The Mill Valley Film Festival, California’s longest-running fall festival, is known internationally as a high profile, prestigious event celebrating the best of independent international cinema. MVFF’s long-term commitment to helping launch independent films, both American and foreign, into the US market has made it the festival of choice for filmmakers worldwide.

Founded in 1978, the eleven-day Festival is now in its 26th year; sells around 44,000 tickets annually; includes features, documentaries, shorts, new media and video; and hosts around 200 filmmakers from around the world. Sections at the Festival include the Official Premieres Selection, World Cinema, US Cinema, the VFest, Valley of the Docs, the Children’s FilmFest and Five@Five, the daily shorts program.

MVFF annually pays tribute to distinguished members of the filmmaking community. Tributees have included Milos Forman, Dianne Wiest, Ismail Merchant, Jeanne Moreau, Robin Williams, Robert Altman and Joan Allen.

MVFF’s tradition of serving the independent filmmaker stretches over two decades. It is a place where careers have been fostered, where connections have been brokered, and where the work of new talents and innovators plays alongside the work of some of the greatest names in world cinema.

Known as a filmmakers’ festival, MVFF is a supportive environment for the film community. The Festival staff helps strategize how to make the most of your screening, how to prepare for your film’s exposure and sale, and how best to use the fall circuit, which has long been a prominent time for American festivals.

Many films and filmmakers whose work has continued on to accolades elsewhere—from Sundance to the Academy Awards—screened at MVFF. These include Bowling for Columbine, Frida, Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks, Spellbound (MVFF 2002/Academy Award nominees 2003); Y Tu Mama Tambien (MVFF 2001, Academy Award nominee 2003); Genghis Blues (World Premiere, MVFF 1998/Sundance 1999/Academy Award nominee 1999); MVFF 2000 Tributee Joan Allen (2001 Academy Award nominee for The Contender); and 1999 Academy Award best Foreign Film Nominee Solomon and Gaenor (US Premiere, MVFF 1999). The major independent distributors regularly attend MVFF; following its world premiere at the 2000 festival, Gillian Grisman’s Grateful Dawg was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.

Located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most important markets for independent and world cinema in the United States, the festival sells over 44,000 tickets. The non-competitive atmosphere of MVFF allows every film to have its own voice. It is a venue where distributors, acquisitions directors, press, and producers’ reps regularly search for new works by talents both emerging and established. As well as the core audience of independent film lovers and film professionals, new media innovators, musicians, artists, and writers, many of whom consider MVFF "their" festival.

The festival’s parent organization, the California Film Institute, furthered its mission to serve the needs of independent filmmakers with the 1999 opening of the Rafael Film Center. This beautifully renovated, state of the art cinematheque features year-round exhibition of independent cinema, and is the second venue for MVFF, along with the recently refurbished Sequoia Theatres in Mill Valley, the festival’s long-time home. The two projects work closely together to provide a strong support for independent cinema.

With premieres, documentaries, shorts, videos, new media, and industry seminars MVFF is a place where ideas are shared, where issues are debated, and where the worlds of arts, culture commerce and social issues meet through the medium of film.

CAN I SEE WHAT PLAYED LAST YEAR?
The film notes from the 2002 are available in a pdf format.

For further info, or to be added to our call for entries email list: info@cafilm.org. Any other questions, please call our programming department at 415.383.5256, ext. 146