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The Latest MVFF news!

June 29, 2018/in News/by 1_cafilm@org-94901

New CFI Membership Benefit and Upcoming Rafael Programs!

May 25, 2018/in Membership, News, Smith Rafael Film Center, The Rafael/by 1_cafilm@org-94901

CFI Membership has a new benefit – members no longer pay online fees for films and events at the Smith Rafael Film Center! That means online ticket purchases will cost the same as purchasing in person, a great perk for our members. There’s a lot of great programs coming up at the Rafael – and […]

The Latest MVFF news!

June 29, 2018/in News/by 1_cafilm@org-94901

New CFI Membership Benefit and Upcoming Rafael Programs!

May 25, 2018/in Membership, News, Smith Rafael Film Center, The Rafael/by 1_cafilm@org-94901

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The Latest MVFF news!

June 29, 2018/in News/by 1_cafilm@org-94901

MVFF41 Early Bird Ticket & Membership Packages are on sale now through August 30th – Opening Night and Closing Night Packages, Ticket 12-packs, Membership Packages, and All-Access Passes are all available now for the best deals on the hottest tickets at MVFF. All-Access Passes (Bronze and Silver) prices will increase after July 15, so be sure to get the very best deal on all the Festival has to offer, including Line A access to all screenings, reserved seats, complimentary food and beverage in the filmmaker lounges, Big Nights, panels, parties, and more! Visit mvff.com/earlybird for all the information and to purchase your tickets or membership today.

Only a limited number of MVFF41 ticket packages, membership packages, and passes will be available at Early Bird discounted prices – Don’t miss your opportunity for great savings, catch these Early Birds now!

In other Mill Valley Film Festival news, MVFF was honored at a special How Women Lead event on June 20 for the Festival’s gender equity initiative Mind the Gap: Women | Film | Tech, a festival-wide celebration and call to action, focused on the intersection of film and technology. This evening also marks the announcement of the California Premiere of Robin Hauser’s new documentary bias, to be screened at MVFF41 in October.

The evening honored Robin Hauser, who also made Code: Debugging the Gender Gap, as well as the Mill Valley Film Festival and the Mind The Gap initiative (50:50 women-led storytelling) for contributions in advancing women’s narratives and issues.

Accepting the award on behalf of the Mill Valley Film Festival was Director of Programming, Zoê Elton, whose leadership and curatorial prowess has been moving the needle forward in showcasing female forward programming at the Mill Valley Film Festival for decades. Now a formal initiative for the California Film Institute (CFI), Mind the Gap strives to be a catalyst for change behind the scenes, as well as on screen. Its commitment is to ensure that by 2020, 50% of films screened at MVFF are directed by women. 50/50 by 2020. It’s achievable. And it’s step one.

How Women Lead, a diverse network of more than 8,000 women leaders, teamed up with leading Bay Area women to discuss the difficult topic of unconscious biases and how they impact our daily lives ¬– our relationships, justice system, technology, and film both in front of and behind the camera. The evening’s robust conversation, moderated by NBC TV’s Investigative Reporter Vicky Nguyen, included a panel with the Mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf, Intel Vice President and General Manager, Sandra E. Lopez, venture capitalist Jenny Lefcourt, entrepreneur and special advisor to X: The Moonshot Factory, Julie Hanna, and award winning filmmaker Robin Hauser. The program focused on select clips from Robin Hauser’s film bias, a provocative documentary that exposes the surprising ways in which unconscious bias perpetuates inequities in our social groups, workplaces, and communities. It explores groundbreaking research, driven by advances in technology, revealing new ways of uncovering bias and what it will take to produce change. bias will have its California premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October.

SAVE THE DATE!
The Mind The Gap Summit will take place on Saturday, October 6th, 2018 at the Outdoor Art Club in Mill Valley. Mark your calendars for this important day full of panels, presentations, networking, and discussions revolving around achieving gender equity in the film industry and tech sector.

Finally, we’re excited to announce this year’s Outdoor Movie Night on Angel Island – Disney/Pixar’s Coco on July 21! This family-friendly event is produced in partnership with the Angel Island Conservancy and will include live music, games, and more! For more information, please visit angelisland.org/movienight/

New CFI Membership Benefit and Upcoming Rafael Programs!

May 25, 2018/in Membership, News, Smith Rafael Film Center, The Rafael/by 1_cafilm@org-94901

There’s a lot of great programs coming up at the Rafael – and members can use their new benefit for all of them! Read more about all the benefits of being a CFI Member at https://cafilm.wpengine.com/membership/

May, June & July Programming at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center:

Opening Friday, May 25 – GODARD MON AMOUR
With his romantic, sexy and slyly funny new film, Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) once again transports us to a singular time and place in cinematic history: France in the late 1960s. Based on an autobiographical novel by actress Anne Wiazemsky (played here by Stacy Martin), the film recounts the ups and downs of her marriage to renowned filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard (Louis Garrel)

One Day Only!
Sunday, May 27 – LOVE & BANANAS: AN ELEPHANT STORY
Featuring filmmakers Ashley Bell and John Michael McCarthy,
with film subjects Lek Chailert and Mr. Chaiyapong
Led by renowned elephant conservationist (and Time Magazine “Hero of Asia”) Saengduean Lek Chailert, Bell & McCarthy take part in a daring rescue mission of a 70-year-old Asian elephant, exposing the plight of Asian elephants and the people who work tirelessly to save them. This heartwarming film aims to ignite a sense of hope and a new way of thinking about this fascinating species.

Opening Friday, June 1 – MOUNTAIN
A visual feast of terrific heights and awesome landscapes, this poetic valentine to the world’s mountains (and the climber’s passion) is a spectacular collaboration involving filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, cinematographer Renan Ozturk and composer-arranger Richard Tognetti, conducting the Australian Chamber Orchestra.With narration by Willem Dafoe (written by Robert Macfarlane, author of Mountains of the Mind), this ravishingly photographed film travels the world and enbraces us with Earth’s most astonishing and challenging summits.

Limited Series!
Sunday, June 3 & Thursday, June 7 – THE FABULOUS KAREL ZEMEN
Czech wizard Karel Zemen, often referred to as the “Czech Méliès”, was one of the most distinctive of fantasy filmmakers. His dazzling screen adventures combined live action, animation and fanciful set designs derived from 18^th and 19^th century engravings. See New Restorations of INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION (June 3) and THE FABULOUS BARON MUNCHAUSEN (June 3 & 7)

Encore Screening!
Thursday, June 7 – SECRET INGREDIENTS
Featuring filmmakers Amy Hart and Jeffrey Smith
This new film shares compelling stories of people who regain their health and transform their lives after identifying the “secret ingredients” in their food and making the bold commitment to avoid them.

One Day Only!
Sunday, June 10 – THE ROYAL BALLET: MANON
Set to the music by Jules Massenet, this ballet version choreographed by Kenneth McMillan tells the tale of the capricious Manon and her struggle to escape poverty.

Limited Series!
Sundays June 10, 17 & 24 – INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST SHOWCASE
The Rafael once again partners with the Buddhist Film Foundation to present three new programs from the International Buddhist Film Festival, screened over three Sundays in June, featuring filmmakers & guests at each screening
Sunday, June 10 – ZEN FOR NOTHING
Sunday, June 17 – HONEYGIVER AMONG THE DOGS
Sunday, June 24 – MY SON TENZIN

Science On Screen!
Thursday, June 14 – OF DOLLS & MURDER
Narrated by John Waters, this is story of Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962), a Baltimore socialite and grandmother who aided police with her “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death,” dollhouse miniatures that depict scenes of violent crimes, which helped train detectives to sharpen their investigative skills, earning her the nickname “Patron Saint of Forensic Science.” Forensics teacher Angela Rhoades will discuss this branch of science following the film.

Opening Friday, June 15 – WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
For over 30 years, Fred Rogers, an unassuming minister, puppeteer, writer and producer, used his program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to communicate with America’s children about some of life’s weightiest issues. This charming (and disarming) documentary by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet from Stardom) reveals how the soft-spoken, cardigan-wearing TV host’s career represented a coherent view of how to speak to children about important matters and how to use television as a positive force.

One Day Only!
Thursday, June 28 – TWELVE PIANOS
Featuring filmmaker Dean Mermell
Filmmaker and musician Dean Mermell will present and discuss a special screening of his documentary about Sunset Piano, his ongoing collaborative project with fellow multi-disciplinary artist Mauro ffortissimo. Mermell and ffortissimo have brought pianos to the cliffs of the California coast, the streets of San Francisco and, for their notable Flower Piano events, the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park.

Opening Friday, June 29 – FIVE SEASONS: THE GARDENS OF PIET OUDOLF
Saturday, June 30 – Featuring filmmaker Thomas Piper
Revolutionary landscape designer Piet Oudolf is known for designing public works like New York’s popular High Line and the Lurie Garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park, projects that redefine our conception of gardens as works of art themselves. This gorgeous, meditative documentary immerses viewers in his work, taking us inside Oudolf’s creative process.

One Day Only!
Sunday, July 1 – TROUBLE IN PARADISE
Featuring author and Ernst Lubitsch scholar Joseph McBride
This masterpiece of sexy and sophisticated comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch will be presented and discussed by film historian Joseph McBride, who will also sign copies of his new book How Did Lubitsch Do It?, available for sale at the Rafael. Trouble in Paradise stars Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins as two high-class thieves whose plan to fleece beautiful perfume heiress Kay Francis morphs into a triangular escapade.

One Day Only!
Sunday, July 8 – THE ROYAL BALLET: SWAN LAKE
Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score has arguably become the most beloved of all classical ballets. Choreographer Liam Scarlett mounts a new production, adding to the standard 1895 text by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and bringing fresh eyes to the staging, in collaboration with designer John Macfarlane.

One Day Only!
Sunday, July 8 – YELLOW SUBMARINE
Restored 4K Theatrical Version With Remixed 5.1 Stereo Surround Sound
Yellow Submarine, based upon a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is a fantastic tale brimming with peace, love, and hope, propelled by Beatles songs, including “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “It’s All Too Much.”

One Day Only!
Thursday, July 12 – MCKELLEN: PLAYING THE PART
This new film uncovers the story of actor Ian McKellen, from his upbringing living through World War II, working through repertory and starring in West End theater, to his coming out and being a leader in the campaign for equality, and his mainstream success as Magneto and Gandalf.

One Day Only!
Sunday, July 22 – ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY: MACBETH
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s contemporary production of William Shakespeare’s darkest psychological thriller marks both Christopher Eccleston’s RSC debut (now that he’s retired as the Ninth Doctor) and the return of Niamh Cusack to the company, in the role of Lady Macbeth.