother, and begins to realize she might not have known her live-in love as well as she once thought. As Josie and Meredith attempt to cope with Michael’s death, they teeter between mutual dependency and a dangerous rivalry that sparks a psychological tug of war over his memory. Their individual quests for answers escalate into obsession as they try to reconcile who Michael was with what he ultimately did. Shawkat and McTeer crackle with electricity and emotion as these two extremely different women grieving the loss of one young man. In her striking directorial debut, Amber Tamblyn brings a creative and evocative visual style to Janet Fitch’s ( White Oleander ) beloved novel.

—Angelique Smith

Fri Oct 7 8:45pm Sequoia Sat Oct 8 8:15pm Rafael

uS cinEma

US 2016 • 92 min

Director/Screenwriter Eleanor Coppola

Producers Eleanor Coppola, Fred Roos

Cinematographer Crystel Fournier

Editors Akrivi Fili, Glen Scantlebury Cast

Diane Lane, Alec Baldwin, Arnaud Viard

Print Source American Zoetrope

FOCUS: CUlINARy CINEMA “I can’t remember the last time Michael and I played hooky,” says Anne (Diane Lane). “Everyone has to have a wife to be happy,” says Jacques (Arnaud Viard). In Eleanor Coppola’s effervescent narrative feature debut, Anne is playing hooky, but with Jacques, not her movie producer husband Michael (Alec Baldwin), on a road trip through France from Cannes to Paris. Bachelor Jacques’ seemingly innocent offer of a ride evolves into a full-press charm offensive as he tries to woo the woman he nicknames Brûlée with roses, side excursions, and every kind of gastronomical indulgence, alternately amusing and vexing her. Lane is luminous and Viard playfully rakish. Together they are a delight in this breezy comedy that celebrates transitory romance and the glories of France. Gorgeously lensed, Coppola’s delicious first feature will have you packing your bags for your own Provence idyll. Or at least booking a table at your favorite French restaurant.

—Pam Grady

Sat Oct 15 1:45pm Rafael Sun Oct 16 12:00pm Lark

US 2016 • 113 min

Director/Screenwriter Jim Jarmusch

Producers Joshua Astrachan, Carter Logan Cinematographer Frederick Elmes Editor Affonso Gonçaives Cast Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Shabaka Henley, Chasten Harmon, William Jackson Harper, Masatoshi Nagase Print Source Amazon Studios

A marvel in miniature, Paterson tracks the tiny changes in an ordinary man’s life from one day to the next, in the process reveling in the small oddities of existence. Adam Driver plays a New Jersey bus driver who writes poetry and spends time with his lovely wife Laura (Golshifteh Farahani). From such a simple setup, idiosyncratic writer-director Jim Jarmusch ( Broken Flowers , Stranger Than Paradise ) delves into major themes: the struggle to find one’s place, the battle to keep melancholy at bay, the sublimity of being human. Taking place over the course of a week, this comedy-drama asks us to consider how individual moments contribute to a larger sense of ourselves— how one action can impact a later decision and, eventually, shape our destiny. Driver is magnificent as a modest, decent guy stumbling toward a deeper understanding of himself, and Jarmusch drapes Paterson in a bewildered awe, making the everyday feel beguilingly vibrant.

—Tim Grierson

Fri Oct 7 9:15pm Lark Tue Oct 11 2:45pm Sequoia

Spon S ored by Fran C i S Ford Coppola Winery

Spon S ored by t urner d u CKW orth

Pat E r S on

uS cinEma

Pari S c an Wait

Paint it Black

t h E Pl E a S ur E iS m in E (eL pL acer e s m io)

World cinEma

Mexico 2016 • 93 min

Director Elisa Miller Producers Christian Valdelièvre, Jaime B. Ramos, Fernando Eimbcke Screenwriters Elisa Miller, Gabriela Vidal Cinematographer Matías Penachino Editors Yibrán Asuad, María Calle Cast Flor Edwarda Gurrola, Fausto Alzati, Camila Sodi, Tina Romero, Tara Parra, Juan Barberini, Victoria Viera Print Source Capricci Films

In Spanish with English subtitles Setting up house in the sticks is far from bucolic for the couple at the heart of Elisa Miller’s hard-hitting romantic drama. Mateo (Fauso Alzati) and Rita (Flor Edward Gurrola) move from the city to live off the grid at his deceased father’s rural home. At first, the situation seems carefree, but tension arises when Rita confesses that she wants a child. Further difficulties erupt when Mateo’s cousin comes to visit with her daughter, eliciting Rita’s jealousy. Miller’s film is attuned to the small moments of country life, from games of Risk to the nuisance of unwanted creatures in the house, and also thrillingly adept with sequences of larger scope such as a lengthy party scene that hones in on Rita’s alienation. With sexual frankness and powerful performances, especially by Gurrola, and an effective use of sound during intense moments, The Pleasure Is Mine delineates how simplifying one’s life can sometimes expose complex fractures. us prem Iere —Rod Armstrong

Sun Oct 9 8:45pm Rafael Mon Oct 10 8:00pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the Assoc IA t I on o F lA t I no mA r I n Attorneys, the lA t I no c ounc I l, the hI sp A n I c c h A mber o F c ommerce o F mA r I n, A nd the consul A te G ener A l o F mex I co

t h E rE d t urtl E

(La tortU e r o UG e)

World cinEma

UK/Belgium 2016 • 125 min

Director/Screenwriter Terence

Davies Producers Roy Boulter, Solon

Papadopoulos Cinematographer Florian

Hoffmeister Editor Pia Di Ciaula Cast

Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Ehle, Duncan Duff, Emma Bell, Keith Carradine Print Source Music Box Films

With this painterly cine-biography of Emily Dickinson, renowned filmmaker Terence Davies ( The House of Mirth ) proves that it takes a poet to know one. He wrote “his” Dickinson expressly for Cynthia Nixon—who brilliantly captures the wit, awkwardness, introversion, and suffering of this greatest of American writers—and sets her circumscribed existence within an exquisite chamber piece. We come to understand “the lady whom the people call the Myth” through her family: father Edward (Keith Carradine), sister Lavinia (Jennifer Ehle), brother Austin, and bedridden mother. It is this everyday, hemmed-in life, brightened occasionally by a funny friend or dashing clergyman and darkened by illness and mourning, that Davies heightens with beautifully lit tableaux. Dickinson and Davies revel in their twin passions: she with death and punctuation and he with the past and composition of the film frame. And when her indelible verse is invoked, this film’s “winged spark doth soar about.” us prem Iere l ucy l aird

Sun Oct 9 12:00pm Sequoia Tue Oct 11 12:30pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the mA r I n p oetry c enter

World cinEma

Japan/France/Belgium 2016 • 80 min

Director Michael Dudok de Wit Producers Valérie Schermann, Christophe Jankovic

Screenwriter Michael Dudok de Wit

Editor Céline Kélépikis Cast Tom Hudson, Emmanuel Garijo Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

In its very first international co-production, revered Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli delivers an astonishing, wordless fable about a man deserted on a perilous island inhabited by animals. The film chronicles the stages of his life on the isle in beautifully rendered, minimalist imagery and charcoal backdrops, as he first struggles to survive his new environment before stumbling upon a mysterious woman with whom he falls in love and builds a life. Dutch director Michael Dudok de Wit, the winner of a 2001 Academy Award® for the animated short Father and Daughter (in 5@5 Poet , MVFF 2016), makes his feature debut with the film, the recipient of the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Coscripted by French writer/director Pascale Ferran ( Bird People ), The Red Turtle marks a striking change of pace for the renowned animation studio that brought us such classics as Spirited Away and Grave of the Fireflies Sun Oct 9 3:00pm Sequoia Wed Oct 12 1:00pm Rafael

Spon S ored by Cla SS i C al K d FC

Spon S ored by Jenni F er Co S lett MaCCready

a q ui E t Pa SS ion

US 2016 • 92 min

Director Amin Matalqa Producers

Dan Halsted, Tricia Gibbs, Amanda Rohlke Screenwriter Terrel Seltzer

Cinematographer Zoran Popovic Editor

Sasha Dylan Bell Cast Stana Katic, Raza Jaffrey, Alfonso Bassave, Meg Cionni, Glenn Fleshler, Darby Stanchfield, Ron Guttman Print Source Manage-ment

Director Amin Matalqa, best known for the award-winning Captain Abu Raed , sprinkles romance and humor into this high-energy caper starring Stana Katic (who audiences will recognize from her long-running role on Castle ) and Raza Jaffrey ( Homeland , Code Black ) in this desert duet with nods to the international swagger of James Bond and The Da Vinci Code . Rachel Rozman (Katic) is a tough, stubbornly independent Los Angeles doctor who travels to Jordan with dapper State Department official Jake Alshadi (Jaffrey) to identify her world-traveling brother David’s body. In Amman, she discovers it is not a simple task to claim her sibling’s remains and take him home: David was suspected of stealing ancient religious artifacts and now Rachel is, too. She and Jake set out to discover the truth about the mysterious item that led to David’s demise, trying to stay one step ahead of a fanatical sect and shady officials who pursue them.

World prem Iere

l ily Buchanan

Sat Oct 8 4:15pm Sequoia

US 2015 • 80 min

Director Mitch Dickman Producers Mitch Dickman, Daniel Junge, Britta Erickson

Cinematographer Zachary Armstrong

Editors Davis Coombe, Tim Kaminski, Zachary Armstrong Print Source Listen Productions

FOCUS: SMOKE SCREENS When Colorado became the first state to make marijuana legal, the Denver Post newspaper—whose editorial board had opposed Amendment 64—hired music critic Ricardo Baca to be its first marijuana editor. This was uncharted territory: A major newspaper had never before covered the worlds of recreational and medical cannabis so intensely, and those realms were morphing in unpredictable and controversial ways. Baca developed a team of skilled reporters to cover the industry, chemistry, art, and politics of marijuana. This fascinating documentary follows Baca and his staff through the first year of Colorado’s great experiment when marijuana dispensaries began selling to the general public. How would pot-smoking parents deal with Child Protective Services? Could cannabis replace chemotherapy in medical treatments? Would jobs in the marijuana industry be safe from federal interference? Would legal cannabis unleash a new social menace on our society? And would journalism take new forms in keeping up with the changes?

—Frako l oden

Sat Oct 8 12:30pm Sequoia* Mon Oct 10 2:15pm Sequoia

*Panel discussion to follow. See page 90 for details.

World cinEma

Iran/France 2016 • 125 min

Director/Screenwriter Asghar Farhadi Producers Asghar Farhadi, Alexandre Mallet-Guy Cinematographer Hossein Jafarian Editor Hayedeh Safiyari Cast Shahab Hoseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Baba Karimi, Farid Sajjadihossein Print Source Cohen Media Group

In Persian with English subtitles In keeping with Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi’s best films (such as the Oscar®-winning A Separation ), The Salesman examines nuanced moral dilemmas through the prisms of marriage and family. Husband-and-wife actors Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) are in the midst of a production of Death of a Salesman when an assault on Rana threatens to dramatically change their lives. Emad’s guilt and powerlessness compel him to find the assailant, setting in motion an escalating series of twists and ethical quandaries. Winner of Best Screenplay and Best Actor at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, The Salesman takes its time establishing its characters and plot, presenting a seemingly contented romantic relationship that only needs one major trauma to lose its footing. Hosseini beautifully portrays Emad’s wounded male pride, but it’s Alidoosti’s cryptic performance that’s more haunting, suggesting worlds of unspoken disappointment between married partners who don’t know each other at all.

—Tim Grierson

Fri Oct 7 7:30pm Rafael Wed Oct 12 12:00pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he p ers IA n c enter

Spon S ored by b loo M Far MS

With S upport F ro M g ordon r adley

t h E Sal ES man

r olling Pa PE r S

vallE y oF thE d oc S

t h E rE nd E zvou S uS cinEma

a S E riou S g am E ( d en aLLvarsamma Leken)

World cinEma

Sweden 2016 • 115 min

Director Pernilla August Producers

Patrik Andersson, Frida Bargo, Fredrik Heinig Screenwriter Lone Scherfig

Cinematographer Erik Molberg Hansen

Editor Asa Mossberg Cast Sverrir Gudnason, Karin Franz Korlof, Liv Mjones, Michael Nyqvist, Goran Ragnerstam, Mikkel Boe Folsgaard Print Source Swedish Film Institute

In Swedish with English subtitles Based on the classic 1912 Swedish novel The Serious Game by Hjalmar Söderberg, this beguiling romance concerns Arvid (Sverrir Gudnason), a young journalist starting out at the local newspaper as a proofreader, and Lydia (Karin Franz Körlof), a painter’s daughter who dreams of seeing the world, in turnof-the-20th-century Stockholm. They fall in love in a classic coup de foudre, but timing, circumstance, and other forces conspire to work against them. Due to financial and class-based pressures, Arvid and Lydia find themselves married to other people, only to run into each other at an opera 10 years later, prompting an illicit rekindling of their unabated desire. With a screenplay beautifully adapted by Lone Scherfig ( An Education , MVFF 2009), the latest directorial offering from respected Swedish actress Pernilla August ( The Best Intentions ) also stars the inimitable Michael Nyqvist ( The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, MVFF 2010) as Arvid’s supervisor, and a man with regrets of his own. us prem Iere

—Joe Bowman

Sun Oct 9 3:00pm Rafael

Mon Oct 10 3:30pm Rafael Tue Oct 11 11:30am Sequoia

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE G ENERA l OF S WE d EN AN d THE B ARBRO O SHER P RO S UECIA F OUN d ATION

US 2016 • 84 min

Directors/Producers Nora Poggi, Insiyah

Saeed Cinematographers Roberto Daza, Aaron Faegerstrom Editor Jennifer Steinman Print Source First Round Films, LLC

What does it take to be a female founder in a notoriously male-dominated world? Just ask one of the five young women profiled in She Started It , an invigorating documentary about female entrepreneurs launching their ideas, and themselves, in the ruthlessly competitive world of technology start-ups, where females account for less than 10% of all founders. The women hail from the US, France, and Vietnam. Their journeys and accomplishments are quite different: Stacey, for example, sold her first start-up for $1m at the age of 18 but struggles to get her second idea off the ground, while stand-out Thuy is a natural-born leader whose bouts of social awkwardness impact her pitching finesse. What they all share in common—and what the film reveals in some surprisingly intimate moments—is a relentless drive to keep on trying, no matter how badly or how often they may fail along the way.

World prem Iere

—Atissa Manshouri

Sat Oct 8 1:30pm Sequoia

Sun Oct 9 12:00pm Rafael* Wed Oct 12 10:00am Rafael** In Assoc IA t I

*Panel discussion to follow. See page 91 for details.

**CFI Education screening open to school groups and general public

Italy 2016 • 97 min

Director Laura Morante Producers Luigi Musini, Olivia Musini Screenwriters Laura Morante, Daniele Costantini Cinematographer Fabio Zamarion Editor Esmeralda Calabria Cast Piera Degli Esposti, Laura Morante, Gigio Alberti, Francesco Pannofino, Lambert Wilson, Donatella Finocchiaro Print Source True Colours

In Italian with English subtitles Marriage, Italian style? Check. Divorce, Italian style? Check. And now Flavia is smack in the middle of her very own midlife crisis—Italian style. Twice divorced, with two grown sons, fresh off a failed love affair, and still wrapped up in the lives of her ex-husbands and their new wives, she’s having a hard time going solo. Writer-director-actor Laura Morante ( The Son’s Room ; Avenue Montaigne , MVFF 2006) stars in this funny and moving exploration of loneliness, interspersing scenes from her complicated emotional entanglements with sessions with her gentle, elderly shrink—plus occasional bouts of fantasy and tango lessons. It wouldn’t be far off to describe this film as a female director’s rejoinder to Woody Allen and Federico Fellini. But Morante’s second feature is as humane as it is hilarious. And in a twist reminiscent of Vittorio De Sica’s Umberto D. , it’s a sweet canine companion that helps bring Flavia back from the brink.

l ucy l aird

Fri Oct 7 4:45pm Rafael Fri Oct 14 6:15pm Larkspur

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE I NSTITUTO

I TA l IANO d I C U lTURA

Spon S ored by d olby l aboratorie S

Spon S ored by g la SS door

Sh E Start E d i t

vallE y oF thE d oc S

a Song For you: t h E au S tin c ity l imit S Story

m uSic

US 2016 • 97 min

Director Keith Maitland Producers

Keith Maitland, Susan Thomson

Cinematographer Sarah Wilson Editor

Austin Reedy Print Source The Film Collaborative

A celebration of the longest running music program on American television, this spirited documentary gives audiences the ultimate backstage pass to Austin City Limits Filmmaker Keith Maitland tracks the creation of the show’s 40th season, weaving together current interviews with an astounding range of archival performances. It shares the enthusiasm of longtime producer Terry Lickona and the crew who make the show happen, and, in following Bay Area favorite Thao Nguyen, captures the excitement of a performer preparing for her very first appearance on the ACL stage. Highlighting the uniqueness of ACL , many musicians interviewed comment on the show’s impact on them as music fans as well as artists. Interviewees and featured performers include long-associated artists like Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, and Bonnie Raitt; bands like Wilco and The Pixies, who marked the show’s integration of more alternative sounds; and newer acts like Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark Jr., and The Avett Brothers.

l aura Henneman

Fri Oct 7 6:15pm Sequoia* Mon Oct 10 5:30pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th n o I se p op Industr I es

*Live Music event to follow at Sweetwater. Separate ticket required. See page 96 for details.

Canada 2016 • 93 min

Director/Screenwriter Peter Svatek

Producers Josette Gauthier, Peter Svatek, Annette Clarke Cinematographers

Giancarlo Migliore, Nicolas Venne, Nicola

Barraglia Editor Elric Robichon Print

Source Seville International

FOCUS: CUlINARy CINEMA In English, Italian, and French with English subtitles What if we could take all of the excess food and feed the world? Director Peter Svatek follows international superstar chef Massimo Botturo as he launches a project, Reffetorio Ambrosiano, to feed Milan’s poor with food scraps from Expo 2015. Forty of Botturo’s world-renowned friends, many with Michelin star restaurants, staff this most unusual soup kitchen that could double as a “Top Chef” challenge as chefs from Mario Batali to Ferran Adria transform simple ingredients into delectable menus. The Reffetorio welcomes all around the table, breaking down socioeconomic barriers and forming a community that includes Giorgio, a formidably tattooed middle-aged ex-addict, and Fawaz, a Jordanian immigrant who wonders what will happen when this six-month project ends. Much like the kitchen atmosphere, the visually opulent Theater of Life is fluid and fast-paced. It will make you think twice about the food you throw away and how your leftovers might possibly save the planet. us prem Iere

—Jennie-Marie Adler

preceded by BASIC HUMAN NEEDS

US 2016, 5 min

Director Jesse Block

A paean to humanitarianism, Wavy Gravy sings about the conscientious choices and priorities we all can make.

Mon Oct 10 4:45pm Sequoia

Tue Oct 11 12:15pm Sequoia Wed Oct 12 3:30pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he s F- mA r I n Food bA nk

t hing S to com E

(L’ avenir)

World cinEma

France/Germany 2016 • 102 min

Director/Screenwriter Mia HansenLøve Producer Charles Gillibert Cinematographer Denis Lenoir Editor Marion Monnier Cast Isabelle Huppert, Andre Marcon, Roman Kolinka, Edith Scob, Sarah Le Picard, Solal Forte Print Source Les films fu losange

In French, German, and English with English subtitles Nathalie (Isabelle Huppert) is not having a good year. A tough-cookie philosophy professor who’s beginning to question her faith in the life of the mind, she finds out that her self-penned textbook is not getting reprinted, her husband (André Marcon) is filing for divorce, and her elderly mother (Edith Scob) is slipping further into dementia. Still, thanks to a friendship with a young, gifted student (Roman Kolinka) and a visit with his bohemian comrades, she starts to imagine the possibility of a more sensuous lifestyle. The latest from awardwinning French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve ( Eden ) confirms that not only is she one of the most exciting European auteurs working today; it’s also a gift to Huppert, who delivers one of her most heartfelt, haughty, and emotionally headstrong performances in years. It’s a rich, nuanced look at what happens when your past unravels—and the darkness of an uncertain future begins to brighten.

d avid Fear

Tue Oct 11 8:00pm Sequoia

Thur Oct 13 3:15pm Sequoia

W ITH SUPPORT FROM THE C ONSU l ATE G ENERA l OF F RANCE AN d THE F RENCH

A MERICAN C U lTURA l S OCIET y

I N ASSOCIATION WITH THE F RENCH

H ERITAGE S OCIET y

Spon

World cinEma

Germany/Austria 2016 • 162 min

Director Maren Ade Producers

Janine Jackowski, Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach Screenwriter Maren Ade

Cinematographer Patrick Orth Editor

Heike Parplies Cast Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller, Michael Wittenborn, Thomas Loibl Print Source Sony Pictures Classics

FOCUS: KINOWERKS In German, English, and Romanian with English subtitles This gutsy, unpredictable comedy-drama from acclaimed German writer-director Maren Ade ( Everyone Else ) examines the complexities of father-daughter relationships with candor, heart, and one of the nerviest midmovie twists in a while. Looking to reconnect with his distant, career-focused daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller), practical joker Winfried (Peter Simonischek) tries spending some time with her. But when that leaves him feeling frustrated, he decides to take another tack—inserting himself into her life by posing as a work colleague in a goofy wig and fake teeth. Is he trying to embarrass Ines or revive the spark between them? This Cannes sensation, winner of the festival’s critics prize, goes down surreal, outrageous paths, but at its core, Toni Erdmann illustrates how children struggle to break free of their parents, only to learn that those emotional bonds aren’t so easy to sever. You may never hear “The Greatest Love of All” the same way again.

—Tim Grierson

Sat Oct 8 7:45pm Rafael Thur Oct 13 3:15pm Rafael

US 2016 • 96 min

Director Keith Maitland Producers

Keith Maitland, Susan Thomson, Megan

Gilbride Cinematographers Keith Maitland, Sarah Wilson

Editor Austin

Reedy Print Source Kino Lorber

Director Keith Maitland transforms tragedy into art in this mesmerizing and inventive documentary. In 1966, a sniper terrorized the University of Texas-Austin campus, shooting from its clock tower for 96 minutes of random killing and wounding. The film revisits that day, seamlessly combining live-action modeled animation, archival footage, and present-day interviews. Maitland’s innovative techniques and focus on concrete details—the day’s heat, the tolling of the tower’s clock, the irony of taking shelter behind a statue of Jefferson Davis—allow viewers to take a fresh look at a sadly familiar evil. Told from multiple perspectives—victims, witnesses, police officers, and reporters—the movie is a mosaic of interwoven narratives, at times a suspenseful thriller or unconventional love story. Ultimately, Maitland is interested less in the sniper than in how ordinary people reacted to the unfolding horror. The film is an unexpectedly invigorating and layered portrait of the human response to inhuman violence.

—Monica Nolan

Sat Oct 8 4:45pm Rafael Sun Oct 9 6:15pm Rafael

US 2016 • 93 min

Director/Screenwriter Finn Taylor

Producer Susan Johnson Cinematographer

Rich Wong Editor Rick LeCompte Cast

Kate Micucci, Steve Howey, Justin Chatwin, Sean Astin, Hana Mae Lee, Josh Brenner Print Source Blue Fox

Entertainment

Software developer Emma ( Garfunkel & Oates ’s Kate Micucci) has an unusual problem. This lovelorn romantic and astrology skeptic is just settling into a new life in San Francisco when her beloved cat Ajax and dog Summit go missing. But the heavens have a wry sense of humor, for an alignment of planets has transformed both pets into humans, with their four-legged memories intact. So begins this playful farce, full of daft physical comedy and plenty of jokes for dog and cat lovers alike as these two unlikely paramours vie for Emma’s affection. Will the goofy, amiable mutt (Steve Howey) prevail, or the wily, charismatic feline (Justin Chatwin)? Rich with Bay Area locations, this sweet-natured comedy brings in charming support from Sean Astin ( The Lord of the Rings ) and Illeana Douglas ( Ghost World ) and makes the most of an absurd premise with a tone that’s irreverent and gleefully devoid of cynicism while still mining emotional truths. A treat. (Good boy!) us prem Iere —Sterling Hedgpeth

Wed Oct 12 7:00pm Sequoia Thur Oct 13 1:00pm Sequoia

Spon S ored by Maroe V i C h o ’Shea & Coghlan i n S uran C e, i n C

u nl E a S h E d

uS cinEma

t oWE r

vallE y oF thE d oc S

t oni Erdmann

v i S itor’ S day ( d ía de visita)

vallE y o F thE d oc S

Mexico/US 2016 • 75 min

Director/Cinematographer Nicole Opper

Producer Nicole Opper, Manuel Tsingaris, Carlo Corea Editors Manuel Tsingaris, Carlo Corea Print Source Nicole Opper Productions

In Spanish with English subtitles

Three hours from Mexico City, at-risk boys thrive in a rural group home that offers counseling, job training, and perhaps most importantly, hope, something that few of the young residents have ever experienced. The title of this quietly observant documentary from Oakland filmmaker Nicole Opper refers to the most anticipated day at the facility—or the most heartbreaking, as in the case of lonely teenager Juan Carlos, a runaway who longs to reconnect with the father who abandoned him years ago. The film traces Juan’s complicated emotional journey, as he bonds with his new brothers at the home tending goats and working in their factory where they produce artisanal cheese. The journey is not without conflict or tears, but ultimately Visitor’s Day is an uplifting story of transformation and renewal and the possibility of a brighter future.

—Cheryl Eddy

preceded by

F INDING J USTICE : E NDING THE S CHOOL TO PRISON P IPELINE

US 2016, 17 min

Director Vincent Cortez

One Latino boy’s journey through the YMCA Marin County Youth Court demonstrates how a unique peer-to-peer program can give troubled teens a second chance.

Thur Oct 13 10:00am Rafael*

Fri Oct 14 5:45pm Rafael

Sun Oct 16 1:30pm Rafael

In Assoc IA t I on W I th hA nn A b oys c enter

*CFI Education screening open tp school groups and general public

What’ S in th E darkn ESS

( h ei ch U yo U s hen m e)

World cinEma

Norway 2016 • 90 min

Director/Screenwriter Rune Denstad

Langlo Producer Magnus Ramsdalen

Cinematographer Philip Øgaard Editor

Vidar Flataukan Cast Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Slimane Dazi, Henriette Steenstrup, Olivier Mukata Print Source Norwegian Film Institute

In Norwegian, English, Arabic, Swahili, and French with English subtitles In the far reaches of northern Norway, Primus’s ski rental has gone downhill, the snowmobile safaris crashed, and his Hotel Norø is crumbling—so what does a cash-strapped entrepreneur try next to show his family he’s not a failure? A refugee center, of course! But when the mercenary dreams of this endearing loser (or “putain Viking” to some) meet the stark realities of housing, feeding, and educating 50 people who’ve fled war-torn countries, will the refuge prove to be a wintry idyll or Nordic Guantánamo? This black comedy set against snowy white shades is a UN of fascinating characters: Abedi’s Ethiopian polyglot and heart of the story (remarkable newcomer Olivier Mukuta, a real-life asylum-seeker), sardonic Algerian electrical engineer Zoran (Slimane Dazi of A Prophet ), a despairing Arab teen (Elisar Sayegh), and actual Syrian refugees cast as extras. Welcome to Norway! cleverly balances the optimism and sarcasm contained in that simple exclamation mark.

l ucy l aird

Wed Oct 12 6:00pm Larkspur

This screening is free to CFI members. Get your complimentary tickets at mvff. com

World cinEma

China 2015 • 98 min

Director/Screenwriter Wang Yichun

Producers Yang Wei, Du Jianhua

Cinematographer Zhao Long Editors

Chen Bingfeng, Liu Guang Cast Su Xiaotong, Guo Xiao, Liu Dan, Lu Qiwei, Zhou Kui, Zhang Xueming Print Source China Film International

In Chinese with English subtitles Wang Yichun’s dazzling debut melds the facets of a small-town murder mystery with potent social criticism of 1990s China, particularly the issue of abandoned girl babies that fill the country’s orphanages. In an unnamed northern locale, Qu Jing is a teenager who harbors dreams of pop stardom, though her current stage is an abandoned field, and whose sweet nature has recently attracted the romantic attention of a cute classmate. Shades of Blue Velvet creep into the drama when a murdered young woman’s body is discovered among tall reeds, but that’s just one more mystery in the life of a girl who is convinced that she’s adopted even if her parents won’t admit it. Wang, a female director, cleverly uses the contrast between Jing’s innocence and the tawdry crime to make insightful observations about the status of women in China in a film that deftly balances adolescent charm and gripping tension.

—Rod Armstrong

Sat Oct 15 12:15pm Rafael Sun Oct 16 2:00pm Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he c enter F or As IA n Amer I c A n m ed IA

W E lcom E to n or Way!

you Will k noW What t o d o With mE

(saB rás q U e hacer conmi G o)

World cinEma

US 2016 • 94 min

Director/Producer/Screenwriter/ Cinematographer Ryan Patrick Killackey

Editor Malcolm Lam Print Source Pollywog Productions LLC

I n English, Spanish, and Waorani with English subtitles Life hangs in the balance for the Waorani, hunter-gatherers in the remote Yasuni region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. They’ve successfully fended off waves of missionaries, loggers, oil companies, and politicians—those who would destroy the people and the land out of greed. But how much longer can they do so? Before it’s too late, biologist/filmmaker Ryan Patrick Killackey teams up with a Waorani family to document the traditional way of life amid the region’s incredible biodiversity. Along the way they uncover the devastation already wrought by logging and oil development on the indigenous people and their entire ecosystem. Yasuni Man offers clear witness and an urgent plea for immediate action on behalf of the Waorani’s right to exist and protect their world. This quickening destruction in the Yasuni is a microcosm of the impact of our fossil fuel addiction in this time of dire beauty. Note: This film contains graphic content that may not be appropriate for young viewers.

World prem Iere

—Carol Harada

Fri Oct 7 3:00pm Rafael Sun Oct 16 11:00am Larkspur

In Assoc IA t I on W I th t he pA ch A m A m A All IA nce A nd Am AZ on W A tch

Mexico 2015 • 96 min

Director Katina Medina Mora Producer

Alberto Muffelmann Screenwriters

Emma Bertran, Samara Ibrahim

Cinematographer Erwin Jaquez Editor

Aina Callejas Cast Ilse Salas, Pablo Derqui, Rosa María Bianchi Print Source

Katina Medina Mora

In Spanish with English subtitles After first meeting in a fleeting chance encounter, Nicolas and Isabel cross paths again on a fortuitous evening when they find themselves sharing a table and late-night musings at a dinner party. As they reflect on art, love, and death, their undeniable attraction inevitably sparks a relationship. Impeccably cast, director Katina Medina Mora’s keenly sensitive sophomore effort steers clear of clichés and offers a warm and intimate portrait of an intensely magnetic relationship that begins with steamy encounters and intellectual digressions but soon dips below the surface and into the fears and insecurities that emanate from Nicolas’s crippling health issues and Isabel’s deep-seated grief over a family loss. Stunning underwater cinematography provides a refreshing respite from the building tension, as the characters dive for solace—and into each other’s inner truths. Above all, the film is a poetic tale that sensually captures the delights and perils of surrendering to true intimacy.

—Julia Barbosa

Fri Oct 7 8:45pm Rafael Sat Oct 8 6:30pm Lark

In Assoc IA t I on W I th the Assoc IA t I on o F lA t I no mA r I n Attorneys, the lA t I no

you’r E k illing mE , Su Sana

( m e estas matando sU sana)

World cinEma

Mexico 2016 • 101 min

Director/Producer Roberto Sneider

Screenwriters Luis Camara, Roberto Sneider Cinematographer Antonio Calvache Editor Aleshka Ferrero Cast Gael García Bernal, Veronica Echegui, Ashley Hinshaw, Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson, Daniel, Gimenez Cacho, Andres Almeida Print Source Cuevano Films

In Spanish with English subtitles A young couple from Mexico City discovers that an Iowa college campus is an unlikely but idyllic place to save their troubled marriage after philandering actor Eligio (Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle ; Y Tu Mamá También ; Neruda , MVFF 2016) follows wife Susana (Verónica Echegui, Hunter’s Prayer ) to a writers’ workshop in the United States. Director Roberto Sneider finds a well of humor in the clash of cultures in this nuanced romantic comedy, while Bernal is pitch-perfect, imbuing Elgio with complexity, devilish charm, and sly charisma. It is easy to see what Susana sees in her wayward spouse. As You’re Killing Me, Susana shines a light on this couple’s habits, it draws us into a mercurial partnership that ping pongs between simmering tension and deep passion. Sharp dialogue and Victor Hernández Stumpfhauser’s evocative score further enhance this lively adaptation of a José Agustín novel. us prem Iere

—Jennie-Marie Adler

Fri Oct 7 6:00pm Rafael* Sat Oct 8 9:15pm Lark Wed Oct 12 8:30pm Sequoia

*Reception with director to follow at Taste Kitchen & Table (separate admission)

Spon S ored by Sterling b an K & t ru S t

ya S uni m an

vallE y oF thE d oc S

youth rEE l

Total Program 100 min

The MVFF Youth Reel is the result of a unique peer jury process that takes place each summer during CFI’s Summerfilm program. Teen participants in the Behind the Scenes program graduate into the Young Curators program, where they view more than 100 films submitted from across the US and around the globe, all produced by young filmmakers ages 18 and under. Some of the youth media programs represented in this year’s shorts collection include San Francisco Art & Film and Los Angeles’ Harvard Westlake, along with films from further afield including Florida and even Bosnia and Herzegovina. Honest and self-searching, this year’s films examine topical issues such as the personal stories behind the lifting of the Cuban embargo and what teen drug addiction may feel like from inside someone’s head. Serious subjects such as survivor’s guilt mix with an offbeat look at what makes a video go viral and how music literally saved someone’s life. Some subject matter may be unsuitable for younger family members—after all, these films are from the minds of teens. Ages 12+

—John Morrison

Sat Oct 15 11:00am Lark

Bulgaria 2016 • 92 min

Director/Screenwriter Eliza Petkova

Producers Cécile Tollu-Polonowski, Tim Oliver Schultz, Svetoslav Draganov

Cinematographer Constanze Schmitt

Editors Hannes Marget, Eliza Petkova

Cast Anna Manolova, Snezhina Petrova, Mihail Stoyanov, Maria Klecheva, Stoyko Ivanov, Boyana Georgieva Print Source DFFB

In Bulgarian with English subtitles Lora feels constrained by the strict cultural norms and tedious monotony of life in her small Bulgarian village. Her budding romantic life and ripped jeans cause gossip among older village women, and her father warns her, “I expect you to change fundamentally.” But when a sudden tragedy provides Lora more personal freedom, her hesitant rebelliousness begins to take a more definite form. With minimal dialogue, Zhaleika weaves a subtle cinematic portrait of the tumultuous inner life of a young woman yearning for personal freedom in a culture bound by tradition. Newcomer Anna Manolova draws surprising nuance out of stony silences, while classically beautiful, naturalistic cinematography plays Lora’s turmoil against lush landscapes and rich details of rural Bulgarian village life. Eliza Petkova’s compelling and assured directorial debut pares the coming-of-age genre down to its most aesthetically intimate core, revealing the universal tension between social bonds and youthful yearning for personal expression. n orth Amer I c A n prem Iere

—Emelie Mahdavian

Fri Oct 7 12:00pm Rafael Sun Oct 16 5:30pm Lark

Russia/France/Germany 2016 • 87 min

Director/Screenwriter Ivan I. Tverdovsky

Producers Natalia Mokritskaya, Mila Rozanova, Uliana Savelieva

Cinematographer Alexander Mikeladze

Editors Ivan I. Tverdovsky, Vincent Assman Cast Natalia Pavlenkova, Dmitry Groshev, Irina Chipizhenko Print Source New Europe Film Sales

In Russian with English subtitles In a country not known for celebrating diversity, a quiet accounts manager has conflicted reactions to a bodily feature that sets her apart from the crowd. Natasha, teased by her co-workers and subservient to her mother, finds solace on solitary visits to the animals in the zoo where she works. But when an X-ray reveals her unwieldy appendage and a handsome young doctor is intrigued rather than repulsed by it, Natasha begins to feel proud of her physical distinction. In the lead role, Masha Tokareva subtly and magnificently displays Natasha’s emotional transformation from timidity and shame to exuberance and self-respect, while this droll fable also presents an allegorical critique of Russia’s persistent clampdown on individual selfexpression. Like the confined animals she loves to visit, Natasha is caged by societal conformity; will she be able to break free? Zoology explores this conundrum with wit, intelligence, and great compassion. —Rod Armstrong

Wed Oct 12 6:00pm Rafael Sat Oct 15 2:45pm Larkspur

Family Film S

zoology

(z oo Lo G iya)

z hal E ika

World cinEma

7:00 PM la la land 153 min

12:00 PM after the StOrM 117 min

3:15 PM the BacchUS lady 110 min

6:15 PM a SOng fOr yOU 97 min

8:45 PM Paint it Black 96 min 11:00 aM 5@5 harMOny 72 min 1:30 PM She Started It 84 min 4:15 PM the Rendezvous 92 min 7:00 PM KatIe SayS gOOdBye 90 min

9:30 PM One WeeK and a day 98 min

11:15 aM the eagle hUntreSS 87 min 2:00 PM cOMPany tOWn (with panel) 131 min 5:00 PM in duBious Battle 110 min

8:15 PM JereMIah tOWer 103 min 12:15 PM death By deSIgn 88 min 3:00 PM calIfOrnIa tyPeWrIter 103 min 6:00 PM GiRl Flu 94 min 9:00 PM elle 130 min 12:30 PM rOllIng PaPerS (with panel) 120 min

3:45 PM GReen is Gold 85 min 6:45 PM MOnday nIghtS at Seven 109 min 9:30 PM the hI de hO ShOW 120 min 12:00 PM a QUIet PaSSIOn 125 min 3:00 PM the red tUrtle 80 min 5:45 PM the grOOve IS nOt trIvIal 84 min

2:30 PM BeSt and MOSt BeaUtIfUl thIngS 91 min 5:00 PM Panel: vIrtUal realIty 90 min 8:00 PM IcarOS: a vISIOn 91 min 12:00 PM She Started It (with panel) 124 min 3:00 PM a SerIOUS gaMe 115 min 6:15 PM tOWer 96 min 8:45 PM the PleaSUre IS MIne 93 min 5:00 PM 5@5 POet 61 min 8:30 PM frantZ 113 min 11:30 aM OddBall 93 min 2:00 PM MaSter claSS: dOcUMentary StOryMaKerS 90 min 4:45 PM tOWer 96 min 8:15 PM Paint it Black 96 min 1:00 PM Panel: State Of the IndUStry 90 min 3:45 PM dO nOt reSISt 82 min 6:30 PM GReen is Gold 88 min 9:15 PM 5@5 everyday PeOPle 64 min 7:15 PM la la land 153 min 7:00 PM denIal 110 min 7:15 PM love tWice 115 min 7:00 PM arrIval 143 min

7:30 PM the SaleSMan 125 min

11:30 aM the laSt dalaI laMa? 90 min

2:15 PM ceRtain Women 107 min

5:15 PM laMB 94 min

7:45 PM tOnI erdMann 162 min

12:30 PM the 3d SIdeShOW 88 min

3:30 PM fIndIng OScar 98 min

8:30 PM Baden Baden 93 min 1:45 PM Bench cIneMa 124 min 4:45 PM SOlO 97 min

7:00 PM aMerIcan PaStOral 155 min

12:00 PM ZhaleIKa 92 min

3:00 PM yaSUnI Man 94 min

5:45 PM yOU’re KIllIng Me, SUSana 101 min 8:45 PM yOU WIll KnOW What tO dO WIth Me 96 min 11:00 aM Panel: hIdden fIgUreS 90 min

11:15 aM TBA

2:15 PM rOllIng PaPerS 80 min

5:00 PM

5@5 everyday PeOPle 64 min

11:30 aM a SerIOUS gaMe 115 min

2:45 PM PateRson 113 min

5:30 PM 5@5 My WOrld 64 min

7:30 PM a monsteR calls 108 min 11:30 aM TBA 2:15 PM dO nOt reSISt 82 min 4:30 PM

12:15 PM theater Of lIfe 98 min

3:15 PM land legS 89 min

5@5 faMIly affaIr 70 min 7:00 PM unleashed 96 min

8:00 PM thIngS tO cOMe 102 min 1:00 PM unleashed 96 min 4:30 PM

5@5 WIShfUl thInKIn’ 60 min

7:00 PM the aRchitect 95 min 11:00 aM Bench cIneMa 124 min 2:00 PM BeSt and MOSt BeaUtIfUl thIngS 91 min 4:45 PM theater Of lIfe 98 min 7:45 PM moonliGht 110 min

10:15 aM 5@5 harMOny 72 min

12:45 PM the eagle hUntreSS 87 min

3:30 PM a SerIOUS gaMe 115 min

7:00 PM nerUda 139 min

10:00 aM cIrcUS KId 82 min

12:30 PM a QUIet PaSSIOn 125 min

11:00 aM GiRl Flu 94 min

2:00 PM Baden Baden 93 min

5:00 PM One WeeK and a day 98 min

8:00 PM calIfOrnIa tyPeWrIter 103 min

3:30 PM katie says GoodBye 90 min

6:15 PM the grOOve IS nOt trIvIal 84 min

9:00 PM

5@5 My WOrld 64 min

3:30 PM devIl’S BrIde 109 min

7:00 PM I, danIel BlaKe 100 min

12:00 PM elle 130 min 3:00 PM KeePer 95 min 6:00 PM the Ballad Of fred herSch 74 min 8:30 PM yOU’re KIllIng Me, SUSana 101 min

6:15 PM Bang! the Bert BernS StOry 95 min 9:00 PM the nIne 95 min 12:30 PM TBA 3:15 PM thIngS tO cOMe 102 min

6:30 PM My lO ve a ffa I r WI th the Bra I n 85 min 9:15 PM nelly 101 min

10:00 aM She Started It 84 min

1:00 PM the red tUrtle 80 min

3:30 PM theater Of lIfe 98 min

7:00 PM manchesteR By the sea 135 min

10:00 aM vISItOr’S day 92 min

12:30 PM Maya angelOU and StIll I rISe 114 min

3:15 PM tOnI erdMann 162 min

7:00 PM 20th centUry WOMen 142 min

3:30 PM IQalUIt 103 min 6:30 PM BUrden 90 min 9:15 PM devIl’S BrIde 109 min 12:00 PM Baden Baden 93 min

3:00 PM laMB 94 min 6:15 PM death By deSIgn 78 min 8:45 PM KeePer 95 min 11:30 aM moonliGht 110 min 2:15 PM land legS 89 min 5:15 PM death In SaraJevO 85 min 8:00 PM TBA

12:00 PM the SaleSMan 125 min

6:45 PM monday niGhts at seven 109 min

9:30 PM

5@5 faMIly affaIr 70 min

6:00 PM ZOOlOgy 87 min

9:00 PM 5@5 WIShfUl thInKIn’ 60 min

6:30 PM land Of MIne 100 min 9:00 PM

5@5 I Want tO taKe yOU hIgher 70 min

5:45 PM cIrcUS KId 82 min

8:15 PM a Man called Ove 116 min 6:00 PM WelcOMe tO nOrWay 90 min

PM Bench cIneMa 124 min 8:15 PM the lOng nIght Of francIScO SanctIS 78 min 2:15 PM the BacchUS lady 110 min 5:00 PM IQalUIt 103 min

1:00 PM I, danIel BlaKe 100 min 4:00 PM

5@5 thanK yOU falettInMe Be MIce elf agIn 70 min

6:30 PM

fUKUShIMa, MOn aMOUr 104 min

9:30 PM gIMMe danger 108 min

11:15 aM My lO ve a ffa I r WI th the Bra I n 85 min 2:00 PM lOve IS thIcKer than Water 101 min

5:00 PM JUlIeta 99 min

7:30 PM manchesteR By the sea 135 min

11:00 aM ceRtain Women 107 min

2:00 PM 24 WeeKS 102 min

5:00 PM lOvIng 138 min 8:15 PM TBA 12:30 PM TBA 3:15 PM MUM IS WrOng 110 min 6:15 PM lOSt In ParIS 83 min 8:30 PM the cOnfeSSIOnS 103 min 11:00 aM KePler’S dreaM 88 min 1:45 PM the cOnfeSSIOnS 93 min

5:30 PM My ScIentOlOgy MOvIe 100 min 8:00 PM a late Style Of fIre 93 min 11:15 aM diani and devine meet the aPocalyPse 90 min 1:45 PM MOM and Other lOOnIeS In the faMIly 118 min 5:15 PM lOvIng 138 min 8:30 PM TBA

10:00 aM My lO ve a ffa I r WI th the Bra I n 85 min

1:00 PM in duBious Battle 110 min

3:45 PM a monsteR calls 108 min

7:30 PM daUghterS Of the dUSt 144 min 10:45 aM MUM IS WrOng 110 min 1:45 PM PaRis can Wait 92 min 4:30 PM TBA

7:30 PM Bleed fOr thIS 166 min

11:15 aM the 3d SIdeShOW 88 min 2:15 PM lIKe craZy 116 min 5:00 PM lOvIng 150 min 8:15 PM TBA

11:45 aM the lOng nIght Of francIScO SanctIS 78 min

2:30 PM the aRchitect 95 min

5:45 PM vISItOr’S day 92 min

8:30 PM fIre at Sea 114 min 12:15 PM What’S In the darKneSS 98 min

3:15 PM death In SaraJevO 85 min

6:00 PM lUPe Under the SUn 78 min 9:15 PM 5@5 thanK yOU falettInMe Be MIce elf agIn 70 min

11:15 aM a late Style Of fIre 93 min

2:00 PM Panel : dISney a n IM at IO n t echn IS ta S 90 min 5:00 PM lovinG 150 min 8:15 PM egOn SchIele 109 min

6:30 PM occuPy, texas 93 min

9:00 PM 5@5 POet 61 min

11:30 aM MaSter claSS: fIlMMaKer aS herOIne 90 min 2:00 PM sneak PRevieW: the aRcheR 86 min

5:45 PM MOM and Other lOOnIeS In the faMIly 118 min

8:30 PM the hI de hO ShOW 120 min

11:00 aM MOlly MOnSter 72 min 1:30 PM vISItOr’S day 92 min 5:00 PM lovinG 150 min 8:00 PM lOve IS thIcKer than Water 101 min

cinema WOrld cIneMa valley Of the dOcS faMIly fIlMS

Independent Filmmakers,

As an advertising agency that’s remained independent for 23 years, we get you.

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A WEST COAST ADVENTURE

A LIFETIME IN THE MAKING

ARTS | FILM | FOOD&WINE | WANDERLUST

CFI Ex ECUTIVE DIRECTOR / FOUNDER

MVFF FOUNDER / DIRECTOR

Mark Fishkin

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Zoë Elton

PR o GRAMMING

SENIOR PROGRAMMERS

Karen Davis

Janis Plotkin

PROGRAMMER

Kelly Clement

PROGRAMMER /FILM CURATOR, MVFF M USIC

Laura Henneman

CFI DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION/ MVFF FAMILy FILMS PROGRAMMER

John Morrison

CFI EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Melanie Nichols

CFI EDUCATION INTERN

Arielle Estrada

PROGRAMMING M ANAGER / SHORTS PROGRAMMER

Sterling Hedgpeth

PROGRAMMING A SSISTANT/ ACTIVE CINEMA COORDINATOR

Dominique Oneil

A NIMATION PROGRAMMER

Amanda Todd

PANEL COORDINATORS

Amanda Cole

Emelie Mahdavian

PROGRAMMING INTERNS & RESEARCHERS

Nick della Cava

Martin Johnson

Kerstin Larson

Laura Minorsky

Sierra Nguyen

Lucia Proctor-Bonbright

Grant Toepfer

Sophie Tulkoff

CLIPS EDITOR

Marcus Pun

F ESTIVAL oPERATI o NS

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Jeromy Zajonc

OPERATIONS M ANAGER

Dave Feiferis

OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Carley Callahan

VOLUNTEER M ANAGER

Rachel Olson

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Devon Edwards

FRONT DESK PRODUCTION A SSISTANT

Ashley Windrow

M USIC M ANAGER

John O’Malley

T E ch NI c AL oPERATI o NS & P R o DU c TI o N

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Dan Zastrow

A SSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Ryan Hastie

TECHNICAL CONSULTANT

Marty Brenneis

Ex HIBITION MEDIA M ANAGER

Jesse Dubus

PRODUCTION M ANAGER

Paul Hegarty

PRODUCTION A SSISTANTS

Stefan Meier

Kolby Woods

Th EATER oPERATI o NS

THEATER OPERATIONS M ANAGER

Christa Luckenbach

THEATER OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Matthew Keuter

THEATER OPERATIONS A SSISTANT

Grace Shaw

V ENUE M ANAGERS

Alana Davis

Cola Engel

Christina Halverson

Alex Mills

Hayley Nenadal

HOUSE M ANAGERS

Vans Copple

Sam Dunnington

Lluvia Fernandez

Josie Kovash

Willita Malone

Ernestina Perez

Emily Porter

Earline Stephens

L INE M ANAGERS

Madeline Alexander

Dylan Boom

James Davis

Aileen Fowler

Maribel Guevara

Piper Hanson

Chris Markiz

Derek Petrillo

PROJECTIONISTS

Jono Clay

Griffin Couillard

Michael Edwards

Cody Gehret

Freedom Hopkins

Jordan Jones

Gilbert Leonor

Peter Matheny-Schuster

Kyle McMillin

Andrew Stone

Tim Taylor

F ESTIVAL Box oFFI c E

TICKETING SERVICES

Box Cubed

BOx OFFICE M ANAGERS

Ben Armington

Emily Bennett Price

Mitch Vaughn

BOx OFFICE S TAFF

Tatiana Bookbinder

Serena Bramble

Hilary Brant

Tiffany Collins

Mark Curran

Vanessa Gentry

Sophie Gunther

Maya Lekach

Marian McColm

Thomas Palu

Kar Yin Tham

Mimi Xia

TICKETING & CREDENTIAL COORDINATOR

Corey Buckley

G UEST & T RANSP o RTATI o N

S ERVI c ES

GUEST SERVICES M ANAGER

Albert Chow

GUEST SERVICES COORDINATORS

Nadia Ismail

Joanny Rivera

TRANSPORTATION M ANAGER

Anthony Doyle

TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR

Sofia Alicastro

S PE c IAL E VENTS

SPECIAL E VENTS M ANAGER

Yvonne Fox

FESTIVAL E VENT M ANAGER

Carrie Kaufman

E VENTS COORDINATOR

Jordan Menashe

MILL VALLE y FILMMAKER LOUNGE COORDINATOR

Mia Greenwald

SAN R AFAEL FILMMAKER LOUNGE COORDINATOR

Derek Dover

FILMMAKER LOUNGE A SSISTANT

Arielle Estrada

M ARKETING AND P UBLI c ITY

DIRECTOR OF M ARKETING & PUBLICIT y

Shelley Spicer

M ARKETING COORDINATOR

Leah LoSchiavo

M ARKETING A SSISTANT

Sarah Escalante

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Phoebe Lewis

DIGITAL MEDIA AND W EB M ANAGER

Courtney Buffington

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Brian Lehman

M ANAGING EDITOR

Joanne Parsont

COPy EDITOR

Pam Grady

GREEN ROOM MEDIA M ANAGER

Greg Garthe

HOUSE V IDEOGRAPHER

Mike Van Metre

HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER

Tommy Lau

M ARKETING INTERN

Michael Manfredi

D EVEL o PMENT AND M EMBERS h IP

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Liana Bender

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT M ANAGER

Beau Blanchard

M AJOR GIFTS AND FOUNDATION

M ANAGER

Katy Hogan

SPONSORSHIP COORDINATOR

Natacha Pope

ACTIVATIONS COORDINATOR

Nicholas Friedman

MEMBERSHIP M ANAGER

Angie Young

MEMBERSHIP A SSOCIATE

Doreen Aviv

DEVELOPMENT INTERNS

Ryan Clahan

Shabron Gaynor

Jake Labay

Ian Roddy

Ex E c UTIVE oFFI c E

Ex ECUTIVE A SSISTANT

Maureen Galliani

M ANAGER, ACQUISITIONS & DISTRIBUTION

Roberto Prieto

F INAN c E AND A DMINISTRATI o N

FINANCE M ANAGER

Connie Chang

FINANCE A SSOCIATE

Laura Austin

IT & OPERATIONS M ANAGER

Norman Mello

c h RIST o P h ER B. S MIT h R AFAEL

F ILM cENTER

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Richard Peterson

GENERAL M ANAGER

Dan Zastrow

PROGRAM CONSULTANT

Jan Klingelhofer

A SSISTANT M ANAGER

Tim Fross

R AFAEL FILM CENTER S TAFF

Kellan Abend

Philip Hoffman-Harris

Delaney Hunt

Jordan Jones

Gilbert Leonor

Thalia Lopies

Phillippe Matheus

Danielle Nollenberger

Kylee Nottingham

Oliver Owens

Matthew Paquette

Samuel Rippee-Millard

Kyle Russell

Carson Scheidt

Cody Silva

Asher Sinaiko

Olivia Wright

PRINTED MATERIAL

MVFF39 Seasonal Branding

PUBLI c ATI o NS

Managing Editor

Design & Print Production

Digital Media Maven

Production, Digital Prepress

Advertising Sales

FESTIVAL PUBLI c ITY

AGENCY

Principal

Publicist

AGENCY

Principal

Publicist

MVFF39 T h EATRI c AL TRAILER

A DVERTISING AGENCY

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Creative Officer

Executive Creative Directors

Senior Art Director

Copywriter

Executive Director Integrated Production

Producer

Account Supervisor

Business Affairs Manager

PRODUCTION COMPANY

Director

Executive Producers

Line Producer

Assistant Cameras

Vintage Car Owner/Operator:

Props

POST PRODUCTION

Editors

Assistant Editors

Technical Director

Sound Designers

Colorist

Online Artist

Executive Producers

Head of Production

SPE c IAL T h ANKS

Deluxe Technicolor Digital Cinema

Turner Duckworth

Joanne Parsont

Brian Lehman

Courtney Buffington

Giraffex, Inc. - Richard Repas

Winifred MacLeod

Larsen Associates

Karen Larsen

Vince Johnson

Hamilton Ink

Stephanie Clarke

Clara Franco

Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP)

Greg Stern

John Butler

Keith Cartwright, Tom Coates

Maria Lee

Phil Van Buren

Vince Genovese

Richard Quan

Liz Levin

Nihad Peavler

Kontent

Robert Humphreys

Mark Decena, Teri Heyman

Laura Marks

Jason Apple, Sara Cortese, Bernardo Josue

Vince Tufo

Sterling Storm

Beast/Kontent/Cleaver Edit

Michael Goorjian, Connor T. MacDonald

Evan Banks, Brandy Troxler

Jason Apple

Christopher Ferreira, Justus Dobrin

Dave Berghout

Mark Everson

Jon Ettinger, Lori Joseph

Tracey Coleman

Scott Kulander, Kayla Flitcraft l-inc Design

Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce

Zoetrope Aubry Productions (ZAP)

View

Lisa Berghout, Ed Apodaca

Jim Welte

Kim Aubry

AC k NOwl ED gm

A24

Betsy Abendroth

Nicolette Aizenberg

Allied Integrated

Marketing

Allied THA

Gunnar Almer

Amazon Studios

Maya Annand

Ed Arentz

Amy Astley

Krissy Bailey

Barbro Osher Pro

Suecia Foundation

Nat Baruch

BAWIFM

Peter Belsito

Sheila Benson

Dan Berger

Bob Berney

Andrea Bertolini

Luke Bird

Tim Bird

Adam Bittner

Bleeker Street

David Bonbright

Bruno Bossio

Adriene Bowles

Eamonn Bowles

Elizabeth Brambilla

Girija Brilliant

Larry Brilliant

Broad Green

Desiree Buford

Meghann Burns

Rita Cahill

California Newsreel

Lisa Carmel

CFI Advisory Board

CFI Board of Directors

CFI Emeritus Board

CFI Founding Board

CFI Volunteers and Interns

Brenda Chapman

Robert Chevara

Chicago Film Festival

Stephanie Clarke

Howard Cohen

Consulate General of Sweden, San Francisco

Krystal Contreras

Joni Cooper

Mike Costello

Noah Cowan

Reyna Cowan

Eric d’Arbeloff

Michelle Devereaux

Dot

Jeff Dowd

Rama Dunayevich

Annie Easton

Vicky Equia

Amir Esfandiari

Arielle Estrada

Farabi Cinema

Foundation

Blye Faust

David Fenkel

Film Fatales

Finnish Film Foundation

Rebecca Fisher

Nancy Fishman

Focus Features

Julie Fontaine

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Frameline

Alan Franey

Joao Frederici

Elizabeth Gabler

Sid Ganis

Daven Gee

Caroline Ghosn

Libby Ginsberg

John Goddard

Goethe Institut

Dan Goldberg

Debbie Goldberg

Suzanne Gray

Robin Gurland

Lynne Hale

Muriel and Murray

Hammond

JoAnn Hastings

Bob Hawk

Bob Hoffman

Ted Hope

Jörn Horaczek

Melissa Howden

Marcus Hu

Julie Huntsinger

Icelandic Film Centre

IFC

IMCINE

IRIB

John Jansheski

Martin Johnson

Ernie Johnston

Véronique Joo Aisenberg

Dustin Kaspar

Sharon Kaufman

Aaron Kayce

Pat Keaney

Sophie Keaney

Kino Lorber

Beyoncé Knowles

Rose Kuo

Anne-Marie Kurstein

Katherine Lambert

Claudia Landsberger

Kerstin Larson

Levo League

Sydney Levine

Alexandra Lexton

Erin Lim

Lionsgate Entertainment

Meredith Lipsky

Hannah Loué

Monique Luddy

Tom Luddy

Daniel Luevano

Becky MacDonald

Lindsay Macik

Magnolia Pictures

Michelle Margolis

Chrissy Mazzeo

Kate McEdwards

Kelda McKinney

Gary Meyer

Mill Valley Library

Mill Valley Merchants

Laura Minorsky

Julie Miyasato

Cornelius Moore

Clare Morris

Brighde Mullins

New York Film Festival

Sierra Nguyen

Stephanie Northen

Norwegian Film Institute

Yuko Ohmori

Mike Olcese

Open Road

Marilyn Ortiz

Paramount Pictures

Morgan Pesante

Tom Peters

Pixar

Mimi Plauché

Andrée Poirier

Tom Prassis

Sue Priolo

Elaine Proctor-Bonbright

Richard Repas

Lisa Richie

Roadside Attractions

Chris Robbins

Daniella Robinson

Rachel Rosen

Gary Rubin

Erika Salazar

San Francisco Film Society

John Sanborn

Lauren Schiller

Tom Schlesinger

Martin Schwartz

Donna Seager

Seattle International Film Festival

Jonathan Sehring

Katayoon Shahabi

Alireza Shahrokhi

Lynnette Shaw

Tiffany Shlain

David Shultz

Osnat Shurer

Melissa Silverstein

MT Silvia

Toril Simonsen

Wendy Slick

Fiske Smith

Jan Stafford

Jennifer Steinman

Jennifer Stott

Strand Releasing

Isabelle Sugimoto

Swedish Film Institute

Sweetwater Music Hall

Lisa Taback

Danielle Taormina-Keenan

Telluride Film Festival

The Weinstein Company

Blake and Bev Thorman

Kyle Thorpe

Corey Tong

Gina Truex

Sophie Tulkoff

Janet Visick

Warner Bros. Pictures

Clare Wasserman

John C. Weaver III

Valerie Weiss

Amber Wessel

Cecilia Zamora

Sue Zemel

The MVFF community includes those who are filmmakers, inventors, musicians, writers, producers, thinkers, and supporters of all stripes, all of them united in their commitment to film, storytelling and the power of creativity. We honor and miss those who passed away this year, and acknowledge the importance of each of their lives and their work to the village that is this festival.

Din A Cir Aulo

December 2, 1963–February 7, 2016

Filmmaker, professor

PAul Cox

April 16, 1940–June 18, 2016

Filmmaker

Willi AM eTr A

March 27, 1947–August 26, 2016

Video art pioneer

DA n Hi CK s

December 9, 1941–February 6, 2016

s inger-songwriter

AbbA s Ki A ros TAMi

June 22, 1940–July 4, 2016

Filmmaker

sA n Dy Pe A rl MA n

August 5, 1943–July 26, 2016

Music producer, lyricist, manager

Don A l D rA n VAu D

December 5, 1953–s eptember 5, 2016)

Producer, film journalist

l ise sW enson

August 11, 1959–June 24, 2016

Filmmaker

r ob WA sser MA n

April 1, 1952–June 29, 2016

Composer, bass player

39TH MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

REV congratulates the C alifornia Film Institute for their par ticipation in the REV Sustainability Circle® Program and their ongoing commitment to sustainability.

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venues

tHe Aters

Century CinemA 41 tamal Vista Blvd Corte madera

Century l Arkspur 500 l arkspur l anding Cir l arkspur

CinéArts sequoiA 25 throckmorton Ave mill Valley

lArk tHe Ater 549 magnolia Ave l arkspur

smitH rAfAel film Center 1118 fourth st san rafael

e Vents

7 on loCust 7 locust Ave mill Valley

ArtWorks doWntoWn 1337 fourth st san rafael

BAlBoA CAfe 38 miller Ave mill Valley

C AVAllo point 601 murray Cir, fort Baker sausalito

fr Antoio ristor Ante 152 shoreline Hwy mill Valley

Green CHile kitCHen 1335 fourth st san rafael

il dAVide 901 A st san rafael

il fornAio town Center Corte madera

lAVier l Atin fusion 1025 C st san rafael

le Comptoir 1301 fourth st san rafael

mArin Art & GArden Center 30 sir francis drake Blvd ross

mArin Country mArt 2257 l arkspur l anding Cir l arkspur

mark fishkin room 1112 fourth st san rafael molinA 17 madrona st mill Valley

outdoor Art CluB 1 W Blithedale Ave mill Valley

perry’s 234 magnolia Ave l arkspur

piA zz A d’AnGelo ristor Ante 22 miller Ave mill Valley

pizz A AntiCA 800 redwood Hwy mill Valley

pl AyA 41 throckmorton Ave mill Valley

se AGer Gr Ay GAllery 108 throckmorton Ave mill Valley

stAte room 1132 fourth st san rafael

sWeet WAter musiC HAll 19 Corte madera Ave mill Valley

tAmAlpie 477 miller Ave mill Valley

taste kitchen & table 850 fourth st san rafael

theresa & johnny’s 817 fourth st san rafael

tiBuron tAVern 1651 tiburon Blvd tiburon

valenti & co. 337 san Anselmo Ave san Anselmo Vin AntiCo 881 fourth st san rafael

zener schon

contemPorary art 23 sunnyside Ave mill Valley

filmmAker lounGes

SAN RAFAEL LOUNGE

mark fishkin room, 1112 fourth st oct 7–15 10:00am—9:00pm oct 16 10:00am—5:00pm

MILL VALLEY LOUNGE

zener schon Gallery, 23 sunnyside Ave oct 7–15 10:00am—9:00pm oct 16 10:00am—5:00pm

Shuttle Service

doWntoWn mill VAlley

Avoid any parking hassles, and take our free shuttle service between mill Valley middle school and the mill Valley depot plaza: friday–sunday 4:00–9:00pm first come, first served seating departs approximately every 30 min. Average travel time 10 min.

FILMMAkER chEck- IN: oct 6 10:00am—5:00pm oct 7–15 10:00am—6:00pm oct 16 10:00am—2:00pm

FILMMAk ER hAppY hOUR: 5:00–7:00pm

Access to all “l” badge holders, including Cfi members, premiere patron level and above.

Get fully immersed in cinema at the filmmaker lounge! experience film through the latest Vr (Virtual reality) technology sponsored by samsung.

ticKetS

mvff.com

877.874.MvFF (6833) boxoffice@cafilm.org

box offices

sAn rAfAel

1020 B st (see map left)

sept 11

2:00–6:00pm premier patron and above

sept 12 4:00–8:00pm director’s Circle and above sept 13 4:00–8:00pm Gold star and above

sept 15–16 4:00–8:00pm All Cfi members sept 17– oct 5 4:00–8:00pm General public

oct 6–16 one hour before first screening of the day to 15 min after last show starts

mill VAlley

zener schon Gallery, 23 sunnyside Ave

sept 17– oct 5 11:00am–3:00pm

Chamber of Commerce, 85 throckmorton Ave

oct 6–16 one hour before first screening of the day 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 | l ark t heater | Century l arkspur 4

Pricing

General admission

Cfi members

seniors (65+)

students

$15.00

$12.50

$13.50

the Ater ruleS & FeStivAl GuiDeliNeS

ArriVe e Arly

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.

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

entry to theaters occurs in the following order: Line Line Line Rush

seat saving is not allowed.

outside food and beverages are not permitted. All cell phones and e-devices must be turned off prior to program introduction.

the use of cameras and other recording equipment is strictly prohibited during all screenings and programs. take personal items and trash with you as you exit.

reserVed se Ats

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

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

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

rush tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis approximately 15 minutes prior to showtime.

no discounts

$10.00 (all ages)

$13.50 (purchase online or in person. present student id at box office) family films

5@5 programs

$9.00

convenience fees: (All fees are nonrefundable)

mail $3.75 per order o nline $1.75 per ticket phone $10.00 per order

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.

patrons have a 90% success rate of getting into shows through the rush line, but we recommend lining up early.

ACCessiBility

mVff is committed to accommodating audience members with disabilities, offering early seating as needed. 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, l ark theater, Century l arkspur, and Century Cinema Corte madera.

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.

Ace & Jig

Adina Mills

AMO

Amy Nordström

A Peace Treaty

Dodo Bar Or

Electric Feathers

Elena Calabrese Decor

Etienne Marcel

Figue

Heidi Merrick

Just Say Native

KOCH

Lan Jaenicke

Lem Lem

LOVE by Binetti

Love Shack Fancy

Marion McKee

McGuire

Miranda Bennett

OZMA

Pepin

Road Twenty-Two

ROX by Mindy Jill

Swildens

Stick & Ball

VOZ

Yvonne S.

Zadig & Voltaire

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 39th Mill Valley Film Festival

3Deee Mirrors

Franklin Londin franklinlondin@yahoo.com

20th Century Wo M en A24 a24films.com

24 Weeks

Beta Cinema

Cosima Finkbeiner cosima.finkbeiner@betacinema.com

Abe & ike Christian Long Christianzjlong@gmail.com

A Dren A line

John Morrison jmorrison@cafilm.org

After the s tor M Film Movement

Maxwell Wolkin maxwell@filmmovement.com

A M eriCA n PA stor A l Lionsgate lionsgate.com

AniMAteD A M useM ents

Bob Venezia bob@chairboy.com

Another tiM e Side Gig Productions Autumn McAlpin autumn.mcalpin@gmail.com

AquA rius Vitagraph FIlms david@vitagraphfilm.com

the ArChiteC t Parker Film Company

Jonathan Parker info@parkerfilmcompany.com

ArrivA l

Paramount Pictures

Betsy Abendroth babendroth@alliedim.com

As if to sAy Kerry Bishe kbishe@gmail.com

Astro, nAught

Cheri Gaulke cgaulke@hw.com

At eA se

Jacob Kirby jacoblkirby@gmail.com

the bACChus lADy M-Line Distribution mline-distribution.com

bAD hA bits

Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz & Lyntoria Newton pgonzo@stanford.edu

bADen bADen

MUBI

Samuel Blanc samuel.blanc@jour2fete.com

the bA ll AD of freD

hersCh

Swell Cinema

Carrie Lozano carrie.lozano@gmail.com

bA ng! the b ert b erns s tory HCTN, LLC

Bob Sarles bsarles@aol.com

bA siC h u MA n neeDs

Jesse Block crissyfieldmedia@yahoo.com

the b enCh

Cameron Burnett cam@burnettfilmgroup.com

b enCh CineMA Farabi Cinema Foundation Amir Esfandiari fcf1@dpi.net.ir

b est A n D Most b e Autiful things

Ariana Garfinkel ariana@carriagehousepictures.com

b leeD for this Open Road Films ebuckingham@openroadfilms.com

b luey

Cult Pictures

Heather Oxenham heather.oxenham@sbs.com.au

borroW eD tiM e

Amanda Deering Jones borrowedtimeshort@gmail.com

the b ri D ge Lucy Eagleson lucy@outsidethelens.org

b ur Den

Magnolia Pictures

Martin Wendel mwendel@magpictures.com

C A liforni A t y Pe W riter

American Buffalo Pictures

Doug Nichol dougnichol@mac.com

CertA in Wo M en IFC Films ifcfilms.com

Ch AD gADyA

Nina Paley nina@ninapaley.com

the Chil D A n D the De AD

Marc Ripper marc@fortripper.com

Christine The Orchard

Dan Goldberg dgoldberg@theorchard.com

CirCus k i D Lorenzo Pisoni lorenzo.pisoni@gmail.com

Clou Ds Braincase Media Inc. Diego Maclean diegomaclean@gmail.com

Co MPA ny toW n Snitow-Kaufman Productions secrets@igc.org

the Confessions

Mike Repsch mike@bgpics.com

CresCite Dulcinea Productions, LLC. Will Agee wnagee@gmail.com

DA e W it

Fabian Driehorst fabian@fabianfred.com

DAughters of the Dust

Cohen Film Collection

Tim Lanza tlanza@cohenbrothers.com

the De A n sCre AM

Sidestilt

Amy Storkel amystorkel@gmail.com

De Ath by Design

The Tech Movie c/o Ambrica Productions

Nusha Balyan nusha@ambrica.com

De Ath in sA r A jevo

The Match Factory

Sergi Steegmann sergi.steegmann@matchfactory.de

Debbie’s feet

Mara Topic maratopic@gmail.com

DefloW ereD W ith the M A rines

Merry Jane Georgette Angelos georgette@merryjane.com

Deni A l Bleeker Street Media bleeckerstreetmedia.com

Devil’s b ri De Finnish Film Institute

Jenni Domingo jenni.domingo@ses.fi

Di A ni A n D Devine Meet the A P o CA ly P se Diani & Devine Productions

Gabriel Diani & Etta Devine info@dianianddevine.com

Do not r esist

Vanish Films

Laura Hartrick laura@vanishfilms.com

DoW n south Studio-B-AMS Bob yothers bobyothers@gmail.com

Dre AM Diana y ip dyip@bavc.org

the eAgle h untress Sony Pictures Classics sonyclassics.com

egon sChiele: De Ath A n D the M A i Den Picture Tree International picturetree-international.com

ell A b renn A n: Co MMA n Ding the tA ble Iwerks & Co. Michael Tang michael@iwerksandco.com

elle

Sony Pictures Classics sonyclassics.com

eM bA rgo on love Cheri Gaulke cgaulke@hw.com

fAther A n D DAughter SND Films www.sndfilms.com

fin Ding j ustiCe: en Ding the sChool to Prison

PiPeline y MCA

Don Carney dcarney@ymcasf.org

fin Ding osCA r The Kennedy/Marshall Company Ryan Suffern rsuffern@gmail.com

fire At se A

Kino Lorber kinolorber.com

the firefly girls

Katie Micay kmmicay@gmail.com

fr A ntz

Music Box Films

yasmine Garcia ygarcia@musicboxfilms.com

fukushiMA , Mon A M our The Match Factory Sergi Steegmann sergi.steegmann@matchfactory.de

fulfil AM ent

Rhiannon Evans fulfilamentfilm@gmail.com

the gift

Marza Animation Planet, Inc. Haruhiro Uchida uchida@marza.com

giMM e DA nger

Magnolia Pictures

Martin Wendel mwendel@magpictures.com

girl flu

Free Chicken Films

David K. Wilson davidkwilson3@gmail.com

the girl Who sP oke C At Dotty Kultys dkultys@gmail.com

green is gol D Wildfire Finishing

Aaron Peak info@wildfirefinishing.com

green thu M b Stonehouse Pictures

Phil Lorin phil@stonehousepictures.com

the groove is not trivi A l

Tommie Dell Smith tommied@sonic.net

the groun D is b re Athing Ali Pour Issa ali.pourissa@aya.yale.edu

the hA n DMA i Den Magnolia Pictures

Martin Wendel mwendel@magpictures.com

hi DDen s tereo tre A sures

Robert Bloomburg rgb3d@comcast.net

hi DDen Worl Ds

Robert Bloomburg rgb3d@comcast.net

honky C At Tamarama Studios, LLC. Tamara Hahn tammyhahn3@gmail.com

i A M not A Mouse

Evgenia Golubeva jane.golubeva@gmail.com

i, DA niel b l A ke IFC Films

Kim Kalyka kim.kalyka@ifcfilms.com

i Don’t C A re John Sanborn sanborn707@aol.com

i r eM eM ber you Redbarre Media

Alan Green marisa@redbarremedia.com

i tAW t i tAW A Pu DDy tAt Warner Brothers Classics warnerclassics.com

iCA ros: A v ision

The Film Collaborative thefilmcollaborative.org

in Dubious bAttle

AMBI Distribution

JJ Nugent j.nugent@ambidistribution.com

inner Workings

Garth Burkhard Garth.Burkhard@disney.com

insi De o ut

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures waltdisneystudios.com

iq A luit

Seville International Ruby Rondina RRondina@filmsseville.com

isl A tr A en A

Freddy Syborn freddysyborn@gmail.com

j ereM i A h toW er: the lA st M AgnifiCent The Orchard

Dan Goldberg dgoldberg@theorchard.com

j oe’s v iolin

Raphaela Neihausen joesviolin@gmail.com

j ulietA

Sony Pictures Classics sonyclassics.com

kAtie sAys goo Dbye

Relic Pictures

Eric Schultz eric@relicpictures.com

k eePer

Be For Films Claire Battistoni festival@beforfilms.com

k ePler’s Dre AM Sedge Thomson producer@keplersdream.com

k illing the CoAt Biscuit Filmworks

Shawn Lacy Shawn@biscuitfilmworks.com

k niCk k n ACk

Pixar Animation Studios Chris Wiggum cwiggum@pixar.com

lA lA lA n D

Summit Entertainment lionsgate.com

lADy of PA int Creek Alexia Salingaros alexiasalingaros@me.com

lAM b KimStim Mika Kimoto mika@kimstim.com

lAM entAtion HouseSpecial Lourri Hammack hello@housespecial.com

lA n D legs

Stray Dogs Andréa Wacquin servicing@imediate.fr

lA n D of Mine

Sony Pictures Classics sonyclassics.com

the lA st DA l A i lAMA? Lemle Pictures

Emily Mode lemlepix@att.net

A lAte s tyle of fire: lA rry levis, A M eriCA n Poet

Michele Poulos mepoulos@gmail.com

lifteD

Sunrise Productions

Tim Keller tim@sunrise.co.za

like Cr A zy BAC Films Franka Schwabe f.schwabe@bacfilms.fr

lion

The Weinstein Company weinsteinco.com

the l ittle sPi Der SAF Cakovec Jasminka Bijelic Ljubic saf@ck.t-com.hr

the long night of fr A nCisCo sA nC tis Films Boutique Giorgia Huelsse giorgia@filmsboutique.com

lost in b lue Gabriel Gaurano gabegaurano@gmail.com

lost in PA ris Oscilloscope oscilloscope.net

love is thiCker th A n WAter

Jinga Films Rosana Coutinho rosana@jingafilms.com

A love PoeM to My frien D e thel Wendy Slick wendy.slick@gmail.com

love tW iCe

Citizen Cinema Rob Nilsson rnilsson@robnilsson.com loving Focus Features focusfeatures.com

lu Pe u n Der the sun Rodrigo Reyes mrrodrigoreyes@gmail.com

A M A n C A lleD ove Music Box Films yasmine Garcia ygarcia@musicboxfilms.com

M A nChester by the se A Roadside Attractions roadsideattractions.com

M AyA Angelou: A n D s till i r ise

The Film Collaborative thefilmcollaborative.org

Mifune: the lA st sAM ur A i Celluloid Dreams Pascale Ramonda pascale@pascaleramonda.com

Miss hokusA i GKIDS

Chance Huskey chance@gkids.com

Mo Dern houses

Maraquita Films

Matthew Dixon mdixon2372@aol.com

Molly Monster

Global Screen GmbH Gisela Wiltschek gisela.wiltschek@globalscreen.de

Mo M A n D other loonies in the fAM ily Cinema-Film Kft Gábor Garami garami@cinemafilm.hu

Mon DAy nights At seven MNA7 Productions

Laura Keys info@mna7.com

A Monster C A lls Focus Features focusfeatures.com

Moonlight A24

Lauren Elmer lauren@a24films.com

the Mulberry b ush Contemptible Entertainment Tim Harms tharms@me.com

Mu M is Wrong Kinology

Grégoire Graesslin festivals@kinology.eu

MusiC sAveD My life

Cheri Gaulke cgaulke@hw.com

My fAvorite tree SAF Cakovec

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

My love AffA ir W ith the b r A in: the life A n D sCienCe of Dr. M A ri A n Di AM on D Luna Productions

Catherine Ryan catherine@lunaproductions.com

My sCientology Movie

Magnolia Pictures Martin Wendel mwendel@magpictures.com

nA sCent

Lindsay Branham lindsay@dtj.org

nelly

Seville International

Ruby Rondina RRondina@filmsseville.com

neru DA

The Orchard Dan Goldberg dgoldberg@theorchard.com

ne W DiM ensions Robert Furmanek threedarchive@yahoo.com

the ne W

environM entA lists: fro M Peru to tA nz A ni A Mill Valley Film Group

John Antonelli mvfg@aol.com Will Parrinello willmvfg@gmail.com

ne W Mo’ Cut: DAvi D PeoPles’ lost fil M of Moe’s books Quirkeley Siciliana Trevino sicitrevino@gmail.com

the nine Marc Smolowitz marcsmolowitz@gmail.com

An objeC t At r est

Seth Boyden sethboyden@alum.calarts.edu

oCCu P y, tex A s The Neboya Collective Gene Gallerano genegallerano@gmail.com

oDDbA ll (short) Joshua Moore info@joshuasmoore.com

oDDbA ll Global Screen GmbH

Gisela Wiltschek gisela.wiltschek@globalscreen.de

one Week A n D A DAy Oscilloscope oscilloscope.net

PA int it b l ACk

Tangerine Entertainment

Juan Mateo Menendez juan@tang-ent.com

PA ris C A n WA it American Zoetrope James Mockoski mockoski@gmail.com

PAterson Amazon Studios studios.amazon.com

PiPer

Pixar Animation Studios

Chris Wiggum cwiggum@pixar.com

the Ple A sure is Mine Capricci Films

Julien Rejl international@capricci.fr Polk A Dott Cynthia Pepper cpepperdance@aol.com

Pool FIlmes de Vagabundo Amina Jorge paraamina@gmail.com

the ProbleM W ith frien Ds Jeff Boller simplecarnival@comcast.net

A quiet PA ssion

Music Box Films yasmine Garcia ygarcia@musicboxfilms.com

the r eD t urtle

Sony Pictures Classics sonyclassics.com

the r en Dezvous Manage-ment

Dan Halsted dh@manage-ment.com

rolling PAPers

Listen Productions Mitch Dickman mitch@listenproductions.com

the sA lesMA n Cohen Media Group cohenmedia.net

the seCret s tory

TCT Ventures Brian Applegarth briancapplegarth@gmail.com

A serious gAM e Swedish Film Institute filminstitutet.se/en

she Coll Age

Kate Lain kate@katemakesfilms.com

she s tA rteD it First Round Films, LLC Nora Poggi, Insiyah Saeed nora.poggi@gmail.com

soA r Alyce Tzue alyce.tzue@gmail.com

solo

True Colours

Francesca Tiberi francesca@truecolours.it

so M e thing Elena Walf elenawalf@gmail.com

A song for you: the Austin City liM its s tory The Film Collaborative thefilmcollaborative.org

sPlotCh Dan McHale djmchale@gmail.com

s tA r WA rs, ePiso De iv: A ne W hoPe 21st Century Fox 21cf.com

s tA r WA rs, ePiso De v: the eMPire s trikes bACk LucasFilm, Ltd. lucasfilm.com

s tA r WA rs, ePiso De vi: r eturn of the j eDi LucasFilm, Ltd. lucasfilm.com

s tA r Dust seren ADe Kathleen Quillian kathleen.quillian@gmail.com

s teM s Ainslie Henderson ainslieainslie@gmail.com

s teP 9

Citizen Skull

Leonora Pitts leeleepitts@gmail.com

s tolen youth: PolitiCA l Prisoner of the DiC tAtorshiP Abuela Luna Pictures Sofia Englund sofia@abuelaluna.com

the s tory of three r ings: A MeM oir of DA n A sCh WA rtz Cheri Gaulke cgaulke@hw.com

s trings AttACheD

HCTV

Harris Cohen forhnc@comcast.net

the Ater of l ife

Seville International

Ruby Rondina RRondina@filmsseville.com

things to Co M e Les Films du Losange filmsdulosange.fr

three Pl ACes

Ronald Chase rchase@chaseartfilm.com

thun Derstru Ck

Sunrise Productions

Tim Keller tim@sunrise.co.za

to MM y Marcello Peschiera bellowsfilms@gmail.com

toni er DMA nn

Sony Pictures Classics sonyclassics.com

Jennie Marie Adler

Forrest Alvarez

John Antonelli

Doreen Aviv

Rob Becker

Ralph Berets

Richard Burg

Kelley Busby

Frank Chan

Harris Cohen

Teresa Concepcion

Jacqueline Cormier

Anna Cosentine

Jim Daly

Frieda de Lackner

Emma Penaz Eisner

Daniel Eisweirth

Suzanne Engelberg

Karina Epperlein

Dave Feiferis

toW er Kino Lorber kinolorber.com

the tr ADer

Manuel Alvarez Diestro malvarezdiestro1@yahoo.com

tW insburg

Jog Films

Kyle Parker kyle@jogfilms.com

u nle A sheD Blue Fox Entertainment Todd Slater todd@bluefoxentertainment.com

v ir A l

Nick Jackson jacksonnicolas@me.com

v isitor’s DAy

Nicole Opper Productions Nicole Opper nicoleopp@gmail.com

WA sheD AWAy

KTF Films

Dana Nachman dana@ktffilms.com

Pr IN t S OU r CES

WAterbeD

Ronald Chase rchase@chaseartfilm.com

WeeD: the s tory of M A rijuA n A Oddball Films oddballfilms.com

WelCo M e to nor WAy! Norwegian Film Institute nfi.no/english

Wh At hAPPeneD to her Kristy Guevara-Flanagan kristy@vaquerafilms.com

Wh At’s in the DA rkness China Film International Jack Lee jack.lee@cfi-sh.com

Working for Pe A nuts

Garth Burkhard Garth.Burkhard@disney.com

yA suni M A n Pollywog Productions LLC Ryan Patrick Killackey ryan.killackey@gmail.com

Sc REENING coMMITTEE

Burton Fisher

Samuel Pennington Fisk

Lara Jean Gallagher

Adam Gascho

Catherine Granville

Justine Gubar

Maribel Guevara

Shaleece Haas

Jennifer Hammett

Sandy Handsher

Aaron L Hansen

John Harden

Hilary Hart

Jarret Hendrickson

Melissa Hickey

Hayden Hicks

Winn Kalmon

Nancy Kelly

Mark Lipman

Frako Loden

Anthony Loeb

Leah LoSchiavo

Laurence Mazouni

Berta McDonnell

Christine McKoy

Maria Mealla

Becky Mertens

Marilyn Mulford

Katie Norby

Kathleen O’Hara

Ken O’Neil

Venus Oriane

Radica Ostojic-Portello

Alece Oxendine

Joanne Parsont

Mark Phillips

Francesca Prada

Kenn Rabin

Maureen Keating Rader

Jeremy Rall

you Will k noW Wh At to Do W ith Me

Paula Astorga paula.astorga@gmail.com

you’re k illing Me, susA n A

Cuevano Films

Roberto Sneider guy@labandafilms.com

zh A leik A DFFB

Anna Zaluska a.zaluska@dffb.de

zoology

New Europe Film Sales Ewa Bojanowska ewa@neweuropefilmsales.com

Eva Reale

Kei Sato

Emmy Scharlatt

Mary Scott

Starr E. Shulman

Dale Sophiea

Jesse Spencer

Cathy Summa-Wolfe

Nomi Talisman

Benjamin Thornton

Tom Valens

Delfin Vigil

Leah Warshawski

Erin Wiegand

Lori Wright

Kenji yamamoto

Angie young

Abas Zadfar

Marin’s News

Print | Online | Mobile | Tablet

* Denotes country of interest

Argentin A

The Long Night of Francisco

Sanctis

Stolen youth: Political Prisoner of the Dictatorship

Austr A li A

Bluey

Lion

Modern Houses

Moulin Rouge!

Oddball

Austri A

Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden

Toni Erdmann

b elgiu M

Baden Baden

Elle

Father and Daughter

I, Daniel Blake

Keeper

Mum Is Wrong

A Quiet Passion

The Red Turtle

bosni A A n D

herzogovin A

The Bridge

Death in Sarajevo

b r A zil

Aquarius

Pool

yasuni Man*

b ulgA ri A

Mom and Other Loonies in the Family

Zhaleika*

C AM bo Di A

The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania*

C A n ADA

California Typewriter*

Clouds

Finding Oscar

Iqaluit

Nelly

Theater of Life

Centr A l AfriCA n r ePubliC

Nascent*

Chile

Neruda

Chin A

Death by Design*

The Last Dalai Lama?*

What’s in the Darkness

Colo M bi A

yasuni Man*

CroAti A

The Little Spider

My Favorite Tree

DenMA rk

Land of Mine

Do M iniCA n r ePubliC

Joe’s Violin*

eCuAD or Debbie’s Feet

yasuni Man*

e thioPi A

Lamb

finl A n D

Devil’s Bride

fr A nCe

Baden Baden

California Typewriter*

The Confessions

Death in Sarajevo

Elle

Fire at Sea

Frantz

I, Daniel Blake

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent

Katie Says Goodbye

Land Legs

Like Crazy Lost in Paris

Mum Is Wrong

Paris Can Wait*

The Red Turtle

The Salesman

She Started It*

Splotch*

Things to Come

Zoology

ger MA ny

24 Weeks

Baden Baden*

Daewit

Devil’s Bride*

Elle

Frantz

Fukushima, Mon Amour

Land of Mine

Molly Monster

Mom and Other Loonies in the Family

Pool*

Solo*

Some Thing

Things to Come

Toni Erdmann

Zhaleika Zoology

guAteMA l A

Finding Justice: Ending the School to Prison Pipeline*

Finding Oscar

h ungA ry

Mom and Other Loonies in the Family

iCel A n D

The Trader*

in Di A

California Typewriter* Lion*

ir A n

Bench Cinema

The Ground Is Breathing Monday Nights at Seven*

The Salesman

irel A n D

BANG! The Bert Berns Story*

Death by Design*

isr A el

One Week and a Day

itA ly

The Confessions

Fire at Sea

Like Crazy

Solo

Theater of Life*

jAPA n

After the Storm

Fukushima, Mon Amour*

The Gift

The Handmaiden*

Mifune: The Last Samurai

Miss Hokusai

The Red Turtle

j or DA n

The Rendezvous*

luxeMbourg

Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden

MexiCo

Crescite*

Love Twice*

Lupe Under the Sun

Monday Nights at Seven*

The Pleasure Is Mine

Visitor’s Day you Will Know What to Do with Me

you’re Killing Me, Susana

Mongoli A

The Eagle Huntress

netherl A n Ds

Bad Habits*

Down South*

Father and Daughter

Love Is Thicker Than Water nor WAy

Isla Traena*

Welcome to Norway!

Peru

Icaros: A Vision

The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania* yasuni Man*

Pol A n D

Joe’s Violin*

The Girl Who Spoke Cat ro MA ni A

Lamentation*

russiA

I Am Not a Mouse*

Joe’s Violin*

Zoology

sCotl A n D

The Groove Is Not Trivial*

slovA ki A

The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania*

south AfriCA

Lifted Thunderstruck

south kore A

The Bacchus Lady

The Handmaiden

sPA in

The Groove Is Not Trivial*

Julieta A Monster Calls

The Trader yasuni Man*

sW eDen

Devil’s Bride*

A Man Called Ove

Molly Monster

A Serious Game

Stolen youth: Political Prisoner of the Dictatorship

sW itzerl A n D

Keeper*

Molly Monster

tA i WA n

Soar*

tA nz A ni A

The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania*

tibet

The Last Dalai Lama?*

BANG! The Bert Berns Story*

Denial

The Eagle Huntress

Father and Daughter

Fulfilament

Gimme Danger*

The Girl Who Spoke Cat

I Am Not a Mouse

I, Daniel Blake

Isla Traena

Kepler’s Dream*

Lion

Love Is Thicker Than Water

Loving My Scientology Movie

A Quiet Passion Stems

u ruguAy

Rolling Papers*

3Deee Mirrors

20th Century Women

Abe & Ike

Adrenaline

American Pastoral

Animated Amusements

Another Time

The Archer

The Architect

Arrival

As If to Say

Astro, Naught

At Ease

Bad Habits

The Ballad of Fred Hersch

BANG! The Bert Berns Story

Basic Human Needs

The Bench

Best and Most Beautiful Things

Bleed for This

Borrowed Time

Burden

California Typewriter

Certain Women

Chad Gadya

The Child and the Dead

Christine

Circus Kid

Company Town

The Confessions*

Crescite

Daughters of the Dust

The Dean Scream

Death by Design

Deflowered with the Marines

Denial

Diani and Devine Meet the Apocalypse

Do Not Resist

Down South

Dream

The Eagle Huntress

Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table

Embargo on Love

Finding Justice: Ending the School to Prison Pipeline

Finding Oscar

The Firefly Girls

The Gift*

Gimme Danger

Girl Flu

Green Is Gold Green Thumb

The Groove Is Not Trivial

The Hi De Ho Show

Hidden Stereo Treasures

Hidden Worlds

Honky Cat

I Don’t Care

I Remember you

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat

Icaros: A Vision

In Dubious Battle

Inner Workings

Inside Out

Jeremiah Tower: The Last

Magnificent

Joe’s Violin

Katie Says Goodbye Kepler’s Dream

Killing the Coat

Knick Knack

La La Land

Lady of Paint Creek

Lamentation

The Last Dalai Lama?

A Late Style of Fire: Larry Levis, American Poet

Lion

Lost in Blue

A Love Poem to My Friend Ethel

Love Twice

Loving

Lupe Under the Sun

Manchester by the Sea

Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise

Mifune: The Last Samurai

Modern Houses

Monday Nights at Seven

A Monster Calls

Moonlight

Moulin Rouge!

The Mulberry Bush

Music Saved My Life

My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond

My Scientology Movie*

Nascent

New Dimensions

The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania

New Mo’ Cut: David Peoples’ Lost Film of Moe’s Books

The Nine

An Object at Rest

Occupy, Texas

Oddball

Paint It Black

Paris Can Wait

Paterson

Piper

Polka Dott

Pressure

The Problem with Friends

The Rendezvous

Rolling Papers

The Secret Story

She Collage

She Started It

Soar

A Song for you: The Austin City Limits Story

Splotch

Standing at the Scratch Line Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Stardust Serenade

Step 9

Stolen youth: Political Prisoner of the Dictatorship

The Story of Three Rings: A Memoir of Dana Schwartz

Strings Attached

Three Places

Tommy Tower

Twinsburg

Unleashed

Viral

Visitor’s Day

Washed Away

Waterbed

Weed: The Story of Marijuana

What Happened To Her Working for Peanuts

yasuni Man

you’re Killing Me, Susana*

v ietn AM

She Started It*

WA les

Love Is Thicker Than Water*

ziM bA bW e

Lifted*

Thunderstruck*

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Abel, Dominique

Lost in Paris

Ade, Maren

Toni Erdmann 149

Agee, Will Crescite 122

Almodóvar, Pedro Julieta 131

Andò, roberto

The Confessions 122

Antonelli, john

The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania 113

Applegarth, b rian

The Secret Story 114

Atkinson, Craig

Do Not Resist 125

Audelo- ruiz, felix

The Story of Three Rings: A Memoir of Dana Schwartz 152

August, Pernilla

A Serious Game

barillaro, Alan Piper

barry, j eff

Occupy, Texas

barton, Dorie Girl Flu

baxter, r yon

Green Is Gold 128

bayona, j.A.

A Monster Calls 140

McAlpin, Autumn Another Time 114

b elinchon, s ergio

The Trader 115

b ell, o tto

The Eagle Huntress 125

b erner, Dieter

Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden 125

b erns, b rett

BANG! The Bert Berns Story

b errached, Anne zohra

24 Weeks

bishe, kerry

As If to Say

bishop, todd

Deflowered with the Marines

b lock, j esse

Basic Human Needs

b loomberg, robert

Hidden Stereo Treasures 115

Hidden Worlds 115

b oland, Marielle Dream

b oller, j eff

The Problem with Friends

b ose, navin

Lost in Blue

b oyden, s eth

An Object at Rest

b ranham, l indsay Nascent

b ruhn, Matthias Molly Monster

b urnett, Cameron The Bench

Campos, Antonio Christine 121

Cantell, saara

Devil’s Bride 124

Caraballo, l eonor Icaros: A Vision 130

Catlin, Michael W.

I Remember you 113

Chan-wook, Park

The Handmaiden 129

Chazelle, Damien

La La Land 32, 133

Coats, Andrew

Borrowed Time 114

Collardey, samuel

Land Legs 133

Cooperman, k ahane

Joe’s Violin 129

Coppola, eleanor

Paris Can Wait 144

Ćorić, Dominik

The Bridge 152

Cortez, v incent

Finding Justice: Ending the School to .

Czarnowski, k ai

Dash, j ulie Daughters

Dawes, b rent

richard

gabriel

goddinho, l eandro

Pool 115

golubeva, evgenia

I Am Not a Mouse 113

gordon, fiona

Lost in Paris 136

g rannan, k aty

The Nine 142

g rimani, sophie

Adrenaline 152

guevara- flanagan, k risty

What Happened to Her 114 hahn, tamara

Honky Cat 114

hamou- l hadj, l ou

Borrowed Time 114

hannah, jack

Working for Peanuts 115

hansen- l øve, Mia

Things to Come 148

hara, keiichi

Miss Hokusai 139

harris, emily

Love Is Thicker Than Water 136

henderson, Ainslie

Stems 113, 114

hercules, b ob

Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise 138 herschend, hannah

Three Places 152

holm, hannes

A Man Called Ove 137 hong, elly

The Story of Three Rings: A Memoir of Dana Schwartz 152

issa, Ali Pour

The Ground Is Breathing 113 iwerks, l eslie

Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table 126

j -yong, e

The Bacchus Lady 118

jackson, Mick

Denial 124

jackson, nick

Viral 152

jansen, David Daewit 114

jarmusch, jim

Gimme Danger 128

Paterson 144

j enkins, barry

Moonlight 140

johnson, Darlene

Bluey 114

k ajisa, kohei

The Gift

k asbe, jonathan Nascent

k aufman, Deborah Company Town 122

k awana, Cole

Music Saved My Life 152

kelley, k irk Lamentation 115

kershner, irvin

Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 85

k illackey, r yan Patrick yasuni Man 151

k irby, jacob

At Ease 115

kore-eda, hirokazu

After the Storm 116 kultys, Dotty

The Girl Who Spoke Cat 113

l ab ute, neil

The Mulberry Bush 113

l agarde, Charlotte

The Ballad of Fred Hersch 119

l ain, k ate She Collage 114

l ang, rachel

Baden Baden 118

l anglo, rune Denstad Welcome to Norway! 150

l arraín, Pablo Neruda 59, 142

l asseter, john Knick Knack

l emle, Mickey

The Last Dalai Lama?

l in, sacha Astro, Naught

l jubic, l inda

The Little Spider

loach, ken I, Daniel Blake

londin, franklin

3Deee Mirrors

lonergan, kenneth

long, j ustin

lorin, Phil

lozano, Carrie

The Ballad of Fred Hersch

l ucas, g eorge Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope

l uhrmann, baz

Diego

keith

Song for you:

Marquand, richard Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Marquez, francisco

The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis

Marrinan, t imothy

Martinez, Carolina

The Story of Three Rings: A Memoir of Dana Schwartz

Matalqa, Amin

Matsuda, l eo

stuart

Mc g regor, ewan

hale, Dan

Mellars, joshua Dylan Stolen youth: Political Prisoner of the Dictatorship

Micay, k atie The Firefly Girls

Miller, elisa

Pleasure Is Mine

Mills, Mike 20th Century Women

joshua

Mora, k atina Medina you Will Know What to Do with Me

Morante, l aura

Murray, k iel Green Thumb

nachman, Dana Washed Away

Akeel

newton, lyntoria

Bad Habits 114

nichol, Doug

California Typewriter 121

nichols, j eff

Loving 35, 137

nilsson, rob

Love Twice 136

norzi, Matteo

Icaros: A Vision 130

o’Callaghan, Matthew

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat 115

o kazaki, steven

Mifune: The Last Samurai 138

o pper, nicole

Visitor’s Day 150

ozon, françois

Frantz 127

Paley, nina

Chad Gadya 114

Parker, jonathan

The Architect 117

Parrinello, Will

The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania 113

Pepper, Cynthia

Polka Dott 113

Peschiera, Marcello

Tommy 152

Petkova, eliza

Zhaleika 152

Pilon, b enoit

Iqaluit 131

Pisoni, lorenzo

Circus Kid 122

Pitts, l eonora

Step 9 114

Poggi, nora

She Started It 147

Polonsky, Asaph

One Week and a Day 143

Poulos, Michele

A Late Style of Fire: Larry Levis, American Poet 134

q uillian, k athleen

Stardust Serenade 114

rahmanian, Mohammad

Bench Cinema 119

reichardt, kelly

Certain Women 121

retzlaff, j ulia

Dream 152

reyes, rodrigo

Lupe Under the Sun

ripper, k arina

The Child and the Dead 115 ripper, Marc

The Child and the Dead 115

roberts, Wayne

Katie Says Goodbye

rodriguez, Wesley Debbie’s Feet

rosenfeld, g eorge

Strings Attached 113 rosi, gianfranco Fire at Sea 127

rothman, l auren

Embargo on Love 152 r yan, Catherine

My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond 141

sader, Marty

Monday Nights at Seven 140 saeed, insiyah

She Started It 147

sainz, Priscilla gonzalez

Bad Habits

salingaros, Alexia Lady of Paint Creek

sanborn, john

I Don’t Care

sarles, b ob BANG! The Bert Berns Story

schoenberg, Dora

The Story of Three Rings: A Memoir of Dana Schwartz

s enez, guillaume Keeper

sieger, ted Molly Monster

slick, Wendy

A Love Poem to My Friend Ethel

sneider, roberto you’re Killing Me, Susana

snitow, Alan Company Town

speare, k atie Astro, Naught

Aaron

storkel, b ryan

The

syborn, freddy

siciliana

Weimberg, gary My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life

rita Coburn

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7 On Locust 186

A Party Center 177

Academy of Motion Picture

Arts & Sciences 100

Acqua Hotel 172

Alain Pinel Realtors 57, 92, 93

Allison Levenson Photography 161

Anthony Leite, DDS

The Grateful Dog, Doggy PlayCare & Wellness Center 104

Green Chile Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Helen Baldovinos - Morgan Stanley 98

ICG Magazine .

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Art Works Downtown 71

Bank of Marin

Bellam Self Storage & Boxes 86

Best Western Corte Madera Inn 64

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Body Kinetics Health Club 24

Bohemian 56

Brickley Production Services

188

Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners 163

Buzz Photo Booths

Carol Peek Fine Art 18

Cavallo Point

Chambers + Chambers Architects 14

Christopher B Smith Rafael Film Center 27

Classical KDFC

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Courtyard Mariott San Francisco, Larkspur Landing

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Delta Air Lines

Dolby Laboratories 20

East Bay Express 188

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Fort Docs 199

Frame Crafters Gallery 64

Francis Ford Coppola Winery 29

Frantoio Ristorante & Olive Oil Co 64

Frogs Hot Tubs 98

Ghilotti Construction Co 84

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Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District 82

Good Green Moving .

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iHeartMedia San Francisco 104

Il Davide Cucina Italiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Il Fornaio 52

Jackson Square Partners inside back cover

Judy’s Breadsticks/Lovesticks 38

Katie Norby - Coldwell Banker 42

KQED 50

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La Ginestra Restaurant

Lagunitas Brewing Company 106

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Le Comptoir .

Linda Walsh Real Estate 38

The Lodge at Tiburon

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The Magic Flute 56

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Marin Art & Garden Center 83

Marin Community Foundation

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Marin Convention & Visitors Bureau 105

Marin Country Mart

Marin General Hospital

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Marin Independent Journal

Marin Joe’s

Marin Magazine

Marin Municipal Water District

Marin Suites Hotel 168

Maroevich, O’Shea &

3Deee Mirrors 115

20th Century Women 65, 116 24 Weeks 116

Abe & Ike 113

Adrenaline 152

After the Storm 116

American Pastoral 53, 117

Animated Amusements 115

Another Time 114

Aquarius 117

The Archer 91

The Architect 117

Arrival 33, 118

As If to Say 114

Astro, Naught 152

At Ease 115

The Bacchus Lady 118

Bad Habits 114

Baden Baden 118

The Ballad of Fred Hersch 119

Bang! The Bert Berns Story 119

Basic Human Needs 148

The Bench 152

Bench Cinema 119

Best and Most Beautiful Things 120

Bleed for This 79, 120

Bluey 114

Borrowed Time 114

The Bridge 152

Burden 120

California Typewriter 121

Certain Women 121

Chad Gadya 114

The Child and the Dead 115

Christine 121

Circus Kid 122

Clouds 114

Company Town 122

The Confessions 122

Crescite 122

Daewit 114

Daughters of the Dust 73, 123

The Dean Scream 125

Death by Design 123

Death in Sarajevo 123

Debbie’s Feet 152

Deflowered with the Marines 114

Denial 124

Devil’s Bride 124

Diani and Devine Meet the Apocalypse 124

Do Not Resist 125

Down South 115

Dream 152

The Eagle Huntress 125

Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden 125

Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table 126

Elle 126

Embargo on Love 152

Father and Daughter 114

Finding Justice: Ending the School to Prison Pipeline 150

Finding Oscar 126

Fire at Sea 127

The Firefly Girls 115

Frantz 127

Fukushima, Mon Amour 127 Fulfilament 113

The Gift 113

Gimme Danger 128 Girl Flu 128

The Girl Who Spoke Cat 113

Green Is Gold 128 Green Thumb 114

The Groove Is Not Trivial 129

The Ground Is Breathing 113

The Handmaiden 129

The Hi De Ho Show 129

Hidden Stereo Treasures 115

Hidden Worlds 115

Honky Cat 114

I Am Not a Mouse 113

I, Daniel Blake 130

I Don’t Care 123

I Remember you 113

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat 115

Icaros: A Vision 130

In Dubious Battle 130

Inner Workings 115

Inside Out 161

Iqaluit 131

Isla Traena 115

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent 131

Joe’s Violin 129

Julieta 131

Katie Says Goodbye 41, 132 Keeper 132

Kepler’s Dream 132

Killing the Coat 115

Knick Knack 115

La La Land 32, 133

Lady of Paint Creek 152

Lamb 133

Lamentation 115

Land Legs 133

Land of Mine 134

The Last Dalai Lama? 134

A Late Style of Fire:

Larry Levis, American Poet 134

Lifted 113

Like Crazy 135 Lion 47, 135

The Little Spider 113

The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis 135

Lost in Blue 152

Lost in Paris 136

Love Is Thicker Than Water 136

A Love Poem to My Friend Ethel 141

Love Twice 136

Loving 35, 137

Lupe Under the Sun 137

A Man Called Ove 137

Manchester by the Sea 138

Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise 138

Mifune: The Last Samurai 138

Miss Hokusai 139

Modern Houses 115

Molly Monster 139

Mom and Other Loonies in the Family 139

Monday Nights at Seven 41, 140

A Monster Calls 140

Moonlight 140

Moulin Rouge! 157

The Mulberry Bush 113

Mum Is Wrong 141

Music Saved My Life 152

My Favorite Tree 113

My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond 141

My Scientology Movie 141

Nascent 113

Nelly 142

Neruda 59, 142

New Dimensions 115

The New Environmentalists: from Peru to Tanzania 113

New Mo’ Cut: David Peoples’ Lost Film of Moe’s Books 122 The Nine 142

An Object at Rest 113

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 85

Stolen youth: Political Prisoner of the Dictatorship

The Story of Marijuana

(short)

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