MVFF45 Program 2022

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The California Film Institute and Mill Valley Film Festival are located in Marin County, California, on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary homelands of the Coast Miwok, Pomo, and Wappo peoples. This includes the Southern Pomo and Graton Rancheria Tribes. These tribes were removed or displaced from their lands. We recognize this history and the harm to present-day Coast Miwok, Pomo, and Wappo peoples and to their ancestors. The California Film Institute commits to moving forward from a place of authenticity and working with present-day tribes to elevate their stories, history, and present-day legacy through film.

COVID 19 AND SAFETY We strongly advise all festival goers to exercise caution between now and the end of festival dates. The success of our festival is determined by our collective actions and considerations. Masks will be required for all indoor events and screenings except when actively eating or drinking. Proof of vaccination is not required. Visit mvff.com/covid for more in-depth information.

ACCESSIBILITY CAFILM and MVFF are committed to only using venues that have accessibility and mobility accommodations. Submit a specific accessibility or mobility request by filling out this form, or speak with one of our onsite venue managers during the festival to assist you.

If you require an ASL interpreter, please contact accessibility@cafilm.org directly at least 10 days prior to the event you require ASL assistance. Visit mvff.com/accessibility for more in-depth information about our venues and their accommodations.

CONSENT TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED California Film Institute (CAFILM) 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 CAFILM and its affiliates and representatives.

From the Director.................................................... 4

Donor Circle............................................................32

Opening Night: Glass Onion................................... 6

Rafael Donors......................................................... 34

Tribute: James Gray................................................. 8

Schedule Overview................................................ 36

Mind the Gap Award: Women Talking...................10

Initiatives + Sections...............................................42

Centerpiece: Till......................................................12

Behind the Screens................................................ 44

Directors Night.......................................................14

Mind the Gap......................................................... 48

Tribute: Brendan Fraser..........................................16

Active Cinema + İVive el cine!............................... 50

Spotlight: Daniel Giménez Cacho...........................18

MVFF Education + Family Films.............................52

Spotlight: Noah Baumbach.................................... 20

MVFF Music + Strands........................................... 54

Spotlight: Nikyatu Jusu.......................................... 22

Film Notes.............................................................. 56

Closing Night: The Good Nurse.............................24

Sponsors...............................................................228

Tickets + Navigating MVFF45................................26

MVFF45 Staff........................................................232

CAFILM Membership..............................................28

CAFILM Board of Directors + In Memoriam........234

Sponsors................................................................ 30 The Mill Valley Film Festival is presented by the California Film Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that also owns and operates the Smith Rafael Film Center, presents DocLands Documentary Film Festival each May, and offers CAFILM Education programs throughout the year. © Copyright 2022.

All rights reserved. No portion of the Mill Valley Film Festival program may be duplicated in any form without written consent from the Mill Valley Film Festival and/or the California Film Institute.

FROM THE DIRECTOR We’re back. After an almost completely streamed 2020 Mill Valley Film Festival and a smaller theatrical footprint with our hybrid festival in 2021, our world is getting back to normal. It feels great to be back and to be going big with a festival that balances anticipated award releases with sublime discoveries, pure entertainment with films that will make you think, domestic gems and international fare, and indelible narratives and gripping documentaries.

We will welcome festival-goers not just at our home bases at the Smith Rafael Film Center and the Sequoia Theatre but we are also returning to the Lark in Larkspur and adding shows at Berkeley’s BAMPFA and San Francisco’s Roxie Theater along with an online component. We will host live shows at Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Music Hall, and our signature parties 4

return, each with an outdoor element.

Speaking of outdoors, 2022 marks the Festival’s return to Mill Valley’s Outdoor Art Club.

We have so many returning filmmakers this year that it almost feels like we are mounting a class reunion. Among them, local auteur Rob Nilsson, a festival favorite since year two of MVFF, finishes his Nomad Trilogy with Faultline. Martin McDonagh—last here with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri— reunites In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in the Aran Islands beloved of his plays for The Banshees of Inisherin. When last here, Noah Baumbach charted the dissolution of a relationship with Marriage Story (MVFF42). Now, he focuses on the whole family while sending up academia and consumer culture with his adaptation of

Don Delillo’s White Noise. (And you will never look at a supermarket the same way again after witnessing Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and their movie family on their shopping forays.)

We have returning directors that are really stretching the boundaries of what cinema can do. Not to give any of their movie magic away but required viewing not just for their content but for their innovations are Alejandro González Iñárritu’s (Biutiful, MVFF33) Bardo, which employs special effects in ways we haven’t seen before, and Darren Aronofsky’s (Variety Contenders, MVFF37) The Whale, which transforms actor Brendan Fraser—the recipient of MVFF 2022 acting honors-into a 600-pound man.

Many of the films I’ve just discussed will be in the MVFF spotlight as Big Nights.

We are still finalizing guests as I write

this, but among the Big Nights are ones dedicated to Rian Johnson’s sequel to Knives Out (MVFF42), James Gray’s hotly anticipated Armageddon Time, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s elegant and erotic Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and Tobias Lindholm’s The Good Nurse, starring two festival favorites, Jessica Chastain (The Debt, MVFF33) and Eddie Redmayne, feted for his performance in The Theory of Everything at MVFF37.

Two other films tapped for Big Nights are examples of how MVFF brings the world and its concerns to you. Both, in their very different ways, concern race. Chinonye Chukwu’s (Clemency, MVFF42) Till relates the story of Emmett Till through the eyes of his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, while Nanny—director Nikyatu Jusu is the recipient of the MVFF Award for Feature Debut—looks at race, immigration, and class through the lens of a psychological thriller. The festival adds to the debate over reproductive freedom with Phyllis Nagy’s drama Call Jane. Diane Robinson’s documentary The Young Vote looks at youth-led initiatives aiming to get their

peers to the polls. Women in an isolated community respond to domestic abuse in Sarah Polley’s riveting Women Talking.

Documentarian Evgeny Afineevsky immerses us in Ukrainian in battleground in Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

We continue to program the best of international fare. Two of my favorites this year are Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan, a romantic drama from Morocco, and The Swimmers, Sally El Hosaini’s fictional rendering of swimmer Yusra Mardini’s incredible story as a Syrian refugee with Olympic dreams. And though we have retired the 5@5 moniker, the festival is still offering a wealth of shorts programs for your enjoyment. We continue to offer education programs to Bay Area youth, showcase the work of Latinx filmmakers with ¡Viva el cine!, celebrate women filmmakers with our Mind the Gap panels and activities, and amuse parents and kids alike with our family films.

documentary—that are entertaining, that are relevant to our lives, that fearlessly tackle difficult subjects or merely make us giggle will draw in an audience. It has been a tough two-and-a-half years where it sometimes felt like we would never see full theaters again. I am happy to see that fading into our collective rearview mirror and to be able to bring you the best of what Hollywood and international and independent communities have to offer once more in a big way with a festival that aims to dazzle.

Mark Fishkin Executive Director | Founder California Film Institute

I’ve always believed that films that are made well—be they drama, comedy, 5

OPENING NIGHT

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY Let’s just say that Rian Johnson has outdone himself in his wonderful new Knives Out (MVFF42) romp, bringing together a to-die-for ensemble of actors who portray a group of sometime friends—disruptors all—summoned to an exotic, futuristic island hideaway. Their mega-rich one-time leader and eccentric-genius comrade Miles (Edward Norton) has a game set up: to solve the mystery of his murder. Of course each guest has a motive, and all know each other well enough to glean what those murky motives might be. It’s looking like a weekend of fun, luxury, and designer cocktails. But curiously, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the best detective ever, has somehow landed an invitation, too. And where Benoit goes, murder is likely to follow. Buckle up as this amazing cast takes us on a riotous ride leading to a smashing climax. Irreverence abounds, hilarity ensues, one-liners are delivered with aplomb (Kate Hudson!), the uber-cool reigns (Leslie Odom Jr.), and the question remains: Whodunnit?? —Zoë Elton PROGRAM + GALA: PROGRAM ONLY: SIMULCAST HOUSE: GALA ONLY: GALA:

$110 Member / $125 General $50 Member / $55 General $40 Member / $45 General $60 Member / $70 General Marin Country Mart | 9:00-11:30pm

Thursday, October 6 . 6:00pm . Sequoia . Rafael

DIRECTOR Rian Johnson US 2022 139 min IN PERSON Rian Johnson Kathryn Hahn Leslie Odom Jr. Kate Hudson SECTION US SPONSOR Vickie Soulier

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TRIBUTE: JAMES GRAY ARMAGEDDON TIME Acclaimed writer-director James Gray fashions his own family memories into a wistful, exquisitely performed character study, taking on race, class, and the American Dream. Banks Repeta stars as Paul, a white kid living in Queens in the early 1980s, hoping to break free of his parents’ working-class suburban life and become an artist. But when he befriends Black classmate Johnny (Jaylin Webb), Paul gets a very different education. The filmmaker behind devastatingly intimate dramas such as Two Lovers works with perhaps his finest ensemble—Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong play Paul’s weary parents, with Anthony Hopkins as his affable grandfather—to excavate our current affairs. Many directors look back at their childhoods with honeyed nostalgia; Gray spits in the eye of such rose-tinged reminiscences, exploring our shared culpability in creating a nation whose dreams of a better tomorrow seem to drift ever out of reach. —Tim Grierson PROGRAM + RECEPTION: $70 Member / $55 General PROGRAM ONLY: $40 Member / $45 General

Saturday . October 8 . 6:30pm . Rafael

DIRECTOR James Gray US 2022 115 min IN PERSON James Gray SECTION US Cinema SPONSOR Wareham Development Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation

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MIND THE GAP ENSEMBLE AWARD WOMEN TALKING Powerful, committed performances by an extraordinary ensemble—including Frances McDormand, Judith Ivey, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, and Ben Whishaw—take us deep into the lives of a group of women as they confront a life-and-death decision: To remain in silence, or to leave in exile. Much of the action occurs in the confined setting of a village barn in their isolated Mennonite colony—located somewhere both far from our modern world and too painfully close for comfort— where the women gather secretly to determine a course of action in the wake of an urgent crisis that has affected all of their lives. In the supremely capable hands of director Sarah Polley (Away from Her, Stories We Tell), Miriam Toews’ best-selling novel unfolds as a deeply human drama driven by extraordinary performances in this profound, moving film. Based on true events, Women Talking is an exhilarating paragon of collective organizing and female agency that may well be the prescient wake-up call for our times. —KD Davis PROGRAM + RECEPTION: $65 Member / $70 General PROGRAM ONLY: $35 Member / $40 General

Sunday . October 9 . 5:00pm . Rafael

DIRECTOR Sarah Polley US 2022 104 min IN PERSON Frances McDormand SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Marin Community Foundation

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CENTERPIECE TILL Visually striking and moving, Till centers the story of Emmett Till through the experience of his mother, Mamie Till Mobley. It’s a powerful choice, revealing the journey of a mother for whom grief becomes action—and whose action changes history. Danielle Deadwyler as Till Mobley is brilliant, and leads a terrific cast, including Jalyn Hall, who exudes a confident charisma as Emmett, Whoopi Goldberg, and Frankie Faison. It feels as though director-screenwriter Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency, MVFF42) empowered her cast to go deep in an incredibly truthful way, creating a breathtaking drama that confirms all the promise of her earlier work with sure-handed artistry and insight. The emotional integrity of the cast is a great counterpoint to the wonderfully cinematic experience that she creates, with a confidence and style that recalls classic American film. This is a story both timeless and timely, as full of love as it is of grief. —Zoë Elton

DIRECTOR Chinonye Chukwu US 2022 85 min IN PERSON Chinonye Chukwu SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR

PROGRAM + RECEPTION: $65 Member / $70 General PROGRAM ONLY: $35 Member / $40 General SIMULCAST HOUSE: $20 Member / $25

Tuesday . October 11 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

Marin Community Foundation

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OUR BROTHERS

THE WONDER

DIRECTORS NIGHT OUR BROTHERS + THE WONDER OUR BROTHERS Police will stop at nothing to hide their misconduct in this look back with anger at the murders of Abdel Benyahia and Malik Oussekine in 1986 Paris. French director Rachid Bouchareb (Days of Glory, MVFF29) infuses this true story with the solemn air of a procedural, delivering a drama of cleansing fury.

THE WONDER Florence Pugh (Little Women) is pitch-perfect as an English nurse in 19th-century Ireland engaged to watch over an Irish “fasting girl” claiming to subsist solely on “manna from above.” Beset by her own demons, the nurse’s fate becomes tied to that of the girl, whose potential saintliness is valued far over her own life.

OUR BROTHERS DIRECTOR Rachid Bouchareb France 2022 92 min NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE IN PERSON Rachid Bouchareb THE WONDER DIRECTOR Sebastián Lelio US, UK, Ireland 2022 102 min WEST COAST PREMIERE IN PERSON Sebastián Lelio

OUR BROTHERS: Wednesday . October 12 . 7:00pm . Rafael THE WONDER: Wednesday . October 12 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

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TRIBUTE: BRENDAN FRASER THE WHALE Hinging on a career-defining performance from Brendan Fraser, The Whale is an emotionally resonant tour de force, by turns funny and devastating. Fraser plays Charlie, a 600-pound online writing teacher and fragile gay man stricken by grief. Confined to his dead-end Idaho apartment, Charlie ticks off his days binging on pizzas as visitors cycle in and out: an enabling caregiver (Hong Chau), a wayward missionary (Ty Simpkins), an angry-as-hell daughter (Sadie Sink), and an alcoholic ex-wife (Samantha Morton). Samuel D. Hunter brilliantly adapts his award-winning 2012 play, plumbing the complex nooks and crannies of religion, loss, sexuality, and literature. Ever sensitive to Fraser’s vulnerable and commanding performance, visionary director Darren Aronofsky (Variety Contenders, MVFF37) proves an ideal match for the material, giving it edge, humor, and unsentimental heft. —Randy Myers

PROGRAM + RECEPTION: $80 Member / $90 General PROGRAM ONLY: $35 Member / $40 General SIMULCAST HOUSE: $25 Member / $30

Thursday . October 13 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

DIRECTOR Darren Aronofsky US 2022 117 min WEST COAST PREMIERE IN PERSON Brendan Fraser SECTION US Cinema STRAND Spirit SPONSOR Jennifer Coslett MacCready

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SPOTLIGHT: DANIEL GIMÉNEZ CACHO BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS Named for the Buddhist concept of a transitional state between death and rebirth, and subtitled “False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” this witty epic from multiple-Oscar®-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Biutiful, MVFF33; The Revenant) centers on Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a renowned journalist and documentary filmmaker who returns to Mexico after a successful sojourn in the US. It appears that our hero is undergoing a midlife crisis of Felliniesque proportions, as he grapples with his identity, childhood memories, familial relationships, and even his two countries’ histories, in progressively surreal and outrageous vignettes.

In Silverio’s world, imagination consistently subverts reality, and Iñárritu and his collaborators, including cinematographer Darius Khondji, make the transitions appear fluid and seamless. Iñárritu’s first production in his native Mexico since his celebrated feature debut Amores perros in 2000, Bardo resonates as a personal statement about the world and the artist’s place in it. —Richard Peterson PROGRAM + RECEPTION: $65 Member / $70 General PROGRAM ONLY: $35 Member / $40 General Friday . October 14 . 6:00pm . Rafael

DIRECTOR Alejandro González Iñárritu Mexico 2022 161 min IN PERSON Daniel Giménez Cacho SECTION World Cinema INITIATIVE İViva el cine!

SPONSOR Daniel Kenyon and Michelle Marchetta Kenyon

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SPOTLIGHT: NOAH BAUMBACH WHITE NOISE Writer-director Noah Baumbach dazzles in his first film since his acclaimed Marriage Story (MVFF42 Ensemble Award) with this exquisite, epic adaptation of Don DeLillo’s 1985 National Book Award-winning novel. It is a towering achievement that folds satires of academia, consumerism, and fear of death into an exploration of the family, a theme Baumbach has so brilliantly mined throughout his career in such films as The Squid and the Whale (MVFF28) and Margot at the Wedding (MVFF30). At a Midwestern college, middle-aged Jack (Adam Driver) is a superstar professor who pioneered the field of Hitler studies. He and his fourth wife Babette (Greta Gerwig) share brainy, verbal children from their various marriages in a happy household but one threatened by both internal and external forces. Don Cheadle adds a striking supporting turn as Murray, a professor starting a new field of Elvis studies with whom Jack shares kinship and friendly rivalry. —Pam Grady PROGRAM + RECEPTION: $70 Member / $75 General PROGRAM ONLY: $40 Member / $45 General SIMULCAST HOUSE: $25 Member / $30

Sauturday . October 15 . 7:00pm . Rafael

DIRECTOR Noah Baumbach US 2022 136 min IN PERSON Noah Baumbach Recipient of the MVFF Award for Screenwriting SECTION US Cinema STRAND Grow SPONSOR Kaiser Permanente

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SPOTLIGHT: NIKYATU JUSU NANNY Nikyatu Jusu’s evocative debut feature is an immersive encounter with the duality of the immigrant experience. Anna Diop plays Aisha, a recent Senegalese immigrant who spends her days caring for the child of a wealthy New York couple while making plans to bring her young son to the United States. As she navigates her increasingly strenuous work environment, the West African water deity Mami Wata and Anansi the Spider begin to haunt her. Jusu’s deft exploration of the spiritual and emotional implications for a woman struggling to find the balance between two worlds comes to life in Diop’s stunning performance and DP Rina Yang’s dynamic cinematography. The film beautifully incorporates West African spirituality and femininity into the contemporary horror genre, creating a unique portrait that unites the ancient with the new. —Osinachi Ibe

PROGRAM + RECEPTION: $65 Member / $70 General PROGRAM ONLY: $35 Member / $40 General

Saturday . October 15 . 6:00pm . Sequoia

DIRECTOR Nikyatu Jusu US 2022 97 min IN PERSON Nikyatu Jusu Anna Diop SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Destino Fund

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CLOSING NIGHT THE GOOD NURSE Based on a true story, Tobias Lindholm’s multi-faceted feature is a dazzling shapeshifter that successfully operates on a variety of levels: as a psychological thriller, as a damning indictment of health-care bureaucracy, and as a showcase for two of our finest actors, Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. As mild-mannered, socially awkward new-hire nurse Charles Cullen, Redmayne’s ambidextrous performance is an astonishing feat, a perfectly calibrated portrait that’s shattering to behold. Counterbalancing that is Chastain’s nuanced, committed turn as his principled and hardworking fellow nurse, Amy Loughren, a single mom suffering from her own health crisis. Jody Lee Lipes’ somber cinematography further expands on The Good Nurse’s sobering themes, illustrating the shadows that can haunt the psyches of those around us. —Randy Myers

DIRECTOR Tobias Lindholm US 2022 121 min IN PERSON Tobias Lindholm Eddie Redmayne Nnamdi Asomugha SECTION US Cinema SPONSOR

PROGRAM + PARTY: PROGRAM ONLY: SIMULCAST HOUSE: PARTY ONLY: PARTY:

$85 Member / $95 General $50 Member / $55 General $35 Member / $40 General $45 member / $50 General Mill Valley Depot Plaza | 7:00-10:00pm

Sunday . October 16 . 5:00pm . Sequoia . Rafael

Jackson Square Partners

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TICKETS + NAVIGATING MVFF45 VENUES

SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER 1118 Fourth St. San Rafael CINÉARTS SEQUOIA 25 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley OUTDOOR ART CLUB 1 W Blithedale Ave, Mill Valley SWEETWATER MUSIC HALL ​​19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley LARK THEATER 549 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur ROXIE THEATER 3117 16th St, San Francisco BAMPFA 2155 Center St, Berkeley MISSION CULTURAL CENTER for LATINO ARTS 2868 Mission St, San Francisco GUIDELINES + RULES

To ensure the best experience possible and guarantee your admittance, please arrive and be in line at least 30 minutes prior for all of your scheduled screenings and events.

Seat saving is not allowed. All programs 26

except those at BAMPFA, Roxie Theater, BOX OFFICES and Sweetwater Music Hall have a priority Physical Festival Box Office locations will be available during the Festival dates only and seating in the following order: are open 1 hour prior to the first screening start time of the day and close 15 minutes RUSH post the last screening start time of the day, Outside food and beverage is not permitted at each respective venue while screenings in any of our venues. BAMPFA has a zero are scheduled. food and beverage policy.

ABC

SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

Cell phones and other notification devices 1118 Fourth St. San Rafael should be turned completely off while OUTDOOR ART CLUB attending screenings or events.

1 W Blithedale Ave, Mill Valley

The use of cameras or recording devices is LARK THEATER strictly prohibited during screenings.

Oversized bags, with the exception of medical equipment and childcare bags, will not be allowed inside of any of our venues.

All bags 12” x 12” x 6” and smaller will be permitted in. Please plan appropriately.

Reserved Seats: Please DO NOT sit in a reserved seat unless it has been arranged for you by name, badge type, or specific indication on your ticket. Please DO NOT stand next to a reserved seat in hopes of them being released. For venue safety and fire code, all aisles must be clear unless actively walking to or from your seat.

549 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur ROXIE THEATER 3117 16th St, San Francisco BAMPFA 2155 Center St, Berkeley CAFILM MEMBER TICKET SALES

Purchase tickets anytime at mvff.com/tickets PREMIER PATRON + ABOVE Sept 9 12:00pm

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE + ABOVE Sept 10 12:00pm ALL CAFILM MEMBERS Sept 11 12:00pm GENERAL PUBLIC Sept 13 12:00pm TICKET PRICES

General

CAFILM Members Seniors (65+) Students (student ID required)

$16.50 $14.00 $15.00 $8.00

Shorts Programs $10.00 Youth (12 and under) $8.00 Special events will have pricing specific to each event ONLINE PROGRAM

Stream our online program on your computer, laptop, iPad, tablet, or mobile device at watch.cafilm.org or download the CAFilm App on your Roku, AppleTV, or Amazon Firestick.

fast! Some films may have limited capacity ENTRY REQUIREMENTS and therefore have the potential to sell out. Masks will be required for all indoor MVFF45 Premier Patron, Cinema Benefactor, and Donor Circle receive a complimentary Online Pass.

Single film online admission: General $8 | CAFILM Members $6 BADGE PICKUP

Oct 1 - 5 11:00am - 5:00pm Smith Rafael Film Center Oct 7 - 15 10:00am - 8:00pm Oct 16 10:00am - 5:00pm Outdoor Art Club Badge Pickup will not be available Opening Night, Oct 6 FILMMAKER LOUNGES

OUTDOOR ART CLUB Oct 7-15 10:00am - 9:00pm Oct 16 10:00am - 5:00pm

MARK FISHKIN ROOM @ SMITH RAFAEL MVFF45 ONLINE PASS Oct 7-15 10:00am - 9:00pm CAFILM Streaming Room open to California Oct 16 10:00am - 5:00 pm residents only

ACCESS TO LOUNGES: ONLINE PASS General $145 All MVFF45 badges, tickets, CAFILM Members $105 and CAFILM Day Passes enjoy access The MVFF45 Online Pass offers access to with an

L

the festival’s online program of 20+ films, filmmaker conversations, and Q&As. Act

events, unless actively eating or drinking. Masks are strongly encouraged for outdoor events.

RUSH TICKETS

When we run out of advance tickets for an in-theater program, tickets will no longer be available for purchase ahead of time and “At Rush!” will appear on the online ticketing page — but this doesn’t necessarily mean we are sold out. Sometimes we can release a limited number of tickets on the day of the program online at noon and/or at the theater 15 minutes before showtime. For the latter option, we recommend joining the rush line 45 minutes before showtime. At the venue, rush tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

REFUND POLICY

All ticket orders are final. No refunds, exchanges, substitutions, or reprints. MVFF is not responsible for lost, stolen, forgotten, or damaged tickets. We will refund your ticket(s) if you are unable to attend a screening due to your (or anyone in your household) COVID exposure, or due to community conditions that require a screening or event cancellation. Please contact help@cafilm.org to request a refund.

CONTENT ADVISORY

Please bear in mind that our films are making their first entrances into the world before public audiences. Note that, unlike commercial cinema, the majority of our films are not yet rated. We thank you for bearing that in mind as you make your choices.

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CAFILM MEMBERSHIP With membership to the California Film Institute every night is an

Occasion

The California Film Institute relies on the support of our wonderful members to run the Mill Valley Film Festival, show amazing films year-round at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, and promote exceptional independent filmmakers in our community. Become a CAFILM member to keep the magic going all year long with free screenings of upcoming films, access to exclusive member events, and our lowest ticket prices on films and events!

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ASSOCIATE

DONOR CIRCLE

Perfect for the solo film lover, who loves watching films at the Smith Rafael Film Center or online, and receiving invitations to our exclusive member screenings. $80

Want even more? Explore our All-Access levels in the Donor’s Circle. By joining the vibrant Donor Circle community you will deepen your knowledge and appreciation of independent film through exclusive access and opportunities, while supporting a world-class independent film nonprofit organization.

FILM FAN

All of the perks of Associate membership, but for two! Perfect for couples or two friends who love to see amazing films together. $130 DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

For the festival fan, Director’s Circle members receive even earlier access to MVFF tickets and a place in our early entry line, along with all the perks of Film Fan membership. $345 PREMIER PATRON

Premier Patrons receive all of the benefits of Director’s Circle, plus earliest access to film tickets, invitations to exclusive events, and entry into the MVFF Filmmaker Lounge. $680

Your involvement at the Donor Circle level enables CAFILM to provide a platform for internationally acclaimed, established and emerging filmmakers to share their stories with our community, offer free programs to thousands of diverse Bay Area students each year, deliver tangible results in gender equity in film, support the sustainability, maintenance, and programming of a historic art house theater, and champion independent filmmakers to make impact nationwide.

To learn more about our Donor Circle levels visit cafilm.org/donor

CINEMA BENEFACTOR

Get behind-the-scenes access! With all of the Premier Patron perks, plus invitations to even more events, free tickets to films, and complimentary concession coupons at the Rafael Film Center. $1,300

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SPONSORS SIGNATURE

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH FAMILY

VICKIE SOULIER

MAJOR

PREMIER MEDIA

SILVER CIRCLE

CAFILM FRENCH CINEMA SPONSOR

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FESTIVAL CIRCLE

VAN and LYDIA MAROEVICH

MAJOR FOUNDATION SUPPORT

GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION HELLMAN FOUNDATION

NANCY P. and RICHARD K. ROBBINS FAMILY FOUNDATION

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

COUNTY OF MARIN NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS 31

DONOR CIRCLE LEADERSHIP

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH FAMILY

GORDON RADLEY

JENNIFER COSLETT MACCREADY

CHRISTINE A. SCHANTZ

NANCY P. and RICHARD K. ROBBINS FAMILY FOUNDATION

MICHAEL and SUSAN SCHWARTZ FUND

VICKIE SOULIER INVESTOR

JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS KEN and JACKIE BROAD FAMILY FUND DESTINO FUND GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION DANIEL KENYON and MICHELLE MARCHETTA KENYON

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MOBLEY FAMILY FUND

HENRY TIMNICK PLATINUM

KAMALA GEROUX-BERRY and DAVID BERRY MAGGIE O’DONNELL and JOSH FLOUM JONATHAN and DEBORAH PARKER

SILVER

ROBERT SCHROEDL

NANCY ABODEELY

ERIC SCHWARTZ and MAGDA WESSLUND

SHANA CHRYSTIE ALICE CORNING STEPHANIE DIMARCO MICHAEL DYETT and HEIDI RICHARDSON DENNIS P. FISCO and PAMELA POLITE FISCO GRISWOLD FAMILY FUND, BOB and ALEX GRISWOLD MAUREEN GROPER MARGARET HAAS LYNNE HALE TOM and BARBARA HARRISON ANDREE and JOHN JANSHESKI WILLA JEFFERSON-STOKES K.C. and STEVE LAUCK JAN and JESSICA LINK CLARE MCCAMY CATHERINE MCKOWN KENNETH and VERA MEISLIN STEPHEN and MARY MIZROCH JAMES MOCHIZUKI of FRIENDS PRODUCTIONS LINDA MORGAN CATHY and ROBERT NOURAFSHAN THE JAY PRITZKER FOUNDATION

RICHARD J. IDELL and SUSAN KORNBLATT IDELL ELISABETH and HOWARD JAFFE

JANN STANLEY and SOREN DALSAGER

RAY and CARLA KALISKI

MONA STEINBERG

AMY KEROES

LIVIA STONE PATRICIA TANOURY

JOE and MARGARET KEON CAROLINE LABE JACQUI LOPEZ

BRONZE

CYNTHIA MARAM

JANE BAY

JOHN and CINDY McCAULEY

THE NEWTON and ROCHELLE BECKER ROSEMARY and KEVIN McNEELY CHARITABLE TRUST - DAVE and ANN HARRISON MILLER PECKENPAUGH BECKER MONAHAN PARKER, INC. SUSAN and WILLIAM BEECH RUSSELL MUNSELL SUSAN BOLLE ANDRA MUNTEANU MARC and ROBIN BUSSIN ALEXANDER NOURAFSHAN JOE and SUE CARLOMAGNO CONSTANCE OCLASSEN LESLIE CHATHAM ANDREW PESA KEVIN and CHRISTINE CHESSEN ROBERTA O’NEALE JOY CHIK and TOM LARSON LORNE and ILONA PARKER TOM COHEN and DR. SANFORD ROSENBERG and KRISTI DENTON COHEN MEDIA RESEARCH ASSOCIATES JOEL and JUSTINE COOPERSMITH STEVE RIFFKIN GAYLE DONSKY and MORTON STEIN SUSAN and JOEL SKLAR BECKY DRAPER VISRA VICHIT-VADAKAN CATHERINE and PETER FLAXMAN CAMEO WOOD MICHELLE GRIFFIN and TOM PARKER ZACH and MARLIES ZEISLER MICHELE CRNCICH HODGE and JEFF HODGE

33

SMITH RAFAEL DONORS DIRECTORS CHAIR

PATRON

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH

MARGARET E. HAAS

JENNIFER COSLETT MACCREADY

HENSEL PHELPS CONSTRUCTION CO

HENRY TIMNICK

KATZ FAMILY FOUNDATION

DISTINGUISHED BENEFACTOR

CONTRIBUTOR

MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

BELLEBYRON FOUNDATION

SAN RAFAEL REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY

ED and SUSAN LOWE

BENEFACTOR

MARCIA LUCAS LUCASFILM LTD PACIFIC THEATRES CORPORATION

34

THE BERNARD OSHER FOUNDATION MEL and LOIS TUKMAN DOLBY LABORATORIESS

SUPPORTER

BANK OF MARIN THE FRED GELLERT FAMILY FOUNDATION GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION DON and DONNA KELLEHER MARIN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

SUNITA DUTT CHINOOK RESTAURANT

THE EGAN FAMILY RAFAEL CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL

LEONARD and ROBIN EBER

PHILIP A. SCHAEFER

DOUG and JANE FERGUSON

JIN and LINDA ZIDELL

HAMBRECHT and QUIST

SUSAN and RICHARD IDELL

THE HAYDON FAMILY IL DAVIDE RESTAURANT

JOHN and BETH ALLEN

DAN HELLER

NANCY and RICH ROBBINS

GERALD G. HOYTT

ANDREW and KATHLEEN VARLOW

NANCY K. HUDSON

MACQUARIE GROUP FOUNDATION

MICHAEL and SUSAN SCHWARTZ

J. PATRICK and IRENE M. HUNT

CARLA EMIL and RICH SILVERSTEIN

MICHAEL and ROXANNE KLEIN

PETER and CATHERINE FLAXMAN

KEN and JACKIE BROAD FAMILY FUND

ELLEN JANE KUTTEN

ERIC A. SCHWARTZ

KATHRYN E. JOHNSON

BILL and MARY POLAND

AND PETER CULVER FRIEND

AUTODESK, INC BANK OF AMERICA FOUNDATION BLOCKBUSTER, INC DOUG CARLSTON and TOMI PIERCE

K.C. and STEVE LAUCK BARBARA BROWN LEIBERT LUTHER BURBANK SAVINGS MARIN AIRPORTER NORTHERN TRUST PACIFIC TELESIS

MARK CAZENAVE II

JOSEPH and EDA PELL

TOM and DIANE DURST

PINEWOOD FOUNDATION 35

THURSDAY OCT 6 11:00am

SEQUOIA

FRIDAY OCT 7

RAFAEL

SEQUOIA

SEQUOIA

RAFAEL

RAFAEL

RAFAEL

11:00am

12:00

12:00

1:00

1:00

2:00

2:00 Searching for Sugarman

3:00 4:00

2:30

5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00

3:00

3:30

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 6:00

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

3:00

TÁR

Return to Dust

Mother and Son 4:00

The Grab 6:00

6:00

4:00 5:00

Turn Every Page

6:00

5:00

Charcoal 7:00

Banshees of Inisherin 7:00

9:00

7:00

Provo 7:30

8:00

Shorts: One and Only

9:00

8:15

10:00

10:00

SATURDAY OCT 8 11:00am 12:00

SEQUOIA Oink

11:00am

1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00

8:00 10:00

The Young Vote

11:00am

BAMPFA

LARK

SWEETWATER

2:45

5:15

Town Destroyer 8:00

1:00

The Pupils

2:00

Descendant 3:00

Tribute: Armageddon Time 6:30

6:00

3:00

Body Parts One Fine Morning 4:00

Passengers of the Night

11:00am 12:00

1:00

Santos–Skin to Skin

7:00

RAFAEL

Whina

12:00pm

Call Jane

2:00

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

RAFAEL

TÁR

The Quiet Epidemic

5:00

9:00

RAFAEL

12:00pm

6:00 7:00

SEQUOIA

Chile 1976 7:00

Charcoal

4:00

3:00

5:00

4:00

6:00 Broker 7:00

7:00

The Son 7:00

John Santos + Friends Doors 8:00pm Show 9:00pm

8:00 9:00 10:00

SUNDAY OCT 9 11:00am 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00

SEQUOIA Shorts: Free to be Me 11:00am

SEQUOIA Finding Her Beat 12:00pm

Deconstructing Karen 1:45

4:00

7:00

Intimacy Coordinator Masterclass 11:00am

Corsage

Passengers of the Night MTG Award: Women Talking

Rodeo

8:00

We Dream of Robots 12:00pm

RAFAEL

12:00pm

Provo

11:00am 12:00 1:00 2:00

1:00

The Young Vote 3:30

4:00

Descendant

7:00

LARK

3:00

5:00

Living

BAMPFA

Call Jane

Body Parts

3:00

6:00

RAFAEL

1:30

5:00 6:00

RAFAEL

Decision to Leave 6:00

7:00

10:00

3:30

5:45

One Fine Morning

4:00 5:00 6:00

The Pupils

7:00

9:00

Banshees of Inisherin

Home is Somewhere Else 7:00

7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00

MONDAY OCT 10 11:00am 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00

SEQUOIA Armageddon Time 12:00pm

8:00 9:00 10:00

RAFAEL

RAFAEL

The Grab 1:00

The Quiet Epidemic

The Young Vote

11:00am 1:00 2:00

Alcarràs

3:00

2:00

Rodeo

3:00

Member Screening: The Unknown Country Sunnyland

RAFAEL

12:00

1:15

6:00 7:00

SEQUOIA

4:00

We Dream of Robots Argentina, 1985

5:15

6:45

Shorts: The New Environmentalists 8:15

5:00 6:00

5:00

7:00

4:00

Xalé 7:15

7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00

37

TUESDAY OCT 11 11:00am 12:00 1:00

SEQUOIA Finding Her Beat 11:00am

SEQUOIA Women Talking 12:00pm

RAFAEL

RAFAEL

RAFAEL

Argentina, 1985

12:00

11:00am

1:00

2:00 3:00 4:00

2:00 Living 2:30

5:00

Freedom on Fire 3:30

Holy Spider 4:00

Unknown Country 2:30

Deconstructing Karen 3:00

6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00

11:00am

3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00

Centerpiece: Till 7:00

Centerpiece: Till 7:00

The Art of Eating

Xalé 6:30

7:00

7:00 Faultline 7:30

10:00

8:00 9:00 10:00

WEDNESDAY OCT 12 11:00am 12:00

SEQUOIA

3:00 4:00

11:00am

TBA

12:00pm

The Blue Caftan

7:00 8:00 9:00

3810:00

RAFAEL

RAFAEL

2:00

Freedom Under Fire 2:00

Bonnie Blue 3:00

12:45

Mother & Son 3:00

Shorts: Painting Pictures

6:00

1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00

3:45

The Lost King

11:00am 12:00

TBA

12:00pm

EO

5:00 6:00

RAFAEL

The Pupils

1:00 2:00

SEQUOIA

6:00 Our Brothers 7:00

The Wonder 7:00

Tukdam

7:00

6:30

My Policeman 8:00

8:00 9:00 10:00

THURSDAY OCT 13 11:00am 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00

SEQUOIA Shorts: The New Environmentalists 11:00am

SEQUOIA Empire of Light 12:00pm

RAFAEL

8:00 9:00

SWEETWATER

11:00am 12:00 1:00 2:00

Chile 1976 The Son 3:30

2:30

Broker

Shorts: Skyfall

7:00

3:00

4:00

Shorts: LUNAFEST

5:00

4:00

Our Father, the Devil

Tribute: The Whale

3:00

Our Brothers

4:00

6:00 7:00

BAMPFA

11:30am

2:00

5:00

RAFAEL

Return to Dust

The Art of Eating

4:00

RAFAEL

6:00

7:30

Path of the Panther 7:00

Alcarràs 7:00

6:00 The Residents Doors 7:00pm Show 8:00pm

7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00

10:00

FRIDAY OCT 14 11:00am 12:00 1:00

SEQUOIA Our Father, the Devil 11:00am

4:00

7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00

RAFAEL

BAMPFA

LARK

Whina

Town Destroyer

My Policeman

1:00

Sophia

Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls

Plan 75 Tukdam

4:00

Close Causeway 7:00

11:00am

Spotlight: Bardo

1:00 2:00 3:00

2:00

2:30

6:00

RAFAEL

12:00

1:15

5:00 6:00

RAFAEL

Home is Somewhere Else 12:00

2:00 3:00

SEQUOIA

The Blue Caftan

4:00

4:00

5:00

4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00

6:00

Shorts: Strangers

by Nature 8:15

Santos–Skin to Skin 7:30

Elemental 7:15

8:00 9:00 10:00

39

SATURDAY OCT 15 11:00am 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00

SEQUOIA

SEQUOIA

Shorts: Animation for All

Lost King

11:00am

12:00

Elemental

RAFAEL Path of the Panther 11:00am

2:00

Boy from Heaven

12:00

7:00 8:00

LARK

THE ROXIE

12:00

Shorts: Rolling in the Deep

Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls

Town Destroyer 1:45

2:00

Bonnie Blue 4:00

Plan 75

Charcoal

4:00

11:00am 12:00

The Pupils

Sophia

5:00 6:00

BAMPFA

1:00

3:00

3:15

RAFAEL

Four Samosas

The Swimmers

2:00

4:00

RAFAEL

4:00

1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00

Spotlight: Nanny

Hi De Ho Show

6:00

7:00

9:00

Spotlight: White Noise 7:00

Fantastic Negrito

Close

7:00

8:00

Corsage 7:00

Triple Trouble 7:00

10:00

7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00

SUNDAY OCT 16 11:00am 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00

SEQUOIA Shorts: Truths (and Spoofs)...

11:00am

SEQUOIA

RAFAEL

RAFAEL

RAFAEL

Four Samosas Causeway

11:00am

12:00

EO

Boy From Heaven 12:00

Oink

2:00

She Said

6:00 7:00 8:00

5:00

5:00

The Good Nurse 5:00

The Good Nurse 5:00

The Good Nurse

11:00am 12:00 1:00 2:00

1:00

2:00

The Good Nurse

THE ROXIE

11:30am

Turn Every Page The Good Nurse

LARK Still Working 9 to 5

4:00 5:00

BAMPFA

4:00

Fantastic Negrito 3:00

3:00 Santos–Skin to Skin 4:00

5:00

Decision to Leave 7:00

Nanny 7:00

4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00

9:00

9:00

10:00

10:00

OUTDOOR ART CLUB ALL EVENTS FREE SATURDAY OCT 8

TALK BACK: THE YOUNG VOTE

SATURDAY

2:00pm

SUNDAY

MIND THE GAP: THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY

OCT 8

12:30pm Free with film ticket

SUNDAY

TALK BACK: THE QUIET EPIDEMIC

OCT 9

An exploratory filmmaking process 12:00pm Free with ticket

THURSDAY

BEHIND THE SCREENS: ACCESSIBILTY SCORECARD IN EXHIBITION

THURSDAY

1:00pm

OCT 13

BEHIND THE SCREENS: STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

SATURDAY

11:00am

OCT 13

TALK BACK: ELEMENTAL

SUNDAY

BEHIND THE SCREENS: MISREPRESENTATION: WHEN THE FILM INDUSTRY GETS IT WRONG 1:30pm

SUNDAY

OCT 13

SATURDAY OCT 15

SATURDAY OCT 15

SUNDAY OCT 16

OCT 8

OCT 15

4:00pm

PARTY: OINK AFTERPARTY

OCT 16

4:15pm

TALK BACK: DECONSTRUCTING KAREN 3:30pm

BEHIND THE SCREENS: POWER OF PERSONAL DOCUMENTARY FILMS 3:30am

BEHIND THE SCREENS: REEL LIFE: HISTORY ON FILM 11:30am

BEHIND THE SCREENS: VARIETY’S TEN SCREENWRITERS TO WATCH 11:00am

PLEASE NOTE: Times, dates, and venues are subject to change or adjustments. Consult mvff.com for up-to-the-minute information.

FOLLOW #MVFF45 ON SOCIAL MEDIA

@millvalleyfilmfest @MillValleyFilmFestival @mvfilmfest californiafilminstitute 41

INITIATIVES We believe that film has the power to inspire and activate. MVFF Initiatives are a call to action through screenings, panels, partnerships, masterclasses, and mentorship opportunities.

ACTIVE CINEMA

A forum for films united in their commitment to explore the world and its issues, engage audiences, and transform ideas into action MIND THE GAP

A platform for inclusion and equity, committed to helping marginalized filmmakers break through the gatekeeping that has long made the industry exclusionary and help undo a harmful history of defaults Sponsored by Netflix & LUNA

¡VIVA EL CINE!

A showcase of Latin American, Latinx, and Spanish-language stories, connecting audiences with a diversity of cultures, identities, and histories explored through the magic of cinema With support provided by Consulate General of Brazil in San Francisco

RODEO

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SECTIONS WORLD CINEMA

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

Sponsored by Jim Boyce Trust and Kris Otis

US CINEMA

A showcase of new films by master and emerging American film- makers who share a talent for independent storytelling Sponsored by Wareham Development +

Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation

DOCS

The latest in non-fiction filmmaking, from heartfelt stories of activism to historical profiles, current events, and more Sponsored by Wareham Development +

Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation

FAMILY FILMS

A sampling of stories, cultures, and adventures for new generations and old that inspire and nurture a love of film Sponsored by Bellam Self Storage & Boxes SHORTS

CHARCOAL

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

43

BEHIND THE SCREENS INTIMACY COORDINATOR MASTER CLASS

Sunday | October 9 | 11:00am | Rafael A clear and meaningful impact of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood has been the increasingly common participation of intimacy coordinators in film productions, both large and small.

This conversation between Sarah Scott, a Los Angeles-based intimacy coordinator featured in the documentary Body Parts, and director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (Lady Chatterley’s Lover) will explore the nature of this important on-set collaboration, recent controversies in the field, and the need to develop common language around the safety of film casts and crews.

will learn to write and perform poetry that exhibits their identity, experiences, and dreams. Filmmaker in attendance ACCESSIBILITY AND EXHIBITION | PANEL

Thursday | October 13 | 1:00pm | OAC

CAFILM is collaborating with other film event organizers and professional accessibility advocates from all areas of film and event exhibition to build and implement a standard that highlights and prioritizes accessibility needs at our year-round theaters and our festivals. Jim Lebrecht (he/him) and Cassidy Dimon (she/her) will co-lead a conversation with Rosemary McDonnell-Horita (she/her) T. Kebo Drew (she/her), and Wallis Brozman (she/her) to discuss the importance of providing accessible spaces to audiences Guests: and filmmakers who attend festivals, building that access into Sarah Scott, Intimacy Coordinator | Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, event spaces, bridging the gap between compliance and equity, director Lady Chatterley's Lover the Film Event Scorecard (a tool that will document and provide feedback from film-event attendees to hold us accountable to the IN OUR OWN WORDS: accessibility standards our communities deserve), and steps and POETRY ON FILM | WORKSHOP resources to take action. This panel will have an ASL Interpreter, is Sunday, October 9 | 4:00-5:30pm | Mission Cultural Center for Latino complementary to the public, and will be recorded and then made Arts, San Francisco | Ages 11-18 | FREE available on our YouTube channel.

Inspired by the bold slam poetry and narration of José Eduardo Aguilar “El Deportee” in the animated documentary Home Is Somewhere Else (see page 123), this workshop combines the art of the written word and non-fiction film narration. Participants 44

GUESTS: Jim LeBrecht, founding member, FWD-Doc; co-director of Academy-Award nominated Crip Camp (DocLands 2020) | Cassidy Dimon, founder, Film Event Accessibility Working Group (FEAW) ) | Rosemary McDonnell-Horita, Lead Consultant for Training, Events

& Strategy with LaVant Consulting Inc. | T. Kebo Drew Managing STATE OF THE INDUSTRY | PANEL Director, QWOCMAP | Wallis Brozman, Lead Writer and Storyteller Saturday | Oct 15 | 11:00am | OAC | Free for Canine Companions The world is coming out of COVID, and people are returning to POWER OF PERSONAL DOCUMENTARY theaters. But it is an unequal playing field. The masses are once more returning to multiplexes, but the arthouses are still suffering FILMS: THE DISTRIBUTORS | PANEL with low attendance, a trend that started before the pandemic.

Thursday | October 13 | 3:30pm | OAC What does this portend for our industry? What does it mean when In early 2022, Re-Present Media (RPM) issued an article, The newspapers and websites hold reviews until a film’s streaming date Power of Personal Documentary Films, presenting data gathered instead of its theatrical release? Can audiences be lured back to from emerging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) theaters after becoming invested in streaming when movie houses filmmakers working on personal documentary films. In particular, went dark? How do we lure youth with TikTok-shortened attention the article explored the impact of racism and white-supremacy spans into theaters? If theatrical exhibition were to go away, what does that mean for movie lovers and the future of film festivals culture on their work. and international and indie films? Moderator Mark Fishkin hosts This session will present highlights of the survey project as it several industry veterans as they weigh in on the current state of the relates to the current distribution landscape, then dive into a deep industry and where it might be going. conversation with distribution professionals. Themes will include: the value of personal documentary films from diverse communities, Ted Hope, former head of production, Amazon Original Movies, and how personal documentaries are currently distributed, the producer of more than 70 films including In the Bedroom (MVFF24) challenges of marketing such films, the missed opportunities to and The Tender Bar (2021) | Crystal Moselle, director, The Wolfpack connect with audiences because of an unconscious bias against (Sundance Grand Jury Prize 2015), Betty (HBO series 2020-’21), these films, and how strategies can shift among distributors for Sophia (MVFF45) | Nikyatu Jusu, writer-director, Nanny (Sundance Grand Jury Prize 2022, MVFF45) | Moderator: Mark Fishkin, Founder programming, acquiring, and marketing personal documentaries. + Director, MVFF Guests: Jennifer Crystal Chien, Re-Present Media | Brenda Avila-Hanna, New Day Films | Amanda Salazar, former Head of Programming at Argo, VP of Acquisitions at Fandor, programmer for SFFilm and Northwest Film Forum | Annie Roney, ro*co Films, Founder & Chief Executive Officer | Moderator: Claire Aguilar, producer/consultant, former Director of Programming and Policy at International Documentary Association.

45

BEHIND THE SCREENS VARIETY’S TEN SCREENWRITERS TO WATCH | PANEL

Sunday | Oct 16 | 11:00am | OAC Variety has honored “10 Screenwriters to Watch” for more than a decade, spotlighting the brightest and most promising writers of the year. We’re thrilled for the occasion to discuss their work in an intimate setting—a great opportunity as much for aspiring filmmakers as for casual fans.

Participants: Sarah Conradt, Mother’s Instinct | Carrie Solomon, “Untitled Margot Robbie Ocean’s 11 Film” | Stefani Robinson, Chevalier | Katy Brand, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande | Shiwani Srivastava, Wedding Season | Alex Convery, “Untitled Nike/Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Project” | Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale | Joel Kim Booster, Fire Island | Evan Dodson, Terms of Endearment | Ximena García Lecuona, Anything’s Possible Sponsored by BLACK GIRLS FILM CAMP VIRTUAL SCREENING + CONVERSATION

Online Black Girls Film Camp is a nonprofit organization that provides a free, annual, virtual 12-week filmmaking experience for high-school46

age Black girls across the country. For the 2022 camp, over 200 applicants pitched a story idea, and ten finalists were selected to direct and develop their own short films. This virtual screening of their work will be followed by a pre-recorded conversation with camp founder Jimmeka Anderson, who will talk about how this program became so successful, why it is essential, and how it’s changing the industry landscape by centering the experiences and voices of Black girls REEL LIFE: HISTORY ON FILM | WORKSHOP

Saturday | October 15 | 11:30-1:00 pm | Outdoor Art Club | FREE How does one curate archival footage to contextualize history? The short documentary For Love and Legacy (see page 217) chronicles an artist’s attempt to honor Black Panther leader Huey Newton through a public sculpture. Exploring themes of history and memory, filmmaker A.K. Sandhu will talk about the curated archival footage she considered and utilized for the film, and participants will be able to study and learn how archives expand historical significance.

FOLLOW #MVFF45 ON SOCIAL MEDIA

@millvalleyfilmfest @MillValleyFilmFestival @mvfilmfest californiafilminstitute

47

MIND THE GAP EVOLUTION OF ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S ROLES ON SCREEN

Online | FREE Our annual roundtable series, Evolution of Roles On Screen for Historically Excluded Communities, began in 2020 with Evolution of Black Women’s Roles Onscreen and continued in 2021 with Evolution of Latina Roles Onscreen. This year’s pre-recorded conversation will be with film professionals in a variety of different creative roles, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, and will explore the state of representation for Asian American women in film. The speakers will discuss how representation in Hollywood and beyond has evolved for Asian American women, and speak to their own experience navigating the industry.

Participants: Shirley Kurata, Costume Designer, Everything Everywhere All At Once | Michelle Chung, Makeup Dept. Head, Everything Everywhere All At Once | Sujata Day, writer-director-actor, Definition Please | Diane Paragas, writer-director-producer, Yellow Rose | Moderator: Laura Sirikul, writer

delve into their subjects with impressive creativity and thought. Join us in person for this keystone Mind the Gap event that promises an engaged discussion about the state of the art from an international perspective.

Margaret Brown, Descendant | Laure de Clermont-Tonnere, Lady Chatterley’s Lover | Phyllis Nagy, Call Jane | Diane Robinson, The Young Vote | Zoë Elton, Moderator, MVFF + Mind The Gap Director of Programming THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY: AN EXPLORATORY FILMMAKING PROCESS

Sunday, October 9, 12:00-1:30pm | OAC | Free An exciting conversation with the filmmakers of The Unknown Country, a dazzling, poetic narrative-documentary feature film that demonstrates how cinema can be used as a means to listen, understand, and honor human dignity. The conversation will focus on the film’s unique development and financing, finding the creative process, and establishing a sustainable filmmaking practice.

Participants Morrisa Maltz, writer-director | Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, Saturday | October 8 | 12:00-1:30pm | Sweetwater Music Hall | Free actor, producer | Vanara Tiang, editor-producer | Lily Gladstone, actor | Osinachi Ibe, moderator, Mind the Gap Production Telling stories, mining for truths both big and small: With Manager approaches both fictional and non-fictional, these directors all MIND THE GAP DIRECTORS FORUM

48

2022 Jury Members: Zoë Elton, MVFF + Mind The Gap Director | Osinachi Ibe, Mind the Gap Production Manager | KD Davis, MVFF Senior Programmer, World Cinema | Pratibha Parmar, Mind the Gap Mill Valley Film Festival Mind the Gap Award: Pratibha Parmar, My Awardee | Christine A. Schantz, Mind the Gap Executive Advisor Name is Andrea (presented at the film’s screening during the 42nd + Creation Prize Underwriter | Celeste Wong, MVFF US Indies Programmer San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, July 23, 2022) 2022 MIND THE GAP AWARDS

Creativity and Truth Award: Chinonye Chukwu + Danielle BAY AREA COMMUNITY MIXER Friday | October 14 | 7:00-9:00pm | OAC | Free Deadwyler, Till An inspired gathering of filmmakers and film lovers across the Ensemble Award: Frances McDormand on behalf of Women Talking Bay Area, and those attending the festival. This event aims to strengthen the existing connections in the local film community and establish new ones. The mixer will feature an open mic portion MIND THE GAP CREATION PRIZE where community members can make brief announcements about The Mind the Gap Creation Prize is given to a narrative or their projects, programs, and other happenings. It will also include documentary feature-length film directed by a first- or second- an informal happy hour and networking. All Bay Area filmmakers, time female filmmaker. The award recognizes exciting new voices in film companies, organizations, and community members are cinema that demonstrate creativity of vision and exceptional use of encouraged to attend. the film medium. The Creation Prize recipient is selected by a jury made up of Mind the Gap curators, key supporters, and a Mind the Gap Award recipient. The director of the winning film receives a Support for Mind the Gap provided by: $10,000 grant that can be used at their discretion.

2022 Nominees: Ellie Foumbi, Our Father, the Devil | Nikyatu Jusu, Nanny | Morrisa Maltz, The Unknown Country

Netflix | LUNA | Marin Community Foundation Destino Fund | Christine A. Schantz 49

ACTIVE CINEMA A forum for films united in their commitment to explore the world and its issues (both local and global), engage audiences, and transform ideas into action for positive change.

Join us for screenings throughout the Festival, support the grassroots activism of the filmmakers, and engage with the admirable work of special guests, co-presenters, and partners.

FEATURES DECONSTRUCTING KAREN ELEMENTAL: REIMAGINING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WILDFIRE PATH OF THE PANTHER THE QUIET EPIDEMIC THE YOUNG VOTE

ACTIVE CINEMA HIKE: NETWORKING IN NATURE Saturday Oct 15, 10am | Free Come and enjoy some fresh air and fresh ideas with filmmakers, friends, festival staff and cinephiles during this hour-long hike to the ocean through beautiful terrain. Exchange ideas on filmmaking, filmmaker resources, activism and strategies for engagement. Bring water and sunblock, and wear good hiking shoes. All welcome! Meet at Tennessee Valley Trailhead parking lot.

50

PATH OF THE PANTHER

¡VIVA EL CINE! MVFF’s ¡Viva el cine! initiative is a showcase of Latin American, Latinx, and Spanishlanguage stories, connecting audiences with a diversity of cultures, identities, and histories explored through the magic of cinema. ¡Viva el cine! es una iniciativa de MVFF que celebra historias latinoamericanas, latines y en español, conectando a las audiencias con una diversidad de culturas, identidades e historias exploradas a través de la magia del cine.

FEATURES

Support provided by Consulate General of Brazil in San Francisco

ALCARRÀS (Spain) ARGENTINA, 1985 (Argentina) BARDO (Mexico) CHARCOAL (Brazil) CHILE 1976 (Chile) HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE (Mexico) SANTOS – SKIN TO SKIN (US) SUNNYLAND (US) WE DREAM OF ROBOTS (Uruguay)

SUNNYLAND

SHORTS THE DISTANCE OF TIME (Peru) MY NAME IS MAALUM (Brazil) 51

MVFF EDUCATION CAFILM Education has offered free education programs to Bay Area schools for more than 30 years, welcoming thousands of students to participate in the Festival each year by viewing new films and meeting filmmakers from around the world. We continue this tradition with two free programs available exclusively to K-12 schools in the Bay Area and across the country.

SCHOOL SCREENINGS

A selection of narrative features, documentaries, and shorts programs is carefully curated from the general Festival program and offered for free to all participating schools as weekday matinees in the theater and throughout the Festival online. Screenings are followed by Q&As with filmmakers and subject experts, and supplemented by free curriculum resources including film-analysis toolkits, lesson plans, and discussion guides to help teachers incorporate the films into their class curriculum.

FILMMAKERS GO TO SCHOOL

For those schools and students unable to travel to the theater, we offer an additional interactive experience through our Filmmakers Go to School program. Throughout the Festival (and often beyond), CAFILM Education staff brings filmmaker guests into the community to meet with students in their classrooms and school auditoriums, or at nearby venues, for in-depth discussions about the art and craft of filmmaking.

For more information about CAFILM Education programs or how to get your school involved, visit cfieducation.org.

Support provided by

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Pixar | Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation | Project No. 9 Fenwick Foundation | Miranda Lux Foundation | Marin Charitable

Photo: Tommy Lau

FAMILY FILMS What do Uruguayan teens competing in robotics, a flatulent Dutch piglet, and a queer Canadian tween comic book enthusiast all have in common? They’re just some of the inspiring characters (yes, even that pig!) whose stories we’ll be sharing with you during MVFF45, both in-theater and online. Along with dozens of short films and the latest work by youth filmmakers from many corners of the world, this year’s joyful and eclectic mix of cinematic experiences is a unique opportunity for exploration for audiences of every age. Join us for films, parties, workshops, and much more!

FILM PROGRAMS ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING GIRLS HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE OINK (in-theater only) WE DREAM OF ROBOTS SHORTS: ANIMATION FOR ALL SHORTS: FREE TO BE ME SHORTS: TRUTHS (AND SPOOFS) FROM THE YOUTHS

SPECIAL EVENTS OINK AFTER PARTY Saturday, October 8 | 12:30-2:00pm | Outdoor Art Club Free with film ticket Following the West Coast premiere of Oink, stroll across the street for fun festivities featuring food, drink, games, arts & crafts—and hot dogs (and veggie dogs) for all!

WORKSHOP | IN OUR OWN WORDS: POETRY ON FILM Sunday, October 9 | 4:00-5:30pm Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco Ages 11-18 | FREE Inspired by the documentary Home Is Somewhere Else (page 121), participants will learn to write and perform poetry that exhibits their identity, experiences, and dreams.

VIRTUAL SCREENING + CONVERSATION BLACK GIRLS FILM CAMP An online virtual screening of short films created in this summer’s Age Recommendations: In our film descriptions, we provide age recommendations for Family Film programs to assist parents in making Black Girls Film Camp will be followed by a pre-recorded appropriate selections. These recommendations cannot adequately reflect conversation with camp founder Jimmeka Anderson. the standards of every parent or the needs of every child, but we hope they’re helpful; please plan your movie-going experience accordingly.

Family Films sponsored by:

Bellam Self Storage & Boxes 53

MVFF MUSIC JOHN SANTOS AND FRIENDS

THE RESIDENTS

After the screening of his documentary Santos—Skin to Skin, percussionist, bandleader, Grammy nominee, and Mission District icon John Santos performs with his extraordinary sextet, bringing their mastery to the Sweetwater Music Hall. Come celebrate the rich history and creativity of Latin Jazz with John and friends for an unforgettable evening.

Come fully expecting the unexpectedly weird and wildly wonderful wonderments of a rare live-and-in-person Residents show, for the first time—ever—in Mill Valley at the Sweetwater.

Live musical prestidigitations and lyrical proclamations will be preceded by a timeless, dapper, and lovingly curated collection of classic film and video works from the archives of the all-seeing all-dancing ever-Eyeballed Ones themselves, in celebration of 50 years of eye-conic existence.

Saturday | October 8 Doors 7:00pm | Show 8:00pm Sweetwater Music Hall

FILM ONLY: $14 CAFILM MEMBERS | $16.50 GENERAL MUSIC ONLY: $38 CAFILM MEMBERS | $40 GENERAL FILM + MUSIC: $48 CAFILM MEMBERS | $50 GENERAL

Thursday | October 13 Doors 7:00pm | Show 8:00pm Sweetwater Music Hall

NOTE: The music show will be held Thursday, October 13 at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley The film Triple Trouble will screen Saturday, October 15 at the Roxie in San Francisco.

FILM ONLY: $14 CAFILM MEMBERS | $16.50 GENERAL MUSIC ONLY: $38 CAFILM MEMBERS | $40 GENERAL FILM + MUSIC: $48 CAFILM MEMBERS | $50 GENERAL

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STRANDS CREATE

Art, dance, music, theater. Creative minds.

THE ART OF EATING: THE LIFE OF M.F.K. FISHER ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING GIRLS FINDING HER BEAT HI DE HO SHOW HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE SHE SAID SHORTS: ONE AND ONLY TÁR TURN EVERY PAGE GROW

Ecology, geography, environment, and the human relationship to the natural world.

ALCARRÀS THE GRAB PATH OF THE PANTHER WHITE NOISE HEART

Love, like, lust, passion, romance. Full spectrum!

THE BLUE CAFTAN BODY PARTS LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER MOTHER AND SON

PROVO RETURN TO DUST LAUGH

Humor, wit, satire, irony, comedy—from LOL to WTF. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN EO FOUR SAMOSAS OINK PUPILS STILL WORKING 9 TO 5 SPIRIT

CHILE 1976 FANTASTIC NEGRITO: HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND YET? HOLY SPIDER RODEO SANTOS – SKIN TO SKIN SOPHIA WE DREAM OF ROBOTS WHINA THE YOUNG VOTE CREATE

Sponsored by

BSSP

Body, soul and the wholeness of being human.

DESCENDANT OUR BROTHERS THE PASSENGERS OF THE NIGHT PLAN 75 TUKDAM – BETWEEN WORLDS THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY THE WHALE

GROW

TRAILBLAZERS

SPIRIT

Portraits of courage & vision, talent & guts.

Sponsored by

BOY FROM HEAVEN CALL JANE

TRAILBLAZERS

Sponsored by HEART

Sponsored by LAUGH

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

Marin Convention & Visitors Bureau The Grateful Dog, Doggy PlayCare & Wellness Marin Hotels Strawberry Village XFINITY 55

ALCARRÀS Winner of the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival, Carla Simón’s gorgeous drama is a warm-hearted, multi-generational portrait of a Catalan family struggling for their peach orchard’s survival. At the film’s opening, the family faces eviction when the land’s owner decides to replace the trees with solar panels. Simón was hailed as a vibrant newcomer in 2017, after her luscious evocation of childhood and loss, Summer 1993 (MVFF40). Alcarràs adds further proof that she’s a talent to watch: The new film hums with conflicts large and small, from encroaching technology and the decline of traditional farming to the brutally cyclical nature of farmers’ lives, forever pegged to fickle weather and subject to climate change. Captured in gently sensuous, sun-filled cinematography, and enriched by spirited slice-of-life writing for an incredible ensemble of non-professional actors, Alcarràs celebrates families in their emotional infinitude, and life in its bittersweetness and implacable fullness. In Catalan and Spanish with English subtitles —Ela Bittencourt

DIRECTOR Carla Simón Spain, Italy 2022 120 min US PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Grow INITIATIVE İViva el cine!

Mind the Gap

Monday . October 10 . 2:00pm . Rafael Thursday . October 13 . 7:00pm . BAMPFA

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ARGENTINA, 1985 One of the most significant legal trials in Argentina’s history serves as the basis for Santiago Mitre’s (Paulina, The Summit) new feature, arriving at MVFF fresh from its Venice Film Festival world premiere. This riveting drama begins in 1983 when, after finally re-establishing democracy from decades of military coups, President Raúl Alfonsín authorizes prosecutors Julio Strassera (Ricardo Darín), Luis Moreno Ocampo (Peter Lanzani), and their young legal team to charge the heads of the country’s bloodiest military dictatorship with crimes against humanity. Under constant threat and menace, the lawyers race against time and all odds as they wage an unprecedented David-vs-Goliath battle to bring justice to the junta’s victims.

Mitre portrays these gripping events with great suspense and gallows humor, blending archival footage with impressive reenactments from a spectacular ensemble. By imparting valuable lessons of historical accountability, Argentina, 1985 ignites our sense of justice. —João Federici

DIRECTOR Santiago Mitre Argentina, US 2022 140 min IN PERSON Santiago Mitre SECTION World Cinema INITIATIVE İViva el cine!

SPONSOR Lucasfilm, Ltd

Monday . October 10 . 6:45pm . Rafael Tuesday . October 11 . 11:00am . Rafael

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ARMAGEDDON TIME Acclaimed writer-director James Gray fashions his own family memories into a wistful, exquisitely performed character study, taking on race, class, and the American Dream. Banks Repeta stars as Paul, a white kid living in Queens in the early 1980s, hoping to break free of his parents’ working-class suburban life and become an artist. But when he befriends Black classmate Johnny (Jaylin Webb), Paul gets a very different education. The filmmaker behind devastatingly intimate dramas such as Two Lovers works with perhaps his finest ensemble—Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong play Paul’s weary parents, with Anthony Hopkins as his affable grandfather—to excavate our current affairs. Many directors look back at their childhoods with honeyed nostalgia; Gray spits in the eye of such rose-tinged reminiscences, exploring our shared culpability in creating a nation whose dreams of a better tomorrow seem to drift ever out of reach. —Tim Grierson

DIRECTOR James Gray US 2022 115 min IN PERSON James Gray SECTION US Cinema SPONSOR Wareham Development Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation

Saturday . October 8 . 6:30pm . Rafael Monday . October 10 . 12:00pm . Sequoia

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THE ART OF EATING: THE LIFE OF M.F.K. FISHER “I don’t know how to do anything else,” M.F.K. Fisher once said of her writing, in a feat of understatement. San Francisco director Gregory Bezat’s well-balanced documentary reintroduces this great mid-century pioneer of culinary literature, who invented a genre with her stylish observations on food and elevated cooking from humble domestic chore to celebration of life. Beyond her gastronomical musings, Fisher also wrote about place, loss, poverty, making do during wartime, and passion in all its forms. Weaving together archival interviews with Fisher, select readings from her oeuvre, endearingly expressive photographs, and commentary from eloquent admirers such as Alice Waters and Jacques Pépin, the film brings its subject fully to life as a person of depth, knowledge, and appetite. A flavorful and respectful appreciation, The Art of Eating also serves as an affirming primer on how to acquire worldliness and make it a way of being. —Ravinder Kingra

DIRECTOR Gregory Bezat US 2022 85 min WORLD PREMIERE SECTION Docs STRAND Create AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Tuesday . October 11 . 7:00pm . Rafael Thursday . October 13 . 2:00pm . Sequoia

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THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN While civil war rages across Galway Bay, another kind of battle bursts forth on the tiny island of Inisherin when fiddler Colm (Brendan Gleeson) severs his friendship with dairy farmer Padraic (Colin Farrell). Done with his irrepressible pal’s banal chatter, Colm is so serious about calling it quits that he threatens dire consequences should Padraic speak to him.

With this acerbic, 1920s-set black comedy reuniting his In Bruges stars Gleeson and Farrell, Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, MVFF40) completes the Aran Islands trilogy he began in the theater with The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. The cast, including Barry Keoghan as the local constable’s dim-witted son and Kerry Condon as Padraic’s worldly sister, is top-notch in a film full of sharp observations about rural life and the challenge of human connection. Farrell is a stand-out as a simple man left befuddled and hurt by his friend’s betrayal. —Pam Grady

DIRECTOR Martin McDonagh Ireland, UK, US 2022 114 min INVITED GUEST Kerry Condon SECTION World Cinema STRAND Laugh SPONSOR Gruber Family Foundation

Friday . October 7 . 7:00pm . Rafael Sunday . October 9 . 3:30pm . Lark

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BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS Named for the Buddhist concept of a transitional state between death and rebirth, and subtitled “False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” this witty epic from multiple-Oscar®-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Biutiful, MVFF33; The Revenant) centers on Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a renowned journalist and documentary filmmaker who returns to Mexico after a successful sojourn in the US. It appears that our hero is undergoing a midlife crisis of Felliniesque proportions, as he grapples with his identity, childhood memories, familial relationships, and even his two countries’ histories, in progressively surreal and outrageous vignettes.

In Silverio’s world, imagination consistently subverts reality, and Iñárritu and his collaborators, including cinematographer Darius Khondji, make the transitions appear fluid and seamless. Iñárritu’s first production in his native Mexico since his celebrated feature debut Amores perros in 2000, Bardo resonates as a personal statement about the world and the artist’s place in it. —Richard Peterson

DIRECTOR Alejandro González Iñárritu Mexico 2022 161 min IN PERSON Daniel Giménez Cacho SECTION World Cinema INITIATIVE ¡Viva el cine!

SPONSOR Daniel Kenyon and Michelle Marchetta Kenyon

Friday . October 14 . 6:00pm . Rafael

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THE BLUE CAFTAN (LE BLEU DU CAFTAN) In Salé, Morocco, Halim (Saleh Bakri, Costa Brava, Lebanon) and his ailing wife, Mina (Lubna Azabal, Adam), own and operate a made-to-measure dress shop. Halim handcrafts caftans with an attention to detail and an eye toward durability prized by his customers. Similarly, Maryam Touzani’s film dives richly and intimately into the lives of its characters when Halim and Mina, facing a backlog of orders, take on young apprentice Youssef (Ayoub Missioui). As Mina becomes increasingly bedridden, a developing connection between the two men creates internal conflict for the mild-mannered tailor. Avoiding heated melodrama, Touzani instead sews together her story of the marital bond and an unusual romantic triangle with intimacy and great tenderness. The Blue Caftan shows the complexities and profundities of enduring love with a deeply stirring resolution and a trio of expert performances. In Arabic with English subtitles —Rod Armstrong

DIRECTOR Maryam Touzani Morocco 2022 124 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Heart

Wednesday . October 12 . 2:00pm . Sequoia Friday . October 14 . 4:00pm . Lark

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BODY PARTS Stunt coordinators prevent injuries on movie sets, but who protects the cast during those vulnerable moments of shooting a “sex” scene? In this wide-ranging primer on the perils of being female in Hollywood, veteran documentary director Kristy Guevara-Flanagan (Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines, MVFF35; What Happened to Her, MVFF39) and producer Helen Hood Scheer interview stars including Jane Fonda and Rosanna Arquette, among others, about their experiences shooting nude scenes for TV and movies. They describe the pressure they’ve felt to get naked on camera and the danger these intimate scenes pose, from predatory scene partners to the endless availability of images on the internet. Deftly illustrated with movie clips stretching back to Eadweard Muybridge’s motion studies, Body Parts is part film-history lesson on the dominance of the heterosexual male gaze and part clarion call for employing intimacy coordinators across the industry. It neither shies away from uncomfortable conversations nor ignores imagemakers trying to set a higher, more inclusive bar on set and on screen. —Shari Kizirian

DIRECTOR Kristy GuevaraFlanagan US 2022 86 min IN PERSON Kristy GuevaraFlanagan SECTION Docs STRAND Heart INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Saturday . October 8 . 3:00pm . Lark Sunday . October 9 . 4:00pm . Rafael

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BONNIE BLUE: JAMES COTTON’S LIFE IN THE BLUES Largely credited with introducing the blues to rock audiences, Grammy-winning singer, harmonica player, and songwriter James Cotton gets a fitting tribute in this vibrant documentary portrait. Born on a plantation in Tunica, Mississippi, James Henry Cotton picked up his mother’s harmonica as a youngster and taught himself to play. His talent and drive brought him to the attention of blues great Sonny Boy Williamson, an eventual mentor, and to Chicago, where Cotton played harmonica with Muddy Waters for 12 years. A dazzling, three-decade-plus solo career inspired him to reimagine how the blues could be received and appreciated. Cotton, who died in 2017, speaks via unearthed video interviews in Bestor Cram’s insightful film, while interviews with Cotton’s contemporaries, including Buddy Guy, Billy Branch, and Steve Miller, further flesh out the artist’s profile. Fiery live sets and impressive archival footage reveal the depth and wonder of Cotton’s talent. —Wilfred Okiche

DIRECTOR Bestor Cramn US 2022 86 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE SECTION Docs AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Wednesday . October 12 . 3:00pm . Sequoia Saturday . October 15 . 4:00pm . Rafael

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BOY FROM HEAVEN In the latest from Swedish-Egyptian director Tarik Saleh (The Nile Hilton Incident), Tawfeek Barhom plays a naive religious-scholarship student thrilled to be at Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar University—until finding himself pulled into a cascade of murders, conspiracies, and paranoia. The ensuing labyrinthine plot lets Saleh explore the tumult of jockeying for influence between religious and ostensibly secular institutions in Egypt, and the insidious corruption that’s endemic to both. With a strong cast and a point of view that’s somehow at once artfully detached and deeply committed, Boy from Heaven mixes moviemaking styles familiar from the likes of Terry Gilliam’s dark comedies and John le Carré’s spy dramas, fashioning a film that’s as much a biting satire as a political thriller. More than ten years after the Arab Spring, this story is as timely as ever, and relevant no matter where in the world you live. —Zaki Hasan

DIRECTOR Tarik Saleh Sweden 2022 125 min US PREMIERE IN PERSON Tarik Saleh SECTION World Cinema STRAND Trailblazers SUPPORT FROM Consulate General of Sweden + Pro Suecia

Saturday . October 15 . 3:15pm . Sequoia Sunday . October 16 . 12:00pm . Rafael

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BROKER Song Kang-ho deservedly won Best Actor at this spring’s Cannes Film Festival for his performance in writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest bittersweet exploration of the de facto families we form across our lives.

In Broker, he plays Sang-hyeon, who operates a black market business with his pal Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won), selling infants left at baby boxes to parents looking to adopt. But when one of the mothers, So-young (Lee Ji-eun), has second thoughts about surrendering her child, the men work with her to find a good home for the infant. Filming in South Korea for the first time, the acclaimed Japanese auteur (whose Shoplifters, MVFF41, won Cannes’ 2018 Palme d’Or) has crafted a road-trip drama full of gentle observations about the ways in which we all sometimes feel abandoned—and how the search for home can be a perpetual quest. — Tim Grierson

DIRECTOR Hirokazu Kore-eda South Korea 2022 129 min SECTION World Cinema

Saturday . October 8 . 7:00pm . BAMPFA Thursday . October 13 . 4:00pm . Rafael

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CALL JANE When Joy (Elizabeth Banks), a contented suburban housewife, has need for an abortion, she finds herself trapped by a medical establishment indifferent to her survival — until she stumbles upon the Janes. Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy directs this fictionalized account of the clandestine Chicago-based group that provided safe, affordable abortions beginning in the late 1960s before Roe v. Wade became the law of the land. Shot in Super 16mm, it has the look and feel of a contemporaneous indie. The warm heart of the film is Joy, who slowly awakens to the struggles facing women as second-class citizens — denied not just their own bank accounts but also any agency in their own healthcare decisions.

With tenderness and humor, Call Jane portrays Joy and her allies in all their flawed glory, offering hope and inspiration as the fight for reproductive freedom takes on new and compelling urgency. —Shari Kizirian

DIRECTOR Phyllis Nagy US 2022 121 min IN PERSON Phyllis Nagy Robbie Brenner SECTION US Cinema STRAND Trailblazers INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Saturday . October 8 . 2:45pm . Rafael Sunday . October 9 . 12:00pm . Lark

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CAUSEWAY Lila Neugebauer’s moving portrait of healing and friendship follows Lindsay (Oscar®-winner Jennifer Lawrence), a soldier recovering from a serious injury at home in New Orleans but anxious to redeploy to Afghanistan.

When she meets James (Brian Tyree Henry, If Beale Street Could Talk, MVFF41), a kindhearted mechanic reeling from a tragic and life-altering accident of his own, the pair forms an unexpected bond. The actors are phenomenal, beautifully inhabiting Lynsey and James’s intimate and tender relationship with grounded and nuanced performances. Making a remarkable feature debut, veteran theater director Neugebauer infuses this emotionally profound drama with a deep sense of compassion and understanding. Causeway highlights the quiet power in exposing our vulnerability and allowing ourselves to meaningfully connect with others, and in so doing, healing our deepest wounds. —Celeste Wong

DIRECTOR Lila Neugebauer US 2022 92 min SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Friday . October 14 . 7:00pm . Sequoia Sunday . October 16 . 12:00pm . Sequoia

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CHARCOAL (CARVÃO) Writer-director Carolina Markowicz’s evocative debut is the kind of film that makes you love cinema more than ever. Irene (Maeve Jinkings, Aquarius, MVFF39), her husband Jairo (Rômulo Braga, Blue Blood, MVFF38), and their son live in Brazil’s rural outskirts and work in a small backyard charcoal factory. That simple, quiet life changes when the family allows treacherous nurse Juracy (Aline Marta, Memory House) to use their house as a hideaway for fugitive drug lord Miguel (César Bordón, Wild Tales).

This dry satire poignantly depicts a society full of contradictions, in which religion, faith, life, and death all become entwined in flexible moral dilemmas. The utterly fearless ensemble delivers astonishing performances, and the sharp direction confirms Markowicz as a talent to watch. In Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish with English subtitles —João Federici

DIRECTOR Carolina Markowicz Brazil, Argentina 2022 107 min US PREMIERE IN PERSON Carolina Markowicz Maeve Jinkings SECTION World Cinema INITIATIVE ¡Viva el cine!

Mind the Gap

Friday . October 7 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

SUPPORT FROM Consulate General of Brazil

Saturday . October 8 . 4:00pm . BAMPFA Saturday . October 15 . 4:00pm . Roxie

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CHILE 1976 Manuela Martelli’s debut feature is the poignant story of a wealthy, upper-middle-class housewife suddenly shaken into painful political awareness. As Carmen starts to renovate her beach house, the local priest asks her to help him hide a young fugitive from the law. This charitable act soon alters the leisurely tempo and comfortable atmosphere of Carmen’s everyday life, plunging her into a state of unremitting tension. A subtle yet persistent aura of claustrophobia envelops the film, effectively communicating the terror of Chilean General Augusto Pinochet’s persecution of leftist activists and underground fighters who opposed his military junta. Hyper-attentive to textures and lyrically paced, Chile 1976 is a piercing work of portraiture. Aline Küppenheim gives a captivating, pitch-perfect performance as a woman forced out of her complacency, whose compassion draws her into a web of secrets, lies, and danger. In Spanish with English subtitles —Ela Bittencourt

DIRECTOR Manuela Martelli Chile, Argentina, Qatar 2022 95 min US PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Trailblazers INITIATIVE ¡Viva el cine!

Mind the Gap

Saturday . October 8 . 7:00pm . Rafael Thursday . October 13 . 2:30pm . Rafael

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CLOSE Belgian director Lukas Dhont explores the delicacy of boyhood and the shifting dynamics of male friendship with heartbreaking intimacy in his assured sophomore feature. The winner of the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Close chronicles the bond between 13-year-olds Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele), who seem inseparable—until their connection provokes teasing by classmates, leading to tragedy. Dhont, the director of the acclaimed trans drama Girl, collaborates with his sensitive young actors to create an indelible snapshot of adolescence so quietly profound and entrancing that it resembles a dream.

Both a coming-of-age story and a deft inquiry into how boys struggle to process their feelings, Close is a movie about grief and denial, love and acceptance. Dambrine and De Waele, making their big-screen debuts, movingly play kids becoming aware of the emotional challenges that the wider world has in store for them. —Tim Grierson

DIRECTOR Lukas Dhont Belgium, Netherlands, France 2022 105 min BAY AREA PREMIERE IN PERSON Lukas Dhont SECTION World Cinema SPONSOR KQED

Friday . October 14 . 6:00pm . Seqoia Saturday . October 15 . 8:00pm . Rafael

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CORSAGE Magnetic star Vicky Krieps (Bergman Island, MVFF44) vividly inhabits Empress Elisabeth of Austria in writer-director Marie Kreutzer’s (The Ground Beneath My Feet) examination of the beloved, restless, and occasionally scandalous 19th-century ruler at midlife, a performance for which Krieps won Best Actress at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. In this whimsical portrait, the woman known as “Sissi” is coming to terms with turning 40 and feeling constricted — as much by her social role in her dysfunctional marriage to the emotionally distant Emperor Franz Joseph I (Florian Teichtmeister) as by the corset that lends the film its name. Using a cool palette and a preference for understatement, Kreutzer deftly renders the social realities of the period, while offering fresh insight on the plight of a woman trapped by the beauty of her public image. With complex intelligence and verve, Krieps refreshes our notions of female regality, and of costume drama. In German, French, English, and Hungarian with English subtitles —Ananya Kumar-Banerjee

DIRECTOR Marie Kreutzer Austria, France, Germany, Luxembourg 2022 113 min INVITED GUEST Marie Kreutzer SECTION World Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Sunday . October 9 . 1:30pm . Rafael Saturday . October 15 . 7:00pm . Lark

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DECISION TO LEAVE South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook continues his transformation from ace provocateur to mature master with this elegant Hitchcockian thriller about obsession and the mysteries of the human heart. Park Hae-il plays Hae-joon, a dedicated detective investigating the puzzling death of a man who fell from a mountain, and the deceased’s eerily enigmatic wife, Seo-rae (Tang Wei), a prime suspect. The more time Hae-jonn spends with the woman, the more he finds himself under her spell — but can she be trusted? The winner of the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Decision to Leave sees Park moving away from the graphic shocks of Oldboy and The Handmaiden (MVFF39) while retaining his considerable skill at keeping an audience off-balance. Gorgeously shot and expertly crafted, it will pull you into a vortex from which, as Hae-joon learns, there is no escape. In Korean with English subtitles —Tim Grierson

DIRECTOR Park Chan-wook South Korea 2022 138 min US PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema

Sunday . October 9 . 6:00pm . Rafael Sunday . October 16 . 7:00pm . BAMPFA

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DECONSTRUCTING KAREN The nonprofit Race2Dinner aims to challenge liberal white women on their biases and blind spots about racism in America — one dinner at a time. Shot months before the COVID-19 lockdown and racial awakening of 2020, this documentary from director Patty Ivins Spect and executive producer Anna Paquin finds a group of Denver-area white women volunteering to break bread at one such event and discovering they may have bitten off more than they can chew. As Race2Dinner founders Regina Jackson and Saira Rao share their lived experiences in Black and Brown skin, the film follows a course from initial pushback, defensiveness, and anger to — remarkably — listening, understanding, and growth. Spect also shows the work behind the work, as Jackson and Rao expand Race2Dinner to other areas of the country, opening up a vital new avenue to hold difficult but urgent conversations with the power to change hearts and minds. —Kris Chesson The Oct 9 screening will be followed by a filmmaker Talk Back at the Outdoor Art Club at 3:30pm. Join us to continue the conversation!

DIRECTOR Patty Ivins Specht US 2022 73 min SECTION Docs INITIATIVE Active Cinema Mind the Gap

Sunday . October 9 . 1:45pm . Sequoia Monday . October 11 . 3:00pm . Rafael

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DESCENDANT Margaret Brown’s important and thought-provoking documentary may prompt a reevaluation of everything you’ve been taught about slavery and the Jim Crow era. In 2018, marine archaeologists uncovered the long lost remains of Clotilda, the last known US slave ship, along the riverbanks of Mobile, Alabama. While many have focused on the ship’s discovery, Brown turns her lens on the residents of Africatown, a community founded by survivors and their descendants—people long denied the freedom to speak about their family history for fear of retaliation. By giving them the opportunity and agency to tell their stories, Brown crafts a powerful testimonial highlighting the effects of the slave trade on modern Black Americans, and accords the Clotilda survivors the respect denied them during their lifetimes. Interspersed throughout the film is footage of the last known survivors of the Clotilda shot by famed writer, filmmaker, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. —Bri’anna Moore

DIRECTOR Margaret Brown US 2022 109 min INVITED GUEST Margaret Brown SECTION Docs STRAND Spirit INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Henry Timnick

Saturday . October 8 . 3:00pm . Rafael Sunday . October 9 . 7:00pm . Rafael

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ELEMENTAL: REIMAGINING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WILDFIRE Narrated by award-winning actor David Oyelowo, Elemental is equal parts frightening in its imagery and compelling in its thesis. As conceived by director Trip Jennings, this engrossing documentary about the devastating impact of wildfires, and the science deployed to combat them, offers viewers a new perspective on the raging infernos that have become far too common threats to forests, homes, and entire communities.

Packed with new and archival footage of the devastation wrought by fire run amok (notably, the 2018 Paradise, CA, Camp Fire), the film juxtaposes those stark and sobering images with interviews from an array of scientists, academics, and other experts who propose a potentially counterintuitive approach to bringing these blazes to heel. Most importantly, while Elemental illustrates the seriousness of the problem, it also underscores how — with forethought and care — we might achieve real solutions. —Zaki Hasan The Oct 15 screening will be followed by a filmmaker Talk Back at the Outdoor Art Club at 4pm. Join us to continue the conversation!

DIRECTOR Trip Jennings US 2022 79 min BAY AREA PREMIERE SECTION Docs INITIATIVE Active Cinema SPONSOR Wareham Development Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation

Friday . October 14 . 7:15pm . Lark Saturday . October 15 . 2:00pm . Sequoia

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EMPIRE OF LIGHT Sam Mendes fills his superbly cast, deeply personal drama with surprises, all emerging from a cinema in a working-class town in 1980s England. Hilary (Olivia Colman, in another knockout performance) is a single woman who runs the ticket booth, where she meets Steven (played with stirring confidence by relative newcomer Micheal Ward). Though on its surface a love story, Empire of Light is not what you might expect, as Mendes sidesteps the expected nostalgia to instead follow the credo written on the cinema’s walls: “Find in light where darkness lies.” The film (which also features Colin Firth and Toby Jones) leads us through the characters’ profound struggles, both internally and with a society encountering massive cultural and economic shifts. Working again with the Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins, Mendes has created a rich, complex celebration that, at its core, reminds us how music and cinema can bring us together, even as the world drives us apart. –Isabel Pinner (courtesy of Telluride Film Festival)

Thursday . October 13 . 12:00pm . Sequoia

DIRECTOR Sam Mendes UK, US 2022 119 min BAY AREA PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema

99

EO Revered Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski creates a new way of seeing the world in a film that chronicles nature’s beauty alongside human kindness and cruelty, from a donkey’s point of view. While comparisons are inevitable to Robert Bresson’s conceptually similar 1966 masterpiece Au Hasard Balthazar, this extraordinary tale is its own beguiling beast, playing with color and sound to render our silent protagonist’s journey across Poland and Italy an entrancing, hyper-vivid odyssey. Recent documentaries such as Gunda and Cow have sought to illuminate the lives of animals without resorting to cloying anthropomorphism, and EO, the winner of this year’s Cannes Jury Prize, takes this approach to the next level. Through this donkey’s expressive eyes, and its alternately hypnotic, whimsical, and disturbing adventures, the film illustrates how mad and magical everyday life can be—and that’s before Isabelle Huppert shows up near the end for a riveting, scene-stealing cameo. —Tim Grierson

DIRECTOR Jerzy Skolimowski Poland, Italy 2022 86 min WEST COAST PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Laugh

Wednesday . October 12 . 2:00pm . Rafael Sunday . October 16 . 2:00pm . Sequoia

101

ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING GIRLS More than anything, Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls is a tender, insightful, and refreshingly witty ode to Gen Z. This feature debut from queer writer-director Julianna Notten follows Erin (Elliot Stocking), an earnest middle-schooler and comic-book enthusiast who wants nothing more than to experience her first kiss. When she meets Sydni (Rosali Annikie), an effortlessly cool, rebellious ex-child star, Erin is instantly smitten. What follows is a delightful and compassionate observation of a young girl exploring her identity and unapologetically asserting her place in the world.

The film pokes fun at Millennials’ obsession with iced coffee and cats, offers funny takes on Comic-Con cosplay ideas, and depicts the popular kids trying (and failing) to be socially conscious. Most importantly, Erin’s Guide highlights just how sensitive and welcoming Gen Z can be. Note: Includes one instance of mild profanity. Age 11+ —Aurora Amidon

DIRECTOR Julianna Notten Canada 2022 89 min WEST COAST PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Julianna Notten Elliot Stocking SECTION Family STRAND Create INITIATIVE Mind the Gap AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Friday . October 14 . 4:00pm . Sequoia Saturday . October 15 . 2:00pm . Lark

103

FANTASTIC NEGRITO: HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND YET? This locally made doc packs a lot of life into 90 minutes — specifically, the super-sized life of Xavier Dephrepaulezz, better known as Grammy-winning Oakland bluesman Fantastic Negrito, and his journey from early isolation as a Black Muslim kid in rural Massachusetts to Bay Area star with a global fanbase. Along the way, the story of a singular musician unfolds and we meet a misfit, maverick, drug dealer, punk innovator, urban farmer, and vulnerable bandleader. With powerful musical artistry and his own wry charm, Fantastic Negrito dishes on his relationship with his emotionally brutal father; being a “recovering narcissist;” the perils of the music industry; and the painful art of self-reinvention. A pivotal event in his thirties led to a rebirth of sorts and allowed him to embrace his own identity in an unexpected way — which led to the glorious present-day iteration of the “undeniable energy” that continues to drive him. —Celia C. Peters

DIRECTORS Yvan Iturriaga, Francisco Núñez Capriles US 2022 93 min WORLD PREMIERE SECTION Docs STRAND Trailblazers

Saturday . October 15 . 7:00pm . BAMPFA Sunday . October 16 . 3:00pm . Lark

105

FAULTLINE This latest feature from celebrated Bay Area filmmaker Rob Nilsson is the third installment in his breathtaking Nomad Trilogy (after Arid Cut, MVFF42, and Center Divide, MVFF44). The film kicks off with Rail and his girlfriend Mitra on a motorcycle headed for Northern California in search of a long-lost father. They’re joined by three friends forced to hitchhike when their truck gives up. Lost in a burnt-out forest, they face dehydration and death while Rail and Mitra move on through a drought-ridden wasteland trying to find a man no one knows. Under majestic skies and amidst transcendent natural wonders, these colorful wanderers uncover truths about unsettled modern life in our divided country. It’s exciting to see Nilsson in full control of the medium, crafting a hypnotic experience about the raw, messy intimacy of family and the global impact of today’s conflicted society. Equal parts shocking and calming, Faultline is its own rare breed of independent film, a gritty and beautiful cinematic poem.

—Brendan Peterson

Tuesday . October 11 . 7:30pm . Rafael

DIRECTORS Rob Nilsson US 2022 154 min WORLD PREMIERE INVITED GUEST Rob Nilsson SECTION US Cinema

107

FINDING HER BEAT Right before pandemic lockdown 2020, eighteen leading Japanese and North American women taiko drummers realize their shared dream with the groundbreaking performance, HERbeat: Taiko Women All-Stars. In this full-bodied, male-dominated artform, they weave together their own joyful rhythms and styles to thunder through the taiko world and beyond. HERbeat is the brainchild of international taiko champion Tiffany Tamaribuchi, of Sacramento Taiko Dan, and Jennifer Weir, of St. Paul’s TaikoArts Midwest. With a cinema-verité style, Finding Her Beat captures the group’s pressure-cooker rehearsals as performers bridge cultural and creative differences while also fighting exhaustion and flu. Highlights include Chieko Kojima’s dance-drumming style designed for women, Kaoly Asano’s taiko as a healing force, and the presence of San Jose Taiko’s local hero PJ Hirabayashi. Relentless rhythm carries them all through the thrilling Leap Day show and heralds a new era for women in taiko. In English and Japanese with English subtitles —Carol Harada Special taiko performance of featured artists from the film and San Jose Taiko.

Sunday . October 9 . 2:00pm . Mill Valley Depot Plaza

DIRECTOR Dawn Mikkelson, Keri Pickett US 2022 89 min WORLD PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Dawn Mikkelson, Keri Pickett Megan Chao Smith Tiffany Tamaribuchi Josie Smith-Weir SECTION Docs INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR

Sunday . October 9 . 12:00pm . Sequoia Tuesday . October 11 . 11:00am . Sequoia

Marin Independent Journal 109

FOUR SAMOSAS Set in suburban L.A.’s “Little India,” Ravi Kapoor’s quirky heartfelt indie caper comedy follows Vinesh, aka Vinny (Venk Potula), a wannabe hiphop artist who works in a sari shop by day. Aimless and heartbroken, he’s never gotten over Rina (Summer Bishil), the girlfriend who dumped him three years ago. Now she’s about to marry someone else, but Vinny is determined to win her back. Gathering a ragtag trio of accomplice pals, including a Bollywood superfan (Nirvana Patnaik), an amateur journalist (Sharmita Bhattacharya), and a snack-happy computer nerd (Sonal Shah), Vinny targets the grocery store owned by Rina’s dad for a heist. The plan? Swipe her dowry diamonds from the store safe and ransom them back to him. The logic? Maybe not exactly airtight. The result? A sweet, misguided adventure hilariously touching on Indian-American identity, self-worth, and second chances at love. —Ravinder Kingra

DIRECTOR Ravi Kapoor US 2022 80 min SECTION US Cinema STRAND Laugh

Saturday . October 15 . 12:00pm . Rafael Sunday . October 16 . 11:00am . Rafael

111

FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM It’s one thing to read articles on Russia’s war against Ukraine or see brief snippets of the destruction on social media. It’s something else entirely to feel like you’ve been dropped into a brutal military assault while it’s happening, which is exactly how documentarian Evgeny Afineevsky makes you feel with this portrait of a nation fighting for its life. A sequel to his Oscar®-nominated 2015 doc Winter on Fire, this compelling, youare-there dispatch chronicles Russian president Vladimir Putin’s aggression against the Ukrainian people and its aftermath, with previously unseen footage of bombings, violence, and mass evacuations interspersed among testimonials from witnesses and survivors. Afineevsky also pays tribute to the extraordinary character of his fellow citizens, from a standup comedy show which mocks the Russian Army to doctors setting up makeshift sanctuaries to everyday people shouting down Russian soldiers. This is what bravery and resistance looks like. —David Fear

DIRECTOR Evgeny Afineevsky UK, Ukraine, US 2022 118 min INVITED GUEST Evgeny Afineevsky SECTION Docs SPONSOR Bank of Marin

Tuesday . October 11 . 3:30pm . Sequoia Wednesday . October 12 . 12:45pm . Rafael

113

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY Let’s just say that Rian Johnson has outdone himself in his wonderful new Knives Out (MVFF42) romp, bringing together a to-die-for ensemble of actors who portray a group of sometime friends—disruptors all—summoned to an exotic, futuristic island hideaway. Their mega-rich one-time leader and eccentric-genius comrade Miles (Edward Norton) has a game set up: to solve the mystery of his murder. Of course each guest has a motive, and all know each other well enough to glean what those murky motives might be. It’s looking like a weekend of fun, luxury, and designer cocktails. But curiously, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the best detective ever, has somehow landed an invitation, too. And where Benoit goes, murder is likely to follow. Buckle up as this amazing cast takes us on a riotous ride leading to a smashing climax. Irreverence abounds, hilarity ensues, one-liners are delivered with aplomb (Kate Hudson!), the uber-cool reigns (Leslie Odom Jr.), and the question remains: Whodunnit?? —Zoë Elton

DIRECTOR Rian Johnson US 2022 139 min OPENING NIGHT IN PERSON Rian Johnson Kathryn Hahn Leslie Odom Jr. Kate Hudson SECTION US SPONSOR Vickie Soulier

Thursday . October 6 . 6:00pm . Sequoia . Rafael

115

THE GOOD NURSE Based on a true story, Tobias Lindholm’s multi-faceted feature is a dazzling shapeshifter that successfully operates on a variety of levels: as a psychological thriller, as a damning indictment of health-care bureaucracy, and as a showcase for two of our finest actors, Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. As mild-mannered, socially awkward new-hire nurse Charles Cullen, Redmayne’s ambidextrous performance is an astonishing feat, a perfectly calibrated portrait that’s shattering to behold. Counterbalancing that is Chastain’s nuanced, committed turn as his principled and hardworking fellow nurse, Amy Loughren, a single mom suffering from her own health crisis. Jody Lee Lipes’ somber cinematography further expands on The Good Nurse’s sobering themes, illustrating the shadows that can haunt the psyches of those around us. —Randy Myers

DIRECTOR Tobias Lindholm US 2022 121 min BAY AREA PREMIERE IN PERSON Tobias Lindholm Eddie Redmayne Nnamdi Asomugha SECTION US Cinema SPONSOR Jackson Square Partners

Sunday . October 16 . 5:00pm . Sequoia . Rafael

117

THE GRAB This gripping, of-the-moment documentary connects some of the dots in humanity’s oldest struggle: the fight over resources. With an elegant, eye-opening throughline, filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish) focuses on Bay Area investigative journalist Nathan Halverson and his team’s mission to make sense of the curious connections they uncover when exploring a Chinese company’s purchase of one quarter of America’s pigs. The probe leads to disparate locations — Arizona, Saudi Arabia, Zambia, Crimea — with links to the world’s food supply. We learn that as climate change has begun ravaging the planet, a small group has methodically and covertly planned for the worst-case scenario of food shortages and famine. Halverson and his team work bravely, talking to key players, some of them dangerous, in search of a larger truth that relates directly to tonight’s evening news. Thankfully, after outlining a grim big picture, Cowperthwaite leaves us with reasons for hope. —Celia C. Peters

DIRECTOR Gabriela Cowperthwaite US 2022 104 min INVITED GUESTS Gabriela Cowperthwaite Amanda Pike SECTION Docs STRAND Grow INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Wareham Development

Friday . October 7 . 6:00pm . Sequoia Monday . October 10 . 1:00pm . Sequoia

Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation 119

HI DE HO SHOW The Hi De Ho Show is back! In this only-at-MVFF tradition, host and maestro John Goddard curates and comments on music clips from his personal collection. This year it’s all women, all the time—as Goddard shines the light on the first 50 (or so) years of women in pop, jazz, big band, country, and blues. In performances both eye-popping and heart-wrenching, expect the stylin’ or sultry, the soulful or sinful in this selection of dames, divinities, and the occasional diva. Whatever the genre, Goddard explores the sometimes autobiographical subtexts that seep through interpretations by some of the great singers and make those performances transcendent and timeless: Think Stand By Your Man, Strange Fruit, By Myself—worlds of experience channeled through a three-minute song, by singers who bare their souls with no regrets. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime experience, whether you’re a first-timer or Hi De Ho fan of many years standing. —Zoë Elton

Saturday . October 15 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

DIRECTOR John Goddard US 2022 90 min SECTION US Cinema STRAND Create

121

HOLY SPIDER Filmmaker Ali Abbasi follows up his acclaimed 2018 fantasy romantic drama Border (MVFF41) with a tense and unapologetically feminist procedural based on actual events. Zar Amir Ebrahimi won Best Actress at Cannes for her portrayal of Rahimi, an Iranian journalist on the case of a serial killer who, in striking down sex workers, insists he is doing God’s work. Inspired by real-life murderer Saeed Hanaei, who slew 16 women in 2000 and 2001, Holy Spider evokes Zodiac and other engrossing crime thrillers, in which the search for a perpetrator doubles as a commentary on societal ills. Abbasi crafts a seemingly straightforward detective story, gripping and unsettling in equal measure, before unveiling a dark surprise in its second half, building and heating the drama nearly to a boiling point. Ebrahimi plays Rahimi with ferocious determination in her portrayal of a crusader determined to bring a bad man to justice. In Iranian languages with English subtitles —Tim Grierson

Tuesday . October 11 . 4:00pm . Rafael

DIRECTOR Ali Abbasi Denmark 2022 106 min BAY AREA PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Trailblazers

123

HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE Set against the perennial immigration debate in the United States, this animated documentary goes beyond rhetoric to give voice to those who’ve experienced the inhumane consequences of official policy. Each of three stories is presented in its own imaginative visual style: The crayon-scribbled world of a child conveys the tale of an 11-year-old US citizen whose undocumented father is detained; a painterly watercolor canvas limns the situation of two teenaged sisters living on opposite sides of the US/Mexico border; and the plight of a slam poet-activist raised in smalltown Utah and deported to a country he never knew is rendered in bold colors as his words unify all three vignettes. The exquisite artistry of the differing styles serves each storyteller well, adding layers of nuance and restoring humanity to headlines. At times fanciful, as when a cut watermelon transforms into a swimming pool of pink water, this dazzling work is always heartfelt. —Shari Kizirian Age 12+ Note to parents: The film Includes references to a dangerous border crossing and one subject’s memories of his parent’s history of domestic violence.

DIRECTORS Carlos Hagerman Jorge Villalobos Mexico, US 2022 87 min BAY AREA PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Carlos Hagerman Jorge Villalobos SECTION Docs STRAND Create INITIATIVE ¡Viva el cine!

AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Sunday . October 9 . 7:00pm . Lark Friday . October 14 . 12:00pm . Sequoia

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LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER

DIRECTOR Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre

Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s tastefully understated, elegantly updated version of D.H. Lawrence’s novel has bountiful pleasures on offer beyond the eroticism of its subjects. Emma Corrin (The Crown; My Policeman, MVFF45) plays a radiant Connie Chatterley who’s nobody’s fool — and no man’s “Lady,” either. An avid reader and intellectual from a family of free-thinking bohemians, Connie, in de Tonnerre’s depiction, is no isolated, sexually obsessed aberration wandering the grounds of Wragby Estate. Instead, she exists within a dynamic, socially stratified network of women, including her independent-minded sister Hilda (Faye Marsay) and her husband’s nurse Mrs. Bolton (Joely Richardson), both of whom empathize with Connie’s search for self-discovery and liberation. The attraction between Connie and Wragby’s groundskeeper, Oliver (Jack O’Connell), is electrified with desire, but also develops — despite their class differences — into a relationship between equals that offers hope, and true partnership, for both. —KD Davis

UK, US 2022 105 min INVITED GUEST Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre SECTION World Cinema STRAND Heart INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Jennifer Coslett MacCready

Saturday . October 8 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

127

LIVING This beautiful drama, written by Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day) and directed by Oliver Hermanus (Moffie), poses a question: How does a repressed and ineffectual bureaucrat respond when he learns he has only six months to live? Mr. Williams is the most buttoned-up of individuals, but he decides that the time has arrived to assert himself, change a few lives, and inspire a few others—quietly, of course. As played by the incomparable Bill Nighy, Mr. Williams’ every muted tic, soft breath, and forlorn expression says more than words can convey. This is someone filled with regret for a life not lived and a future he won’t have. With stunning camera work, wonderful performances, and a beautiful sadness that is never morose, Living examines what happens when a man realizes he has long avoided the very things that give his life meaning. —David Riedel

DIRECTOR Oliver Hermanus UK 2022 102 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema SPONSOR Coldwell Banker

Sunday . October 9 . 7:00pm . Sequoia Tuesday . October 11 . 2:30pm . Sequoia

129

THE LOST KING In 2004, Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins, Spencer, MVFF44) takes her son to see a production of Richard III. She becomes intrigued by the story of the malformed king who, per Shakespeare’s play, was a “usurper” to the throne. The deeper Langley dives into the history of the disgraced regent, the more she believes that a posthumous Tudor smear campaign sullied his good name. She vows to discover Richard’s unknown burial site and restore his reputation. No one believes her—until, after suffering the sneers and insults of scholars, the mockery of city officials, and the bewilderment of friends and loved ones, she convinces archeologists to dig up a car park in Leicester. The rest is history, and legendary British director Stephen Frears recounts this stranger-than-fiction shaggy-dog story with an eye toward placing its real hero front and center—with help from the extraordinary Hawkins. It’s a restoration tale in more ways than one. —David Fear

DIRECTOR Stephen Frears UK 2022 108 min SECTION World Cinema SPONSOR BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Wednesday . October 12 . 6:00pm . Sequoia Saturday . October 15 . 12:00pm . Sequoia

131

MOTHER AND SON Spanning twenty years, Léonor Serraille’s beautifully sweeping second feature follows Rose (Annabelle Lengronne), who moves from the Ivory Coast to France in 1989 with her two sons Jean and Ernest. Presented in triptych form, each section explores one of these three richly-scripted characters. In the first section, Rose, independent and forthright upon her arrival in Paris, resists being tied to a man until paramour Thierry (Thibaut Evrard) woos her to Normandy. This shift in locale prompts the first shift in perspective, centering on teenage Jean (Stéphane Bak), the eldest son, and the challenges of adolescence. In the film’s final segment, focus turns to Ernest (Kenzo Sambin and Ahmed Sylla) as he tries to reconcile the distance he feels towards his mother and brother. With warmth, humor, and terrific performances, especially from Lengronne, Mother and Son is a masterful portrait of diasporic familial bonds and the complexities of parenthood. In French with English subtitles – Rod Armstrong

DIRECTOR Léonor Serraille France 2022 116 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE STRAND Heart SECTION World Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Friday . October 7 . 4:00pm . Rafael Wednesday . October 12 . 3:00pm . Rafael

133

MY POLICEMAN The events of the past impact a married couple’s present when a long-estranged friend moves into their home after a stroke in Michael Grandage’s elegant adaptation of Bethan Roberts’ novel. The film glides effortlessly between past and present as the reason for Tom’s (Linus Roache) resentment, when his wife Marion (Gina McKee) becomes caregiver to Patrick (Rupert Everett), gradually emerges. In 1957, titular Brighton bobby Tom (Harry Styles), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin, The Crown), and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson) are mates but it is a complicated relationship full of secrets that only gradually emerge after Tom and Marion marry. Then Patrick runs afoul of England’s laws against homosexuality and disappears into prison. Written by Ron Nyswaner (Oscar® nominee, Philadelphia), the film teases out how an era’s social dictates and legalities changed three lives. Nuanced performances, exquisite production design, and evocative pop songs set the scene for this emotionally resonant drama. —Pam Grady

DIRECTOR Michael Grandage UK, US 2022 113 min SECTION World Cinema

Wednesday . October 12 . 8:00pm . Rafael Friday . October 14 . 2:30pm . Sequoia

135

NANNY Nikyatu Jusu’s evocative debut feature is an immersive encounter with the duality of the immigrant experience. Anna Diop plays Aisha, a recent Senegalese immigrant who spends her days caring for the child of a wealthy New York couple while making plans to bring her young son to the United States. As she navigates her increasingly strenuous work environment, the West African water deity Mami Wata and Anansi the Spider begin to haunt her. Jusu’s deft exploration of the spiritual and emotional implications for a woman struggling to find the balance between two worlds comes to life in Diop’s stunning performance and DP Rina Yang’s dynamic cinematography. The film beautifully incorporates West African spirituality and femininity into the contemporary horror genre, creating a unique portrait that unites the ancient with the new. —Osinachi Ibe

DIRECTOR Nikyatu Jusu US 2022 97 min IN PERSON Nikyatu Jusu Anna Diop SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Destino Fund

Saturday . October 15 . 6:00pm . Sequoia Sunday . October 16 . 7:00pm . Roxie

137

OINK This delightfully Dutch stop-motion-animated feature is the story of Babs, a nine-year-old steadfast vegetarian who desperately wants a pet puppy. Instead, her long-lost grandfather Tuitjes arrives unexpectedly from America (sporting a hilarious cowboy-western twang of an accent) and gifts her a piglet, whom she names Oink. His porcine charms are diminished only by frequent flatulence and fondness for the vegetables in mom’s beloved garden. Babs’ meat-free mom doesn’t trust Tuitjes, what with the town’s King Sausage Contest coming up and his checkered past as a disgraced former contestant. Much comedic mayhem ensues involving Babs’ heroic efforts to train Oink, who has a knack for pooping— spectacularly—at all the wrong moments. More Roald Dahl than Babe or Charlotte’s Web, this is at heart a sweet love story between a girl and her pet, with a clever message about animal cruelty sure to satisfy both herbivores and carnivores alike. —Jeff Campbell OINK AFTERPARTY Saturday, October 8 | 12:30-2:00pm | OAC | Free with film ticket After the first screening of the film, stroll across the street for fun festivities featuring food, drink, games, arts & crafts—and hot dogs (and veggie dogs) for all!

DIRECTOR Mascha Halberstad Netherlands, Belgium 2022 72 min WEST COAST PREMIERE SECTION Family STRAND Laugh INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Bellam Self Storage & Boxes

Saturday . October 8 . 11:00am . Sequoia Sunday . October 16 . 2:00pm . Rafael

139

ONE FINE MORNING (UN BEAU MATIN) Even more moving for eschewing excess drama, writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve’s subtle film is a bittersweet exploration of how the vicissitudes of fate and the passage of time shape identities. Sandra (Léa Seydoux), a translator and single mom, shares responsibility with her sister and mother for her father, a former philosophy professor (Pascal Greggory) suffering from a neurodegenerative disease. Moving between visits with her dad, her work, and time with her daughter, she encounters an old friend, Clément (Melvil Poupaud). When their platonic relationship gives way to romantic desire, Sandra rediscovers a part of herself, but their future remains uncertain. Cinematographer Denis Lenoir’s limpid 35mm cinematography effectively captures the breezy Paris parks, light-filled apartments, city streets, and bleak institutional interiors the characters navigate, and beautifully complements Hansen-Løve’s ability to evoke the changing seasons and rhythms of daily life. —Kate MacKay

DIRECTOR Mia Hansen-Løve France 2022 112 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Saturday . October 8 . 4:00pm . Rafael Sunday . October 9 . 7:00pm . BAMPFA

141

OUR BROTHERS (NOS FRANGINS) Police brutality receives considerable media attention during our current Black Lives Matter moment, but French director Rachid Bouchareb’s (Days of Glory, MVFF29) drama serves notice that it’s been a social ill for far too long. Looking back with anger at the cruel murders of Abdel Benyahia and Malik Oussekine in 1986 Paris, Our Brothers has the solemn air of a procedural, following Oussekine’s older brother Mohamed (Reda Kateb) as he tries to determine what happened to Malik, and discovers police who will stop at nothing to hide their misconduct. An Oscar® nominee and a producer of The Insult (MVFF40), Bouchareb uses this sobering true story, set against a backdrop of student protests for higher-education reform, to examine how the killings resulted from police arrogance and incompetence, and how law-enforcement officials conspired to bury the truth. Drawing a straight line between past and present, Our Brothers is enraging, but its fury also proves to be cleansing. In French with English subtitles —Tim Grierson

DIRECTOR Rachid Bouchareb France, Algeria 2022 92 min NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE INVITED GUEST Rachid Bouchareb SECTION World Cinema STRAND Spirit

Wednesday . October 12 . 7:00pm . Sequoia Thursday . October 13 . 3:00pm . Rafael

143

OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL (MON PÈRE, LE DIABLE) A complex work of inescapable power, this provocative debut, which won the audience award for Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival, announces Cameroonian-American filmmaker Ellie Foumbi as a major talent to watch. With a star-making turn by Babetida Sadjo at its center, Our Father, the Devil is a beguiling interrogation of trauma and its lingering aftereffects. Years after violent conflict shattered her life in Africa, Marie Cissé (Sadjo) has found refuge working as the head chef in a retirement home in small-town France. She isn’t prepared for the flood of emotions that erupt when a new priest, Father Patrick (Souléymane Sy Savané), arrives at her workplace and she recognizes him as a terrifying figure from her traumatic past. Foumbi holds her characters — and audience — to account, diving deep into the darkest corners of the human heart, and emerging with an intellectually stimulating dissection of revenge, power, victimhood, and the redemptive potential of love. In French with English subtitles —Wilfred Okiche

DIRECTOR Ellie Foumbi US 2022 108 min WEST COAST PREMIERE INVITED GUEST Ellie Foumbi SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Thursday . October 13 . 6:00pm . Rafael Friday . October 14 . 11:00am . Sequoia

145

THE PASSENGERS OF THE NIGHT The dissolution of a marriage is always difficult, and it’s even more so for Elisabeth (the iconic Charlotte Gainsbourg, radiant), in early 1980s Paris. She’s never been in a relationship with anyone but the husband who’s left her for another woman; her two children will soon leave the nest, and she’s never held a job. But when she nabs a position working for the host (Emmanuelle Béart) of the late-night call-in radio show she listens to, her fortunes begin to change. As the decade progresses, Elisabeth comes into her own, as do her kids in part due to their embrace of Talulah, a mysterious young drifter (Noée Abita). At once low-key and sweeping in its scope, reminiscent of Boyhood in its expansive slice of ordinary life, director Mikhaël Hers’ astutely-observed, compassionate and warm-hearted drama draws fine work from its veteran and emerging French talent. It’s also got a killer soundtrack of vintage Europop faves.

In French with English subtitles —Dennis Harvey

DIRECTOR Mikhaël Hers France 2022 111 min US PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Spirit

Saturday . October 8 . 6:00pm . Rafael Sunday . October 9 . 3:00pm . Sequoia

147

PATH OF THE PANTHER In the southern Everglades, a wildlife photographer, veterinarians, ranchers, conservationists, and indigenous people join forces to track and protect the endangered Florida panther. In this moving documentary, stunning images of the big cats spur the movement to restore a majestic keystone species as well as dwindling wilderness. While National Geographic’s Carlton Ward, Jr. employs camera traps to capture thrilling video and still portraits of panthers and other marshland creatures, biologists track the elusive wild felines, vets rehabilitate them after car strikes, and ranchers preserve working land and prevent overdevelopment. Creating wildlife corridors through ranch lands and nature preserves is the longterm plan. Through Ward’s art, the Florida panther and the swampland itself speak eloquently of their right to continue. A gripping tale of survival, Path of the Panther offers hope that we can follow our love of beauty and nature toward better stewardship of the Earth. —Carol Harada

DIRECTOR Eric Bendick US 2022 88 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE INVITED GUEST Eric Bendick SECTION Docs STRAND Grow INITIATIVE Active Cinema SPONSOR Jim Boyce Trust and Kris Otis

Thursday . October 13 . 7:00pm . Rafael Saturday . October 15 . 11:00am . Rafael

AVAILABLE TO STREAM

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PLAN 75 Chie Hayakawa’s feature debut, which premiered at Cannes, puts our ageist society under a microscope. This dystopian drama may provoke comparisons to 1970s-era classics Logan’s Run and Soylent Green but while exploring similar themes, Hayakawa’s tender and visionary film resonates uniquely. In a chilling near-future, the Japanese government offers money to senior citizens willing to self-euthanize. Veteran actor Chieko Baisho stars as Michi, a woman considering whether to accept the stipend and end her life. Juxtaposing Michi’s story with those of a gung-ho salesman for the program (Hayato Isomura) and a struggling young mother (Stefanie Arianne), Hayakawa weaves a tapestry of disparate souls, all affected by death, sometimes in unexpected ways. Plan 75 gently ponders modern society’s tendency to shun the elderly and our fear of mortality; by quietly condemning such attitudes, Baisho’s bittersweet performance is a triumph. In Japanese with English subtitles —Tim Grierson

DIRECTOR Chie Hayakawa Japan 2022 112 min US PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Spirit SUPPORT FROM

Consulate General of Japan, San Francisco

Friday . October 14 . 4:00pm . Rafael Saturday . October 15 . 4:00pm . BAMPFA

151

PROVO Writer-director-star Emma Thatcher makes an arresting feature debut with this idiosyncratic love story that’s also a bitingly funny ode to the oddities of the American Midwest, and a lesson in forgiveness. After learning her estranged Mormon father is on his deathbed, self-destructive Liz (Thatcher) leaves her Chicago home, friend-with-benefits Geoffrey (Hunter Bryant) in tow, meaning to give the old man a piece of her mind one last time.

What follows is an offbeat road movie, chock-full of witty dialogue, unexpected revelations, and beautiful handheld camerawork that recalls the films of Kelly Reichardt in its grainy golden-hour undertones. It’s difficult to think of another up-and-coming filmmaker as self-assured as Thatcher as she steadily navigates a delicate tightrope of difficult themes and tonal shifts. At once insightful and wistfully funny, the trip to Provo is a journey worth taking. —Aurora Amidon Preceded by the short film Small Gay Tragedy #1 (Rose Schlossberg, 4 min): When Rose finds new queers in her small town, she can’t believe her eyes.

DIRECTOR Emma Thatcher US 2022 86 min INVITED GUESTS Emma Thatcher Sarah Franke SECTION US Cinema STRAND Heart INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Friday . October 7 . 7:30pm . Rafael Sunday . October 9 . 1:00pm . Rafael

153

THE PUPILS (LE PUPILLE) From the very first frames of Alice Rohrwacher’s Pupils, “a film clumsily and freely based on a letter the writer Elsa Morante sent to her friend Goffredo Fofi,” it’s clear we’re in for an original, whimsical, wonderful 37 minutes in the company of the rebellious little girls at a Catholic boarding school in Italy. It’s Christmas, it’s wartime, things are scarce. The Mother Superior, played by the marvelous Alba Rohrwacher, Alice’s sister and long-time collaborator (The Wonders, Happy as Lazzaro) rules over her charges with a strict and unyielding eye. Desires both pure and selfish are navigated.

There’s the nativity play, requests for prayers from these innocent girls, and an irresistible red cake—temptation abounds! Gorgeously rendered in Super 16mm, filmmaker Rohrwacher’s sublime imagination and exquisite artistry once again prove her one of the most original cinema artists of her generation. We invite you to experience this gem of a film as our gift: Screenings are free, but you will need to get a ticket! In Italian with English subtitles —Zoë Elton

DIRECTOR Alice Rohrwacher Italy 2022 37 min SECTION Shorts STRAND Laugh INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SUPPORT FROM

Saturday . October 8 . 1:00pm . Rafael

Italian Cultural Institute

Sunday . October 9 . 5:45pm . BAMPFA Wednesday . October 12 . 11:00am . Sequoia Saturday . October 15 . 12:00pm . Lark

155

THE QUIET EPIDEMIC While true to its title in tone, directors Lindsay Keys and Winslow Crane-Murdoch’s documentary probe into the medical establishment’s denial of chronic Lyme Disease is a declarative bombshell. Woven through with heart-rending stories of long-term sufferers, The Quiet Epidemic presents a history of the debilitating illness, along with a litany of its many easily misdiagnosed symptoms. The film’s main focus is the abrupt official about-face on the idea that chronic Lyme even exists, government agencies’ flat-out negation of the disease coinciding with explosive profits from federally funded research patents and the growth of managed care. The paper trails are impressive, but the heart of this investigation is the devastation that bureaucracy has wrought on the afflicted. Through interviews and archival footage, we are witness to the decades of frustration, demonization, and denial of care that patients continue to face.

—Edward Dunn The Oct 8 screening will be followed by a filmmaker Talk Back at the Outdoor Art Club at 4:15pm. Join us to continue the conversation!

DIRECTORS Lindsay Keys, Winslow CraneMurdoch US 2022 101 min BAY AREA PREMIERE SECTION Docs INITIATIVE Mind the Gap Active Cinema AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Saturday . October 8 . 2:00pm . Sequoia Monday . October 10 . 1:15pm . Rafael

157

RETURN TO DUST One of the most talked about films from this year’s Berlinale competition, Ruijun Li’s Return to Dust is an unusually tender love story of middle-aged strangers pushed into marriage by their respective families. Ma Youtie (Renlin Wu) is a quiet, hardworking man and the least loved of five brothers, while Cao Guiying (Hai-Qing) is a disabled, infertile woman long mistreated and isolated. Eager to be rid of these perceived burdens, their families arrange for the couple’s union. Despite injustice, poverty, and the odds stacked against them, Ma and Guiying discover their luck in sharing a life together. With a serenity expressed by few words and an exquisite visual palette, Li brings a peaceful contemplative atmosphere to the heart of the drama. Set in rural China and infused with the beauty of the four seasons, Return to Dust is a delicate portrait of outcasts who find in each other the hope, love, and companionship they never knew was possible. In Mandarin with English subtitles —João Federici

DIRECTOR Ruijun Li China 2022 131 min US PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Heart SPONSOR Jim Boyce Trust and Kris Otis AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Friday . October 7 . 3:30pm . Sequoia Thursday . October 13 . 11:30am . Rafael

159

RODEO Lola Quivoron kicks up major cinematic dust with her riveting feature debut. Julia, a young woman in love with motorbikes and addicted to speed and dangerous thrills, takes her swagger to the limit to infiltrate an all-male pack of riders. Newcomer Julie Ledru plays Julia with unnerving toughness as a woman who will do anything to ride, even masterminding a bold heist to prove herself to local kingpin Domino (Sébastien Schroeder), who runs a crime ring from inside jail. A top prizewinner at Cannes, the film relates a passionate story of single-minded dedication and nonconformity, while condemning the misogynistic underpinnings of biker culture. Julia stands out as a solitary figure in a man’s world, yet she’s fully in tune with another woman’s plight, putting her own safety at risk as she becomes increasingly protective of Domino’s wife and child. Raphaël Vandenbussche’s intimate cinematography, punctuated by adrenaline-pumping scenes that build to a stunning finale, make Rodeo a high-octane ride you will never forget. In French with English subtitles —Ela Bittencourt

DIRECTOR Lola Quivoron France 2022 105 min US PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Lola Quivoron Antonia Buresi SECTION World Cinema STRAND Trailblazers INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Sunday . October 9 . 6:00pm . Sequoia Monday . October 10 . 4:00pm . Rafael

161

DIRECTOR Kathryn Golden

SANTOS–SKIN TO SKIN Bay Area music legend and activist John Santos takes center stage in this documentary thrumming with rhythm, passion, and cultural reflection.

Known as a “keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame,” the seven-time Grammy nominee percussionist and bandleader grew up on the rhythms of his Puerto Rican and Cape Verdean heritage. Charting his rise from early gigs to a short-lived stint with Santana to the formation of his own prolific sextet and collaboration with a host of international Latin Jazz greats, Santos – Skin to Skin builds a brilliantly energetic portrait of a hard-working musician and educator as dedicated to preserving and expanding Afro-Latin music as he is to navigating the politics of culture, social equality, and racial injustice. Live performances, archival footage, commentary by jazz luminaries, and an intimate glimpse of his family bring Santos and his life’s mission into vital focus. —Deanna Quinones

US 2022 75 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE SECTION Docs STRAND Trailblazers INITIATIVE ¡Viva el cine!

Mind the Gap MUSIC SHOW SATURDAY OCT 8

JOHN SANTOS + FRIENDS Sweetwater Music Hall

Doors 8:00pm / Show 9:00pm

SPONSOR Saturday . October 8 . 5:15pm . Sequoia Friday . October 14 . 7:30pm . BAMPFA Sunday . October 16 . 4:00pm . Roxie

Marin Magazine AVAILABLE TO STREAM 163

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS: ANNIVERSARY SCREENING

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

Detroit-born Sixto Rodriguez may be the best singer-songwriter you’ve never heard of. Though a respected early 1970s folk musician, he faded into obscurity after his first two albums failed to sell. In fact, it almost seemed as if he winked out of existence. But in South Africa, Rodriguez— sometimes called the “Sugar Man” after one of his songs—became a hero, and when the Apartheid government banned that song his legend only grew. Malik Bendjelloul’s Oscar®-winning documentary tells the uplifting story of how one person can galvanize a people, even without knowing it. Plus, Rodriguez’s songs are genuinely great, his clever lyrics performed with a voice that mixes Bob Dylan’s raspiness with the sweetness of Bread’s David Gates. Searching for Sugar Man is that rare movie that tells a great story and feeds the soul. —David Riedel

DIRECTOR Malik Bendjelloul US 2012 86 min SECTION Docs SUPPORT FROM Consulate General of Sweden + Pro Suecia

Friday . October 7 . 2:30pm . Sequoia

165

SHE SAID A poignant testament to the power of investigative journalism, She Said captures the journey of New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) as they uncover harrowing accounts of sexual harassment and assault perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein—and the powerful Hollywood machine that enabled and protected him for decades. Based on the book by Kantor and Twohey, this heart-racing and emotional drama highlights the journalists’ unflinching tenacity in the face of institutional barriers and resistance, brilliantly captured with nuance and complexity by Kazan and Mulligan. Aided by an exceptional ensemble cast, acclaimed director Maria Schrader spotlights the remarkable courage of the women who came forward as well as those who helped bring their stories to light. This game-changing story marked a momentous shift in Hollywood and beyond, and serves as a reminder of the ever-relevant impact and importance of uncovering the truth and amplifying otherwise silenced voices. —Celeste Wong

DIRECTOR Maria Schrader US 2022 135 min SECTION US Cinema STRAND Create INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Christine A. Schantz

Sunday . October 16 . 1:00pm . Rafael

167

THE SON Writer-director Florian Zeller returns with an adaptation of the second play in his family trilogy, which—like his 2020 Oscar®-winning film The Father (MVFF43)—examines the seismic effect of sickness on everyone involved. Peter (Hugh Jackman) is settling into life with wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and their beautiful baby boy. In contrast, Nicholas (Zen McGrath), his teen son from his previous marriage, isn’t doing so well; according to Peter’s ex, Kate (Laura Dern), he’s extremely moody and angry. Without realizing the extent of Nicholas’ issues, Peter and Beth invite him into their home, hoping a new environment will improve his mindset. Anchored by an incredible performance from Jackman, Zeller’s portrait of a parental nightmare never exploits the subject of mental illness. —David Fear

DIRECTOR Florian Zeller US, UK, France 2022 123 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema

Friday . October 8 . 7:00pm . Lark Thursday . October 13 . 3:30pm . Sequoia

169

SOPHIA An exploration of brilliance and frailty in the pursuit of artistic perfection, Crystal Moselle and Jon Kasbe’s documentary follows ingenious but unsettled roboticist David Hanson as he and his team struggle to create Sophia, the most lifelike artificial intelligence ever built. Although at odds with investors, short of funds to live his own life, and dealing with a seemingly never-ending series of glitches in Sophia’s development, Hanson’s belief never wavers, even as pressure mounts to deliver a final product ready for the consumer marketplace. Equally fascinating is Sophia itself, which bristles at being the center of attention at showcases for potential backers, even while assuring audiences that it’s designed to help, not harm, people. A portrait of an uneasy inventor who just wants to work rather than deal with a world pushing and pulling at him, Sophia is a sharp study of the possibilities and limits of the human imagination.

—David Riedel

DIRECTORS Crystal Moselle Jon Kasbe US 2022 89 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Crystal Moselle Jon Kasbe SECTION Docs STRAND Trailblazers INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Friday . October 14 . 2:00pm . Rafael Saturday . October 15 . 3:00pm . Rafael

171

STILL WORKING 9 TO 5 The iconic 1980 screwball feminist revenge comedy that put the plight of women office workers on blast steps back into the spotlight in this fun and fascinating documentary. While directors Camille Hardman and Gary Lane investigate why 9 to 5 was made, how its production unfolded, and the film’s impact, they also depict the long struggle for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton demonstrate their delightful and potent onscreen chemistry in insightful vintage footage and present-day interviews. Co-star Dabney Coleman and others involved in the film and later TV and stage adaptations also appear in this eye-opening film that reveals just how far we have – and have not – come in 40 years. And while the subject matter is serious, the documentary shares the light-hearted tone that made 9 to 5 such a smash. —Celia C. Peters

DIRECTORS Camille Hardman Gary Lanee US 2021 95 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Gary Lanee Larry Lane SECTION Docs STRAND Laugh INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Friday . October 14 . 7:30pm . Rafael Sunday . October 16 . 11:30am . Lark

173

SUNNYLAND It’s no easy feat to capture the enigmatic, dreamlike magic of childhood in movie form, but Xavi Medina does just that with his feature debut.

The filmmaker wrote, directed, shot, and edited this tale of five-yearold EZ (Isabella Wilkie), who lives in a Miami trailer park and has one simple goal in life: to see the ocean for the first time. Medina’s ambling and contemplative cinema-verité style recalls the hazy, colorful wonderment of Sean Baker’s The Florida Project (MVFF40), accentuated by an incisive undercurrent of poverty and the immigrant experience. In this tender drama’s focus on EZ’s boundless imagination, and in its insightful compassion for inattentive parents simply doing the best they can, Sunnyland brims with its own unique humanity — setting Medina apart as one to watch. —Aurora Amidon

DIRECTOR Xavi Medina US 2022 77 min WEST COEAST PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Xavi Medina Maria Cotarelo SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE ¡Viva el cine!

AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Monday . October 10 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

175

THE SWIMMERS Yusra Mardini cherished one goal: To swim for Syria’s Olympic team.

But that aspiration seemed dashed when her homeland’s civil war made her a refugee. Sally El Hosaini’s second feature, after her lauded 2013 debut My Brother the Devil, chronicles the incredible real-life story of Yusra (Nathalie Issa) and her sister Sarah (Manal Issa), as they make the perilous trek from the suburbs of Damascus to start life (and training) anew in Berlin. An idyllic candy-colored poolside childhood gives way to a meaner palette of life on the run in an epic drama that portrays these tough-minded teenagers’ courage in fleeing in an overcrowded dinghy, spending hours bobbing in the sea beside it to keep it afloat, and later, drawing attention to the worldwide refugee crisis. Through it all El Hosaini never lets us forget that these are simply girls like any others, with dreams. —Shari Kizirian

Saturday . October 15 . 2:00pm . Rafael

DIRECTOR Sally El Hosaini UK, US 2022 134 min SECTION World Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

177

TÁR A transcendent Cate Blanchett brilliantly portrays Lydia Tár, one of the greatest composer-conductors who never lived: a genius, an EGOT, and the first ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra. We see her navigate a life, both public and private, centered in the international world of classical music: the Juilliard students who dismiss Bach as misogynistic; the hangers-on who want her number; the young, upcoming Russian cellist; her daughter, her partner (Nina Hoss). In this delicious slow burn of a film, writer-director Todd Field has created a profound and inventive character study, exploring power and fame, passion and paranoia with a wily sensibility. Blanchett’s spectacular performance takes us deep into the life that underscores this complicated, fascinating character—her phenomenal talent, her relationships, her manipulativeness, everything. Watching her conduct is amazing: She takes it on, body and soul, as only a great artist can. —Lily Buchanan

DIRECTOR Todd Field US 2022 158 min SECTION US Cinema STRAND Create SPONSOR Dolby Laboratories

Friday . October 7 . 3:00pm . Rafael Saturday . October 8 . 11:00am . Rafael

179

TILL Visually striking and moving, Till centers the story of Emmett Till through the experience of his mother, Mamie Till Mobley. It’s a powerful choice, revealing the journey of a mother for whom grief becomes action—and whose action changes history. Danielle Deadwyler as Till Mobley is brilliant, and leads a terrific cast, including Jalyn Hall, who exudes a confident charisma as Emmett, Whoopi Goldberg, and Frankie Faison. It feels as though director-screenwriter Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency, MVFF42) empowered her cast to go deep in an incredibly truthful way, creating a breathtaking drama that confirms all the promise of her earlier work with sure-handed artistry and insight. The emotional integrity of the cast is a great counterpoint to the wonderfully cinematic experience that she creates, with a confidence and style that recalls classic American film. This is a story both timeless and timely, as full of love as it is of grief. —Zoë Elton

DIRECTOR Chinonye Chukwu US 2022 85 min IN PERSON Chinonye Chukwu SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR

Marin Community Foundation

Tuesday . October 11 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

181

TOWN DESTROYER Is art’s role to provoke or placate? What happens when it no longer reflects current societal views? These questions and many more were the subject of hot debate when Victor Arnautoff’s thirteen-panel mural “The Life of Washington” became an object of local controversy, then a media firestorm. On display since San Francisco’s George Washington High School opened in 1936, it offers a view of the Founding Father both celebratory and critical, referencing his involvements in slavery and Native American genocide. (The Iroquois dubbed him “Town Destroyer.”) But some present-day students, parents, and observers found those depictions racially offensive, calling for the work to be removed or destroyed.

Would doing so be a “redaction of history,” “identity politics gone off the rails”—or a justified blow to a lingering American “colonized mentality” as well as ongoing “traumatization” of young minds? Longtime Bay Area documentarians Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman interview historians, artists, activists, and GWHS students to probe a fascinating microcosm of today’s culture wars. —Dennis Harvey The first screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and special guests to be announced.

Saturday . October 8 . 8:00pm . Sequoia

DIRECTORS Alan Snitow Deborah Kaufman US 2022 55 min WORLD PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Alan Snitow Deborah Kaufman SECTION Docs INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR

San Francisco Chronicle AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Friday . October 14 . 1:15pm . Rafael Saturday . October 15 . 1:45pm . Roxie

183

TRIPLE TROUBLE The Residents have existed over half a century now as one of the singular cultural enigmas of our times: An unclassifiable arts collective-slash-rock band who’ve racked approximately 100 albums and countless memorable stage shows, yet whose members’ identities remain a well-kept secret.

Among aficionados, nothing in a vast back catalog remains more sought after than Vileness Fats, a 1970s-era cult movie intended to end all cult movies, left unfinished and unreleased after several years’ work. Its surreal weirdness inspired (and is excerpted in) this brand-new feature project.

A skateboarding priest turned plumber (Dustin York) fears a plague of moon fungus and other possibly paranoid perils as he navigates a San Francisco that’s part German Expressionist nightmare, part noir mystery, and all Residents-tial referencing. Shot in high-contrast black-and-white by cinematographer Frazer Bradshaw, this bizarro enterprise is dedicated to late cast member (and longtime vocal collaborator) Gerri Lawlor.

—Dennis Harvey

DIRECTORS Homer Flynn, The Residents CALIFORNIA PREMIERE US 2022 84 min SECTION US Cinema MUSIC SHOW THURSDAY OCT 13

THE RESIDENTS

Sweetwater Music Hall Doors 7:00pm / Show 8:00pm

AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Saturday . October 15 . 7:00pm . Roxie

185

TUKDAM – BETWEEN WORLDS Is it possible to die in a consciously controlled way? The Tibetan Buddhist tradition of “tukdam,” a practice of meditating at the deepest level of consciousness right before death, has been shown to delay rigor mortis and other post-mortem decay for days or even weeks. The bodies of those in tukdam remain warm and in the meditation position even after they are declared medically dead. Through interviews with Western scientists, Tibetan medical professionals, the Dalai Lama, and respected bhikkhus, Donagh Coleman’s fascinating documentary explores current research into the practice, in which the cessation of brain function, breathing, and heart activity is not necessarily life’s clear-cut end but instead a pliant threshold. The researchers run into challenges as they try to apply modern science to ancient tradition, delving ever deeper into a universal mystery, and testing our most ardent assumptions about the relationship between body and mind. In English and Tibetan with English subtitles —Kris Chesson

DIRECTOR Donagh Coleman Finland, Ireland, Estonia 2022 91 min NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Donagh Coleman SECTION Docs STRAND Spirit AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Wednesday . October 12 . 6:30pm . Rafael Friday . October 14 . 5:00pm . Rafael

187

TURN EVERY PAGE – THE ADVENTURES OF ROBERT CARO AND ROBERT GOTTLIEB

Fifty years, five books, four thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight pages…and counting. Lizzie Gottlieb’s gripping documentary focuses on the intersecting life’s work of her father, writer and editor Robert Gottlieb, and biographer Robert Caro, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York and the influential multi-volume The Years of Lyndon Johnson. The energetic Gottlieb edited hundreds of books over the course of a career that included tenures as editor-in-chief at Simon and Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and The New Yorker. But the magnitude of his collaboration with Caro provides Lizzie Gottlieb with the pretext to document her erudite subjects. Combining compelling first-person accounts with the observations of fellow writers, editors, loved ones, and fans, she demonstrates the enduring significance of these meticulously crafted, voluminous histories to understanding the use and abuse of power in the US in the 20th century and beyond. —Kate MacKay

DIRECTOR Lizzie Gottlieb US 2022 112 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE INVITED GUEST Lizzie Gottlieb SECTION Docs STRAND Create INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Friday . October 7 . 5:00pm . Rafael Sunday . October 16 . 4:00pm . BAMPFA

189

THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY Morrisa Maltz’s staggering second feature is a thousand things at once.

It’s an ode to the mysteries of the American Midwest, a joyous meditation on modern Native American life, a seamless amalgam of fiction and documentary, and an unflinching reflection on grief. Reeling from a loved one’s recent death, Tana (Lily Gladstone), a young Native woman, embarks on a solo road trip from Minnesota to the Texas-Mexico border. Along the way, the fictional Tana interacts with real, delightfully idiosyncratic figures, making for a Nomadland-style documentary-feature hybrid, full of tactile, stranger-than-fiction touches. The characters, the ubiquitous looming mountains, the striking neon-bathed rest stops and motel rooms, all are expressed with an overwhelming feeling of humanity. The Unknown Country is a breathtaking and deeply personal account of growth amidst an uplifting search for one’s place in the world.

—Aurora Amidon

DIRECTOR Morrisa Maltz US 2022 85 min BAY AREA PREMIERE INVITED GUESTS Morrisa Maltz Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux Vanara Taing SECTION US Cinema STRAND Spirit INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Monday . October 10 . 5:15pm . Sequoia Tuesday . October 11 . 2:30pm . Rafael

191

WE DREAM OF ROBOTS A determined group of teenagers from the Uruguayan countryside tackles math, science, and the physics of friendship as they conquer the world of robotics. We Dream of Robots showcases the hopes and dreams of young people whose rural daily lives inspire them to embrace the challenge of building a better future for all. Imagine having no cell phone but learning to assemble and program a robot. Imagine walking or biking three hours to school, then staying an additional three hours to brainstorm robotic solutions to local flooding. The film documents the journeys of two teams from such humble origins that vie for glory against 70 other squads in the first robotics competition ever held in Latin America. The collaboration, commitment, national pride, and creative spark these kids share will lift your heart—and may just send you scurrying for a robot-building kit of your own. —Deanna Quinones

DIRECTOR Pablo Casacuberta Uruguay 2021 84 min NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE INVITED GUEST Pablo Casacuberta SECTION Family STRAND Trailblazers INITIATIVE ¡Viva el cine!

SUPPORT FROM Consulate of Uruguay

Sunday . October 9 . 12:00pm . Rafael Monday . October 10 . 5:00pm . Rafael

AVAILABLE TO STREAM

193

THE WHALE Hinging on a career-defining performance from Brendan Fraser, The Whale is an emotionally resonant tour de force, by turns funny and devastating. Fraser plays Charlie, a 600-pound online writing teacher and fragile gay man stricken by grief. Confined to his dead-end Idaho apartment, Charlie ticks off his days binging on pizzas as visitors cycle in and out: an enabling caregiver (Hong Chau), a wayward missionary (Ty Simpkins), an angry-as-hell daughter (Sadie Sink), and an alcoholic ex-wife (Samantha Morton). Samuel D. Hunter brilliantly adapts his award-winning 2012 play, plumbing the complex nooks and crannies of religion, loss, sexuality, and literature. Ever sensitive to Fraser’s vulnerable and commanding performance, visionary director Darren Aronofsky (Variety Contenders, MVFF37) proves an ideal match for the material, giving it edge, humor, and unsentimental heft. —Randy Myers

DIRECTOR Darren Aronofsky US 2022 117 min WEST COAST PREMIERE IN PERSON Brendan Fraser SECTION US Cinema STRAND Spirit SPONSOR Jennifer Coslett MacCready

Thursday . October 13 . 7:00pm . Sequoia

195

WHINA This inspirational film reveals the extraordinary life of New Zealand’s Dame Whina Cooper, a courageous Māori woman whose lifelong activism on behalf of her people ranks her among the most influential proponents of nonviolent civil disobedience in the 20th century, on par with Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Directors James Napier Robertson and Paula Whetu Jones’ biographical drama explores the complex personal and political life of a community activist who would come to be known as “Te Whāea-o-te-Motu” or “Mother of the Nation.” Embodying such a heroic individual is no easy task, but three actors rise to the challenge of portraying Whina, including the iconic Rena Owen (Once Were Warriors), Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), and the amazing Miriama McDowell, who commands the screen as Cooper in her middle years. Whina passionately recounts an essential chapter of national history, and will leave you wanting to tell everyone you know about this phenomenal individual. —Bri’anna Moore

DIRECTORS James Napier Robertson, Paula Whetu Jones New Zealand 2021 112 min NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE SECTION World Cinema STRAND Trailblazers INITIATIVE Mind the Gap

Sauturday . October 8 . 12:00pm . Rafael Friday . October 14 . 1:00pm . Lark

197

WHITE NOISE Writer-director Noah Baumbach dazzles in his first film since his acclaimed Marriage Story (MVFF42 Ensemble Award) with this exquisite, epic adaptation of Don DeLillo’s 1985 National Book Award-winning novel. It is a towering achievement that folds satires of academia, consumerism, and fear of death into an exploration of the family, a theme Baumbach has so brilliantly mined throughout his career in such films as The Squid and the Whale (MVFF28) and Margot at the Wedding (MVFF30). At a Midwestern college, middle-aged Jack (Adam Driver) is a superstar professor who pioneered the field of Hitler studies. He and his fourth wife Babette (Greta Gerwig) share brainy, verbal children from their various marriages in a happy household but one threatened by both internal and external forces. Don Cheadle adds a striking supporting turn as Murray, a professor starting a new field of Elvis studies with whom Jack shares kinship and friendly rivalry. —Pam Grady

DIRECTOR Noah Baumbach US 2022 136 min IN PERSON Noah Baumbach SECTION US Cinema STRAND Grow SPONSOR Kaiser Permanente

Sauturday . October 15 . 7:00pm . Rafael

199

WOMEN TALKING Powerful, committed performances by an extraordinary ensemble—including Frances McDormand, Judith Ivey, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, and Ben Whishaw—take us deep into the lives of a group of women as they confront a life-and-death decision: To remain in silence, or to leave in exile. Much of the action occurs in the confined setting of a village barn in their isolated Mennonite colony—located somewhere both far from our modern world and too painfully close for comfort— where the women gather secretly to determine a course of action in the wake of an urgent crisis that has affected all of their lives. In the supremely capable hands of director Sarah Polley (Away from Her, Stories We Tell), Miriam Toews’ best-selling novel unfolds as a deeply human drama driven by extraordinary performances in this profound, moving film. Based on true events, Women Talking is an exhilarating paragon of collective organizing and female agency that may well be the prescient wake-up call for our times. —KD Davis

DIRECTOR Sarah Polley US 2022 104 min IN PERSON Frances McDormand

SECTION US Cinema INITIATIVE Mind the Gap SPONSOR Marin Community Foundation

Sunday . October 9 . 5:00pm . Rafael Monday . October 10 . 12:00pm . Sequoia

201

THE WONDER Sebastián Lelio (A Fantastic Woman, MVFF40) directs this gripping adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s (Room, MVFF38) revisionist historical novel set in her native Ireland. It’s been a decade since the Great Famine when a million died from starvation and a million more fled the country. Now, a “fasting girl” in Ireland’s countryside has stopped eating, claiming to subsist solely on “manna from above.” The town’s leaders summon an English nurse (Florence Pugh) to help sit a two-week vigil, watching for proof of saintliness or fraudulence, the child’s well-being be damned.

Then, beset by her own demons, the nurse’s fate becomes tied to that of the girl. Accompanied by an eerie soundtrack with the power to beckon ghosts, and shot by Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog, MVFF44) in a stunning series of Rembrandt-lit rooms and cloud-eclipsed landscapes, The Wonder summons the medieval, when condemnation and beatification threatened the same earthly outcome. —Shari Kizirian

DIRECTOR Sebastián Lelio US, UK, Ireland 2022 102 min WEST COAST PREMIERE IN PERSON Sebastián Lelio SECTION World Cinema SPONSOR

Gordon Radley

Wednesday . October 12 . 7:00pm . Rafael

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XALÉ Acclaimed Senegalese director Moussa Sene Absa (Madame Brouette, MVFF26) unites ancient and contemporary modes of storytelling in this visually stunning and emotionally resonant tale of familial love, loyalty, and diaspora. The drama centers on Awa, a 15-year-old student, and her twin brother (and confidante) Adamo, who dreams of a better life in Europe. When their beloved grandmother arranges for their Aunt Fatou to marry a relative whom Fatou detests, the results of this forced union bear consequences not only for the unhappy couple, but for the community — and, most gravely, for the twins. Sene Absa’s beautifully crafted film is as steeped in traditional African storytelling as it is rooted in contemporary Senegalese life. Among its many innovations is the appearance of two choruses of narrators: one male (les griots) and one female (les griottes).

But at its heart, Xalé is young Awa’s story, brought to life with an amazing performance from newcomer Nguissaly Barry. In Wolof with English subtitles —Bri’anna Moore

DIRECTOR Moussa Sene Absa Senegal 2022 101 min US PREMIERE IN PERSON Moussa Sene Absa SECTION World Cinema SUPPORT FROM Consulate General of France in San Francisco

Monday . October 10 . 7:15pm . Rafael Tuesday . October 11 . 6:30pm . Rafael

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THE YOUNG VOTE As the United States teeters toward theocracy, it is painfully clear that the stakes in the upcoming midterm elections are nothing short of the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness promised to all of the nation’s peoples. The hope of preserving democracy largely depends on turnout at the ballot box. So, why don’t more Americans vote? First-time filmmaker Diane Robinson’s documentary profiles four youth-led initiatives that address this conundrum among the nation’s most reluctant voting bloc: 18- to 29-year-olds, who exercise their franchise far less than any other age group. The head of the youth voting drive for Women’s March Action, a Black Lives Matter activist, a Dreamer registering voters in the Latinx community, and underage Floridians trying to revamp their state’s party primaries share theories and strategies for motivating Gen Z and Millennial citizens with the power to change outcomes – if they show up on election day. —Shari Kizirian The Oct 8 screening will be followed by a filmmaker Talk Back at the Outdoor Art Club at 2pm. Join us to continue the conversation!

DIRECTOR Diane Robinson US 2022 67 min CALIFORNIA PREMIERE INVITED GUEST Diane Robinson SECTION Docs STRAND Trailblazers INITIATIVE Mind the Gap Active Cinema AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Saturday . October 8 . 12:00pm . Sequoia Sunday . October 9 . 3:30pm . BAMPFA Monday . October 10 . 3:00pm . Sequoia

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MY NAME IS FEAR

SHORTS ANIMATION FOR ALL Puppies, babies, and bears, oh my! We’ve once again scoured the globe for the best collection of animated short films for audiences of every age to enjoy. Funny characters and curious kids mingle with gentle lessons about kindness to animals, why not to be afraid of being afraid, how dandelions are born, and so much more: Kayak (Solène Bosseboeuf, Flore Dechorgnat, Tiphaine Klein, Auguste Lefort & Antoine Rossi, France 2021, 6 min), Andy "A Dog’s Tale" (James Wheless, US 2021, 8 min), Bench (Rich Webber, UK 2020, 2 min), Kiko and the Animals (Yawen Zheng, France/Switzerland 2020, 7 min), My Name Is Fear (Eliza Płocieniak-Alvarez, Germany 2021, 5 min), The Most Boring Granny in the Whole World (Damaris Zielke, Germany 2022, 7 min), Patouille and the Parachute Seeds (Inès Bernard-Espina, Mélody Boulissière & Clémentine Campos, France 2021, 6 min), Salt (Alicia Scott Nichols, US 2020, 6 min), Winter Sleep (Katerina Karhankova & Alexandra Majova, Czech Republic 2020, 7 min), Wolf and Cub (Marvin Bynoe, US 2021, 8 min), Step by Step (Fanny Paoli, Anabelle David, Emma Gach, Claire Robert, Julie Valentin, & Thēodore Janvier, France 2021, 7 min).

Nonverbal and in English Age 5+ Total program 70 min —Joanne Parsont AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Saturday . October 15 . 11:00am . Sequoia

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MY NAME IS MAALUM

SHORTS FREE TO BE ME We all can feel a little awkward or insecure sometimes, but the inspiring young people featured in this international selection of short films set fine and admirable examples of how to believe in yourself—regardless of what others might think or say. It’s a fun and eclectic mix of animation, live-action, and documentary (sometimes all in one film), as well as a timely reminder for all of us to respect one another’s differences: Giovanni (Marco Di Gerlando & Ludovica Gibelli, Italy 2021, 5 min), Comic Escape (Alphonso McAuley, US 2021, 15 min), How I Got My Wrinkles (Claude Delafosse, France 2022, 12 min), Just Johnny (Terry Loane, Ireland 2021, 19 min), Stairs (Zoljargal Purevdash, Mongolia 2020, 12 min), Mama Has a Mustache (Sally Rubin, US 2021, 10 min), My Name Is Maalum (Luísa Copetti, Brazil 2021, 8 min). In English and various languages with English subtitles Age 9+ Total program 81 min —Joanne Parsont AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Sunday . October 9 . 11:00am . Sequoia

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CLOSE TIES TO HOME COUNTRY

SHORTS LUNAFEST® Eight short films that empower and inspire. How to Be at Home (Andrea Dorfman, 5 min): An animated poem reflects on coping with pandemic isolation. Close Ties to Home Country (Akanksha Cruczynski, 15 min): An immigrant dog-walker finds connection in the hearts of the pets she cares for. Generation Impact: The Coder (Samantha Knowles, 7 min): A teen girl designs a mobile app to help kids stay connected to their incarcerated parents. Proof of Loss (Katherine Fisher, 14 min): When a fire takes their home, a father and daughter must salvage what remains. When You Clean a Stranger’s Home (Sharon Arteaga, 7 min): A first-generation high-schooler describes what she and her mom learn about people when cleaning their homes. Between the Lines: Liz at Large (Abi Cole, 5 min): Meet first Black woman cartoonist in The New Yorker’s history. Wearable Tracy (Emily McAllister, 12 min): A woman’s social experiment connects her with fellow city dwellers who’d otherwise be strangers. To the Future, With Love (Shaleece Haas & Hunter Jimenez, 7 min): A nonbinary trans teen animates a self-portrait of feeling caught between expectations and dreams. Total program 80 min

SPONSOR LUNA

AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Thursday . October 13 . 4:00pm . BAMPFA

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THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

SHORTS THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS Narrated by Sigourney Weaver, The New Environmentalists — from Malawi to Peru (US 2022, 30 min) is the latest in the Mill Valley Film Group’s Emmy Award-winning series about the dedicated recipients of the Goldman Environmental Prize who all have a common goal: safeguarding Earth’s natural resources while fighting for justice in their communities. Earth’s natural resources while fighting for justice in their communities. Evan-Marie Petit’s Pomo Land Back: A Prayer from the Forest (US 2022, 7 min), created in collaboration with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, aims to honor the vital movement towards indigenous-led stewardship and rematriation of California forests. In Ben Derico’s Hasta la Última Gota (Until the Last Drop) (US 2022, 17 min), the citizens of Chile’s drought-afflicted Petorca Province fight to legislate water as a human right while enormous agribusinesses leech the vital resource from their community for profit. Nancy Kelly’s I’m a Burner (US 2022, 3 min) looks at how the Mountain Maidu tribe has managed forest fires for generations by thinning excess fuel build-up with prescribed burns. In Josh Izenberg and Brett Marty’s Eco-Hack! (US 2021, 17 min), biologist Tim Shields quits traditional observational biology, instead adopting direct intervention methods to prove that innovation, technology, and imagination may be the last hope for saving the planet.

Total program 74 min —Kelly Clement AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Monday . October 10 . 8:15pm . Rafael Thursday . October 13 . 11:00am . Sequoia

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ANNE

SHORTS ONE AND ONLY “I’ve been here before. Every feeling, every word. I’ve imagined it all. You never know if you never try…” Tales of artistry, creativity, and empathy cover a lot of ground in these memorable shorts. Owen Klatte’s remarkable Of Wood (US 2022, 7 min) is a stop-motion tribute to the history of wood, his chosen animation medium. Anna J. Takayama’s The Voice Actress (Japan 2022, 15 min) reveals the rigors of anime auditioning for an older actor in a younger person’s landscape. April Moreau’s funny and searing Hysterical (US 2022, 15 min) chronicles a stand-up comic’s journey as she steels herself to perform while dealing with a personal trauma. Desirée Abeyta’s Anne (US 2021, 10 min) examines casting for an important role and how lessons from history can speak to new generations today. A writer must explore the dangers of self-expression under a totalitarian regime in Hamid Mohammadi’s stop-motion The Past (Iran 2021, 7 min). And in Callie Bloem and Christopher J. Ewing’s clever Written By (US 2021, 15 min), fictional characters have some startling real-world epiphanies. A broad variety of storytelling modes brings laughs and keen insights in this collection. Total program 69 min —Sterling Hedgpeth AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Friday . October 7 . 8:15pm . Rafael

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FOR THE BEES

SHORTS PAINTING PICTURES “Filling up my heart with golden stories…. Who adds some spice to the rhythm of life?” Bay Area filmmakers present true-life tales of extraordinary individuals in this program. In Chloë Fitzmaurice’s For the Bees (US 2021, 16 min), Yemeni refugee Kahled pursues beekeeping in Oakland. Perry Gershkow’s The Baker (US 2021, 9 min) introduces Matthew Jones, a renowned San Francisco baker who crafts artisanal breads while wrestling with obstacles wrought by the pandemic. Under looming threat of closure, and with phantoms of the past and future bleeding into the present, the caretakers of San Francisco’s historic queer bars carry on in Drew de Pinto’s Last Call (US 2021, 4 min). In Gabriel Diamond’s Strangers In Boxes (US 2021, 6 min), activists from more than 15 countries— all strangers—meet online during COVID, connecting with each other in surprisingly profound ways. In Subei Kyle’s short Ramini (US 2022, 12 min), we experience the day-to-day life of a water buffalo farm in Tomales Bay. Sculptor Dana King’s hands and activist Fredrika Newton’s memories come together to build a new monument—a bust of Black Panther Party leader Huey P. Newton—in A.K. Sandhu’s For Love and Legacy (US 2022, 20 min). Total program 68 min —Kelly Clement AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Wednesday . October 12 . 3:45pm . Rafael

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CARDIFF

SHORTS ROLLING IN THE DEEP “Throw your soul through every open door. Count your blessings to find what you look for.” These short films by talented British female directors use a variety of genres and styles to tell contemporary stories. Hailing from one of the most vibrant LGBTQ communities in the UK, Sarah Smith’s joyously campy Cardiff (UK 2022, 25 min) follows a single gay man who falls in love with his married friend’s lover. Katya Ganfeld’s edgy, aesthetically arresting Mirror Mirror (UK 2022, 15 min) explores a heartsick woman’s journey into an unknown reality. In Caitlin McLeod’s poignant One Like Him (Jordan/UK 2022, 15 min), a man seeks confrontation with a childhood friend while being forced to relive painful memories of his past. Reflecting on deeply human themes with hilarity, intimacy, and surreal thrills, these daring films captivate. Total program 60 min —Danielle Owens AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Saturday . October 15 . 1:00pm . Rafael

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NO GHOST IN THE MORGUE

SHORTS SKYFALL “Hear my heart burst again. For this is the end. I’ve drowned and dreamt this moment.” These powerful stories highlight the intersection of identity and mortality in touching ways. A school teacher must face some urgent family news in a dangerous COVID world in Farhad Pakdel’s Everything Will Be All Right (Canada 2022, 16 min). Lives put on the line in the name of space exploration get their due in Simon Cottee’s touching, animated The Pioneers (Canada 2021, 10 min). In Marilyn Cooke’s No Ghost in the Morgue (Canada 2022, 16 min), a medical student finds herself in an unlikely internship. A trip to the beach carries some real emotional weight for a queer couple in Luisa Dantas’s Rip Tide (US 2022, 13 min). Miriam Hitchcock’s lovely and impressionistic No Time (US 2022, 3 min) is a meditation on building a better world by urgent example. And a futuristic job interview takes a surprising turn in Casimir Nozkowski’s All Will Become Clear at the Point of Contact (US 2021, 7 min). Join us for this poignant and life-affirming array of stories, wonderfully conveyed. Total program 66 min —Sterling Hedgpeth AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Thursday . October 13 . 7:30pm . Rafael

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BRASIER

SHORTS STRANGERS BY NATURE “I’ve never seen the sky this color before. It’s like I’m noticing everything a little bit more.” These short films are vivid, beautiful, compassionate, and unforgettable. A normal medical procedure becomes a nightmare of Kafka-meets-Cronenberg proportions in Grace Gregory’s shocking, timely Earthworm (US 2022, 14 min). In Emilie Mannering’s stunning Brasier (Canada 2022, 19 min), two siblings find that new dynamics in high school have unexpected reverberations. In Brenton Gieser’s gorgeous Gabriel (US 2022, 14 min), a grieving mother seeks some kind of closure with her son’s killer. And in Carlos Ormeño Palma’s elliptical The Distance of Time (Peru 2021, 19 min), the slipstream of memory tells a moving tale of loss and love for a gay couple. The stories are short but the emotional terrain they traverse is epic in this extraordinary collection. Total program 66 min —Sterling Hedgpeth AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Friday . October 14 . 8:15pm . Rafael

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I DON’T RIDE MY BIKE ANYMORE

SHORTS: TRUTHS (AND SPOOFS) FROM THE YOUTHS This year’s collection of peer-reviewed, youth-produced short films showcases an international cohort of storytellers working in animation, documentary, comedy, horror, and drama. It’s an inspiring display of emerging young talent from as close to home as Mill Valley and San Rafael, and as far afield as Indonesia, China, Germany, and Korea: A Stellar Vacation!

(Noah Shin, US 2022, 5 min), A Date with Kino Redfield (Tony Heffernan, US 2022, 10 min), I Don’t Ride My Bike Anymore (Gabriel Perez, US 2021, 8 min), Silver (Haley Stemmons, US 2022, 2 min), The Queen’s Closet (Cameran Grace Ford, Ava Wolf & Joe Tourk, US 2021, 8 min), The Dilemma: Extra-Curricular Institutions in China (Huanshuo Wang, China 2022, 15 min), Stache Society (Olive Corine Read, US 2022, 6 min), Underwater Basket Weaving (Parker Bladow, US 2022, 5 min), Merry Go Round (Ella Fields, US 2022, 14 min), The White Rose (Ian Kim, US 2021, 3 min), Harmony with Upstairs (Sunmin Yang, Republic of Korea 2021, 14 min), Midnight Smoker (Jeremy Gautama, Indonesia 2022, 1 min), Schattendachs (Louis Hartmann, Germany 2022, 2 min). In English and various languages with English subtitles Age 11+ Total program 91 min —Joanne Parsont AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Sunday . October 16 . 11:00am . Sequoia

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MVFF45 STAFF EXECUTIVE

MARK FISHKIN

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DAVE FEIFERIS

Director of Operations

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SAV SINGH

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SHELLEY SPICER Director of Publicity + Media Relations

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CAFILM BOARD OF DIRECTORS WELLINGTON BOWLER KENNETH BROAD (President) RICHARD J. IDELL (Secretary) DANIEL KENYON AMY KEROES JACQUI LOPEZ JENNIFER COSLETT MACCREADY (Board Chair) KURT MOBLEY CATHY NOURAFSHAN MAGGIE O’DONNELL (Co -Vice President) JONATHAN PARKER (Co -Vice President) SUSAN SCHWARTZ DR. JOEL SKLAR JANN STANLEY ZACH ZEISLER (Treasurer)

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FOUNDING BOARD

RITA CAHILL MARK FISHKIN LOIS KOHL SHORE EMERITUS BOARD

ANN BREBNER (1923-2017) RITA CAHILL SID GANIS BRUCE KATZ (1947-2022) GARY MEYER GORDON RADLEY CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH HENRY TIMNICK HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD

HONORABLE BARBARA BOXER STEWART BOXER DRUSIE DAVIS JEFF FISHER PETER FLAXMAN

ROBERT GREBER LINDA GRUBER PEGGY HAAS MICHAEL KLEIN ROXANNE KLEIN KC LAUCK ANDREW MCGUIRE MARY POLAND ERIC SCHWARTZ MICHAEL SCHWARTZ SKIP WHITNEY

IN MEMORIAM Dear friends of the Calfiornia Film Institute we lost this year.

SHEILA BENSON Sheila Benson (1930-2022) was film critic at Mill Valley’s Pacific Sun when the fledgling Mill Valley Film Festival launched, until a few years later when the LA Times realized what a gem she was and brought her work to a national level. Sheila was that rare being, a lover of film and a true critic—not reviewer! Her life and work were informed by her take-no-prisoners intellect, her deep knowledge of cinema and literature, her brilliance, and her wily wit. She gave MVFF the amazing gift of its first quotable quote, that first year: “The little festival that could.” A great one, Sheila, much beloved in this community.

MARY HRIZE Mary Hrize (1946-2022) came to us in 2006 as a volunteer and quickly became a part of the fabric and heart of CAFILM. Mary was a gift to us all. She did it all, working at MVFF, spending hours in the office, and working countless receptions at our theaters.

Mary’s grace and beautiful warm smile touched everyone she encountered. She was so loved and will be missed.

BRUCE KATZ Entrepreneur, innovator, walker and founder of the Rockport Shoe Company and the Samuel Hubbard Shoe Company, Bruce Katz (1947-2022) was a long-time Board member of CAFILM, where his brilliant mind helped push us to consider ways that we might do or see things differently. It was through Bruce that the sailing yacht Juliet, an exquisitely built, 144-foot superyacht, came to be the location for two intimate, iconic MVFF-hosted parties at the Cannes Film Festival. This ketch perhaps embodied much that Bruce brought into the spheres of his life, harmonizing design, function, and technology into something both entirely new and entirely timeless, and driven by a love of life and its adventures.

JOHN KORTY John Korty (1936-2022) was a consummate independent filmmaker whose career encompassed myriad genres, from comedy and social drama to animation and documentary. He was a pioneer of Bay Area filmmaking, and his 1960s Stinson Beach studio directly inspired the “northern migrations” of George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola. The recipient of an Oscar ® and multiple Emmys, this principled artist was honored at the first Mill Valley Film Festival in 1978 and in an extensive Rafael retrospective in 2011.

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