Tár, Todd Field’s drama starring Cate Blanchett as the fictional renowned musician Lydia Tár, won the Overall Audience Favorite award at the 45th Mill Valley Film Festival. Other audience awards went to The Whale for Audience Favorite | US Cinema; Our Father, The Devil for Audience Favorite | US Indie; The Banshees of Inisherin for Audience Favorite | World Cinema; Close for Audience Favorite | World Cinema (foreign language); and The Grab for Audience Favorite | Documentary.
Both a celebration and call to action, Mind the Gap (MTG) is MVFF’s platform for inclusion and equity, amplifying and championing filmmaking by women, non-binary people, and other marginalized groups through a vibrant collection of films, Q&As, Panels, and Conversations. Mind the Gap awarded the $10,000 MTG Creation Prize to director Ellie Foumbi (Our Father, The Devil).
“The 45th Mill Valley Film Festival brought the community back to the cinemas in great numbers; the energy and excitement of our audiences were palpable, and I couldn’t be happier that we were able to come together to celebrate the magic of cinema,” said MVFF Founder and Director Mark Fishkin. “This year, we had an exceptional program that showcased not only the best films coming out of Hollywood, but also influential films that addressed the most pressing issues of our time, such as Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, Till, Deconstructing Karen, and The Young Vote. I believe it is more important than ever to offer a safe and inclusive environment where everyone can exchange ideas and discuss the fragile state of our world. We were very fortunate to be able to bring some of the most talented and dynamic filmmakers and industry experts to the festival, who were more than happy to share their passion and expertise with our audiences.”
Full List of Mill Valley Film Festival 2022 Audience Favorites
MVFF Overall Audience Favorite
TÁR
Audience Favorite | US Cinema
THE WHALE
Audience Favorite | US Indie
OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL
Audience Favorite | World Cinema
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Audience Favorite | World Cinema (foreign language)
CLOSE
Audience Favorite | Documentary
THE GRAB
Audience Favorite | Family
ERIN’S GUIDE TO KISSING
Audience Favorite | Active Cinema
PATH OF THE PANTHER
Audience Favorite | Mind the Gap
WOMEN TALKING
Audience Favorite | ¡Viva el cine!
SANTOS – SKIN TO SKIN
Other awards given during MVFF this year include:
MVFF Award for Debut Feature
Nikyatu Jusu | NANNY
MVFF Award Exceptional Performance
Brendan Fraser| THE WHALE
MVFF Award for Directing
James Gray | ARMAGEDDON TIME
MVFF Award for Acting
Daniel Giménez Cacho | BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS
MVFF Award for Screenwriting
Noah Baumbach | WHITE NOISE
MVFF Power of Cinema Award
Evgeny Afineevsky | FREEDOM ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
Mind the Gap Award Ensemble
WOMEN TALKING
Mind the Gap Award for Creativity & Truth
Chinonye Chukwu and Danielle Deadwyler | TILL
Mind the Gap Creation Prize for Directorial Debut
Ellie Foumbi | OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL