Mill Valley Film Festival


The Mill Valley Film Festival is an annual American film festival founded in 1977.

History

In October 1977, Mark Fishkin and fellow film buffs Rita Cahill and Lois Cole organized a three-day film festival. It featured three film tributes, Francis Ford Coppola's The Rain People and George Lucas' Filmmaker. "We did a very innovative program that I would not be embarrassed to repeat today," Fishkin said. The first official festival took place in August 1978.

About the Festival

The San Francisco Bay Area continues to be a significant market for independent and international film, and MVFF provides a forum for introducing new films to West coast audiences.
Presented by the California Film Institute, the Mill Valley Film Festival takes place in early October. With a reputation for launching new films and creating awards season buzz, MVFF has earned a reputation as a 'filmmakers' festival" by celebrating the best in American independent and world cinema alongside high profile and prestigious award contenders.
Over its nearly 40-year history, MVFF has attracted a strong roster of talent, including Robin Williams, Jim Jarmusch, Kevin Smith, Jon Voight, Roberto Benigni, Alfre Woodard, Gael García Bernal, Helen Mirren, Steve McQueen, Annette Bening, Glenn Close, James Franco, Edward James Olmos, Jared Leto, Lily Taylor, Mike Leigh, Ben Stiller, Carey Mulligan, Mira Nair, Dustin Hoffman, Geoffrey Rush, Marcel Ophuls, Jane Russell, Les Blank, Barbet Schroeder, James Woods, Sissy Spacek, Jonathan Winters, Robert Altman, Nicholas Ray, Roger Corman, Jeanne Moreau, Karen Black, Barry Levinson, Sarah Silverman, Costa-Gavros, Jan Troell, William H. Macy, Milos Forman, Dianne Weist, Edward Norton, Uma Thurman, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alan Arkin, Amanda Plummer, Darren Aronofsky, Laura Linney, Gena Rowlands, Albert Maysles, Donald Sutherland, John Sayles, Bradley Cooper, Jeff Daniels, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi, Ismail Merchant, Carroll Baker, Malcolm McDowell, Joan Allen, Dick Cavett, Hilary Swank, Jason Reitman, John Hawkes, Laura Dern, Elle Fanning, Felicity Huffman, Clive Owen, Eddie Redmayne, Forest Whitaker, Tim Robbins, Billy Bob Thornton, Sir Ian McKellen, Woody Harrelson, Harry Dean Stanton, John Walsh, Waldo Salt, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ang Lee, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Todd Haynes, Holly Hunter, Sean Penn, Danny Huston, Joe Wright, Peter Marshall, Dee Rees, Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Richard Linklater, Aaron Sorkin, Simon Curtis, Kristin Scott Thomas, Andrew Garfield, Connie Nielson, Catherine Hardwicke, Sean Baker, Jason Clarke, Sophie Nelisse, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Brie Larson.
Each year, the 11-day festival welcomes more than 200 filmmakers and 60,000 attendees from around the world. Festival Sections include the World Cinema, US Cinema, Valley of the Docs, filmHOOD, 5@5 and MVFF Music. Festival Initiatives include Mind the Gap: Women | Film | Tech, Viva El Cine! and Active Cinema. The festival also features tributes and spotlights to acclaimed filmmakers, screenwriters and actors. Screenings are usually held at the Christopher B Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, the Sequoia Theatre in Mill Valley, the Cinema in Corte Madera, and the Lark Theatre in Larkspur.
Screen International has named Mill Valley Film Festival a Top 10 US film festival. The 2019 Festival is scheduled for October 3–13, 2019.

Audience Awards 2017

Overall Favorite

The MVFF Audience Favorite 2017—Mudbound, directed by Dee Rees

US Cinema

Audience Favorite - US Cinema, Gold Award—Molly's Game, directed by Aaron Sorkin
Audience Favorite - US Cinema, Silver Award—Lady Bird, directed by Greta Gerwig
Audience Favorite - US Cinema Indie, Gold Award—Quest, directed by Santiago Rizzo
Audience Favorite - US Cinema Indie, Silver Award—The Light of the Moon, directed by Jessica M. Thompson

World Cinema

Audience Favorite - World Cinema, Gold Award—Goodbye Christopher Robin, directed by Simon Curtis
Audience Favorite - World Cinema, Silver Award—The Invisibles, directed by Claus Räfle
Audience Favorite - World Cinema Indie, Gold Award—An Act of Defiance, directed by Jean van de Velde
Audience Favorite - World Cinema Indie, Silver Award—The Divine Order, directed by Petra Volpe

Valley of the Docs

Audience Favorite - Valley of the Docs, Gold Award—Kim Swims, directed by Kate Webber
Audience Favorite - Valley of the Docs, Silver Award—City of Joy, directed by Madeleine Gavin

Mind the Gap

Audience Favorite – Mind the Gap, Gold Award—Faces Places, directed by Agnès Varda