38th Mill Valley Film Festival Tributes and Spotlights: Ian McKellen, Sarah Silverman, Brie Larson and more

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (September 15, 2015) – Returning for its 38th year, the Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF), presented annually by the California Film Institute (CFI), runs Thursday, October 8 – Sunday, October 18, 2015. Internationally recognized for showcasing the best in independent and world cinema, the Festival draws thousands of attendees every fall to Marin County for 11 days of films, panel discussions, and musical performances. The Mill Valley Film Festival provides attendees with a chance to catch an early glimpse of potential Academy Award® contenders and discover some of the best films from around the world.

The 38th Mill Valley Film Festival is set to feature Spotlights and Tributes to a host of Academy Award® nominees, winners and 2016 hopefuls that highlight the diversity of the festival’s slate. They cover actors, directors and documentarians from Marcel Ophuls to Brie Larson to Sir Ian McKellen.

SPOTLIGHT | Sarah Silverman
The Mill Valley Film Festival is pleased to honor actress/comedian/writer Sarah Silverman with a Spotlight presentation. The event features a screening of her latest film I Smile Back and will be followed by a live on-stage conversation and presentation of the MVFF Award. In the film, Silverman gives a career-defining performance as a woman in a downward spiral of reckless hedonism seeking a chance for redemption.
Friday, October 9 at 7PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
Spotlight followed by Reception at 9PM at Pizza Antica

TRIBUTE | Catherine Hardwicke  
Director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Thirteen, Tank Girl) will be honored with a Tribute which includes a special screening of her latest film Miss You Already, starring Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette as two life long friends who are put to the test when one starts a family as the other falls ill. Following the screening will be a live on-stage conversation with Catherine Hardwicke and presentation of the MVFF Award.
Saturday, October 10 at 7:30PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
Tribute followed by Reception at 9:30PM at Tiburon Tavern

TRIBUTE | Ian McKellen
Sir Ian McKellen’s lauded career spans decades and genres, garnering countless awards and honors. A celebrated thespian of stage and screen, he has delivered commanding performances in everything from Shakespeare to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy to the popular X-Men series, most recently inhabiting the quintessential role of Sherlock Holmes in Mr. Holmes. A passionate advocate for equality, McKellen admirably utilizes his role in the media to champion the rights of all.
Sunday, October 11 at 7PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
Tribute followed by Reception at Il Fornaio

CENTERPIECE | Barbet Schroeder
For the Centerpiece Presentation, acclaimed Iranian-born, Swiss based filmmaker Barbet Schroeder will be in attendance for his latest film Amnesia. A protégé of French New Wave masters Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette, Schroeder’s latest film follows a young music composer who travels from Berlin to Ibiza in the hopes of becoming a DJ at a nightclub. While there, he befriends an older German woman living on the island in solitude.
Tuesday, October 13 at 7PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
Centerpiece followed by Reception at 9PM at Il Davide

SPOTLIGHT | Brie Larson
The Mill Valley Film Festival presents the California Premiere of Room, which will be accompanied by a Spotlight on star Brie Larson, and a presentation of the MVFF Award. Larson has built an impressive career as a versatile young actress with her work in such films as Short Term 12, Trainwreck, The Gambler, The Spectacular Now, 21 Jump Street and Rampart. In Room, Larson stars as Ma, a mother who has raised her son in a single room his entire life.
Wednesday, October 14 at 7PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
Spotlight followed by Reception at 9PM at Green Chile Kitchen

TRIBUTE | Marcel Ophuls
Oscar® Winning Documentary filmmaker Marcel Ophuls will receive a special Tribute at the festival in recognition of his 60 plus years in the film industry. His documentary Hotel Terminus: The Life And Times Of Klaus Barbie won an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature. As part of the Tribute, the festival will screen his Oscar® nominated documentary The Sorrow and The Pity and his filmed autobiography Ain’t Misbehavin’.
Thursday, October 15 at 7PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
Tribute followed by Reception at 9PM at Il Davide

SPOTLIGHT | Carey Mulligan
Academy Award® Nominated actress Carey Mulligan will be presented with a Spotlight program which will feature an on-stage conversation, a clip reel of her many film roles (An Education, Drive, Never Let Me Go, Shame, The Great Gatsby), clips from her latest film Suffragette, and the presentation of the MVFF Award.
Saturday, October 17 at 6PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center 
Spotlight followed by a reception at 9PM at Frantoio Restaurant