Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 15, 2009 under Mill Valley Film Festival | 
“Precious” will open the 32nd Mill Valley Film Festival on October 8. “Precious” joins “The Boys Are Back,” starring Clive Owen, in anchoring the Opening Night lineup on Oct. 8.
Other films on the festival lineup include “An Education” by Carey Mulligan, the world premiere of local director John Knoop’s documentary “Awakening From Sorrow: Buenos Aires 1997″ and the latest by West Marin filmmaker John Korty, “Miracle in a Box: Reborn.”
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Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 8, 2008 under Mill Valley Film Festival |
Marin Independent Journal is reporting that Sally Hawkins, the British actress who was to receive the Mill Valley Film Festival Spotlight award Tuesday night at a screening of her new movie, “Happy-Go-Lucky,” canceled her appearance after being injured on the set of a film she was shooting in England.
Hawkins was admitted to a hospital over the weekend for surgery to repair a broken collar bone she suffered in the mishap, according to festival publicist Maureen Dixon.
“She is going to be fine but regrets that she is unable to attend,” Dixon said.
Academy Award nominee Mike Leigh, director of “Happy-Go-Lucky,” was on hand as scheduled for Tuesday’s Spotlight screening at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center.
Hawkins was familiar to festival audiences. She appeared in the Leigh films “All or Nothing,” shown in Mill Valley in 2002, and “Vera Drake,” a festival pick in 2004.
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 1, 2008 under Mill Valley Film Festival |
The Mill Valley Film Festival, opening tomorrow, October 2 and running through October 12, 2008, returns with panache for its 31st year by showcasing worldclass filmmakers and special events for Opening and Closing night, including a special closing night tribute to acclaimed actress, Alfre Woodard. The 31st Mill Valley Film Festival will shine again as a true filmmaker’s festival, showcasing great cinema and spotlighting some of the industry’s finest icons.
Opening Night debuts with two feature films - RELIGULOUS (US), in which political comedian and author Bill Maher (”Real Time With Bill Maher,” “Politically Incorrect”) embarks on a global quest to knock some good old-fashioned heretical sense into his targeted opponent - organized religion. Director Larry Charles (BORAT) once again turns the mirror of culture back on itself with hilarious and somewhat unnerving results as Maher brings his candor, wit, and astute analysis to an unusual spiritual journey. Putting religious zealots from all walks of life through the tests of reason, logic and a bit of basic evolutionary biology gives RELIGULOUS its delightful, devilish charm. RELIGULOUS will screen at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael
Film Center in downtown San Rafael on Thursday, October 2 at 7:00 pm.
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES (US), set in rural South Carolina in the mid-1960s, follows the literal and 
metaphoric journey of 14-year-old Lily (Dakota Fanning), in a desperate quest to uncover her late mother’s mysterious past. Her search leads to a boisterous, pink house inhabited by the three Boatwright sisters, including a beekeeper/honey-maker (Queen Latifah) and a musician (Alicia Keyes) who introduce her to the magical world of beekeeping and the transformative power of friendship and love. Based on the bestselling novel by Sue Monk Kidd, director Gina Prince-Bythewood skillfully evokes the tone and wisdom of the original work through an extraordinarily talented cast. THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES will be shown on both screens at CinéArts@ Sequoia in downtown Mill Valley on Thursday, October 2 at 7:00 pm and 7:15 pm.
For Closing Night on Sunday, October 12, the evening consists of two stellar independent films including one, AMERICAN VIOLET, as part of a special Tribute program to American actress Alfre Woodard. The thought-provoking features both delve into the topic of race relations and disenfranchisement in our modern world. One film is set within the backdrop of an enduring Middle East struggle, while the other addresses a true-to-life crusade situated in America’s own backyard.
Based on a true story set during the controversial 2000 presidential election, AMERICAN VIOLET (US) grabs hold of the realities of racism in America to tell the story of Dee Roberts (Nicole Behaire), an African American woman wrongfully arrested on drug charges. With the support from her strong-willed mother (Alfre Woodard) as her only support and solace, Dee refuses to plead guilty and quickly becomes the unlikely catalyst for a groundbreaking case against a powerful white district attorney with a possible racist agenda. Producer/writer Bill Haney (PRICE OF SUGAR, MVFF 2007) and director Tim Disney’s outstanding collaboration reveals the realities of an unsettling status quo which proves to continually shape an imperfect democracy. AMERICAN VIOLET will screen in conjunction with the Tribute to Alfre Woodard, who will be a special guest honoree in a program featuring career clips, an onstage interview, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of the breadth and scope of her career. The Tribute program and screening of AMERICAN VIOLET takes place Sunday, October 12 beginning at 5:00 pm at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in downtown San Rafael.
Wrapping up the festival at CinéArts@Sequoia is the LEMON TREE (Israel). In this poignant tale, a 
decades-old lemon grove straddling the border of the West Bank and Israel is the center of contention for an age-old conflict. Salma (Hiam Abbass), a Palestinian widow and owner of the grove, is threatened with the loss of her trees when Israeli security forces declare them a safety threat to her newest neighbor - the Israeli Defense Minister and his wife. In a dark and sometimes funny depiction of the battle to save her inherited land amidst a chaotic infrastructure, Salma’s struggle juxtaposed with the story of the Minister’s lonely wife play on director Eran Riklis’ (THE SYRIAN BRIDE, CUP FINAL) fascination with borders, the women who
challenge them, and the complex relationships born from the struggle to break free. The LEMON TREE will screen on Sunday, October 12 at 5:45 pm at CinéArts@ Sequoia in downtown Mill Valley.
Tags: Alfre Woodard, Alicia Keyes, AMERICAN VIOLET, Bill Maher, CUP FINAL, Dakota Fanning, Dee Roberts, Eran Riklis, Gina Prince Bythewood, Hiam Abbass, independent films, Larry Charles, Lemon Tree, Mill Valley Film Festival, Nicole Behaire, Politically Incorrect, PRICE OF SUGAR, Queen Latifah, Real Time With Bill Maher, Religulous, Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees, THE SYRIAN BRIDE
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 10, 2008 under Mill Valley Film Festival |
“Religulous” a comic documentary with Bill Maher that casts a critical eye on organized religion, and “The Secret Life of Bees,” based on Sue Monk Kidd’s best-selling novel about a troubled young white girl who finds refuge with three Southern black sisters in the early ’60s, were announced as the opening night film of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Mill Valley Film Festival.
“The Mill Valley Film Festival is unique in the sense that we premiere two opening films, which means more choices for our audiences,” said Mark Fishkin, the festival’s executive director. Fishkin said that “Religulous” director Larry Charles and “Bees” star Dakota Fanning will attend the screenings.
The 31st Mill Valley Film Festival will run from October 2 - 12, 2008.
2008 MVFF Premieres
World Premieres
Around June
Children of the Amazon
Frank Dead Souls
The Lost Skeleton Returns Again
US Premieres
Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi
At the River
Every Night, Loneliness
Fujian Blue
God Man Dog
Hania
Happy-Go-Lucky
The Home of Dark Butterflies
Jerusalema
Lemon Tree
Mommy Is at the Hairdresser’s
Quiet Chaos
RocknRolla
Stolen
What on Earth Have I Done Wrong?
Wolf
Zimbabwe
North American Premieres
The Bird Can’t Fly
Burned Hearts
Goodnight Irene
Hafez
Shiver
Sonic Mirror