Mill Valley Film Festival Opens today with RELIGULOUS and THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 1, 2008 under Mill Valley Film Festival | 
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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.