Bay Area film lovers are in for a treat with this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival, one of the most underrated yearly local events. Now in its 48th year, the 11-day festival running Oct. 2-12 brings huge stars into town for early screenings of Hollywood blockbusters, prestigious award bait and international films you likely won’t see anywhere else. It’s arguably the week where you’re most likely to spot an A-list actor in town.
This year’s slate of “Big Night” centerpieces leans heavily on standouts from other festivals like Sundance, Cannes and the Toronto International Film Festival. “Hamnet,” the People’s Choice Award winner at TIFF, opens the festival. Other major screenings include Rose Byrne and Conan O’Brien’s gut-wrenching Sundance standout “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Jennifer Lopez’s Oscar play “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” the Iranian Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident,” Brendan Fraser’s emotional Japanese film “Rental Family,” and a Metallica documentary. Talent from many of these films are expected to be in attendance, and directors Spike Lee and SF-raised Eva Victor are scheduled to appear for tribute events.
Other award winners include “Andre Is an Idiot,” a Sundance award-winning documentary about a San Francisco man’s battle against cancer; “No Other Choice,” Park Chan-wook’s International People’s Choice Award winner at TIFF; Danish Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s Cannes Grand Prix winner “Sentimental Value”; bonkers Cannes Jury Prize winner “Sirat”; and TIFF People’s Choice Award second runner-up “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”
On the Hollywood front, there’s the new Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White; Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett’s comedy-drama “Is This Thing On?”; and a new animated version of “Animal Farm” that features an array of big names on voice-overs including Seth Rogen, Kieran Culkin and Woody Harrelson. That’s not to mention dozens of other films screening months in advance of their theatrical releases, many with stars scheduled to make appearance for Q&As after the films.
Ticket prices vary based on the tier of event (with higher prices for “Big Nights”), but general admission ranges from $16 for California Film Institute members to $20 for the general public. Tickets are on-sale now for CAFILM members, with the general ticketing window opening on Sept. 18.
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