10th Alexander Valley Film Festival to Feature ‘Tuesday,’ ‘Thelma,’ ‘Ghostlight,’ Tribute to Sound Designer Ben Burtt and more

The 10th Alexander Valley Film Festival (AVFest) kicks off this weekend, April 26-May 5, across Sonoma County among the vineyards and bucolic hills in Northern California with screenings in Healdsburg, Cloverdale, Geyserville, Windsor, and Santa Rosa featuring festival favorites like Thelma, starring June Squibb, Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, Pablo Berger’s Oscar-nominated Robot Dreams and Daina Oniunas-Pusiç’s Tuesday, starring multi-Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Opening Night kicks off with Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person at the at Cloverdale Performing Arts Center. Sasha, a young female vampire whose primal instincts aren’t developing as expected. When her frustrated parents decide to nudge her out of the nest hoping she’ll land on her feet, she encounters Paul, a young boy who might be the solution to her problems. Packed with humor and pathos from the opening scene, this rom-com/coming-of-age/horror comedy is ultimately a heartfelt journey about two lost and lonely souls finding each other in a big crazy world. Writer/Director Ariane Louis-Seize and lead actors Sara Montpetit and Félix-Antoine Bénard will be in conversation at the screening.

Closing Night will be Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan’s much celebrated film Ghostlight. Plagued by grief after a devastating family tragedy, Dan (Keith Kupferer), a middle-aged construction worker, finds it increasingly difficult to connect with his devoted wife and troubled daughter until one day when he unexpectedly and inadvertently falls into the company of a group of misfit thespians. Aimless and looking for ways to avoid confrontation with his family, he reluctantly agrees to participate in a table reading of Romeo and Juliet until the scene-stealing Rita (Dolly De Leon of Triangle of Sadness) convinces him to join the company. Co-directors Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan in conversation at the screening.

On Wednesday, May 1, the centerpiece tribute celebrates the career of Oscar-winning sound designer Ben Burtt who has been a leader in his industry for nearly 50 years. Perhaps best known for his pioneering work creating the soundscape for the original Star Wars trilogy, Burtt has worked on such blockbusters as E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, WALL-E, Munich, and Lincoln. Burtt will participate in an onstage conversation about his storied career followed by a special screening of WALL-E, a film he was not only instrumental in crafting but one for which he voiced the principal character.

Festivalgoers can also partake in over two dozen live action, animated and documentary shorts from the BAFTA-nominated Yellow, the ballet duo of Then Comes the Body and Twenty, 2024 Sundance Film Festival hit The Bleacher and The Bird Rescue Center, which profiles the extraordinary rehabilitation efforts of Santa Rosa’s Bird Rescue Center, a place where dedicated volunteers strive to give injured birds a second flight, from local filmmaker Derek Knowles.

AVFilm is a nonprofit organization that provides film & media education to local students in public schools and lifelong learners. They exhibit free outdoor movies for the Healdsburg and Cloverdale communities, a year-round, independent film series, and produces the annual film festival.

AVFest regularly showcases and hosts new and emerging talents from all over the world. The Fest creates opportunities for the community to gather, celebrate film, and meet and learn from visiting artists. The Fest also offers deeply discounted tickets to include students and low-income neighbors. AVFest features cutting-edge indie films and selections of diverse works from and about underrepresented artists and communities. We actively seek socially conscious films that depict characters in the richness of their cultures and identities; works from directors of color; Latinx, LGBTQIA+, and women-driven narratives; youth-oriented stories and will also feature Sonoma County student works in the annual Student Film Competition. 

For the full daily schedule of films and events and how to buy tickets visit avfilmpresents.org.