Rising Star honorees include Taissa Farmiga, Billy Magnussen, Camila Mendes, Rosa Salazar, Tye Sheridan and Alexandra Shipp
Festival to Close with Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
The eighth annual Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) has announced its film line-up, including Opening and Closing Night, as well as special events and tribute honorees today. NVFF returns this fall with its five-day festival showcasing the year’s best new independent films, November 7-11.
Organizers will showcase Napa Valley’s finest food and wine at all special events, including the Festival Gala, VIP receptions and Vintner Circle dinners, and will feature a lively series of filmmaker-chef collaborative demonstrations at the Monogram Appliances Demonstration Kitchen at The Studio by Feast it Forward in downtown Napa. The ten screening venues located throughout the Valley include the historic Cameo Cinema, Charles Krug Winery, Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch, JaM Cellars Ballroom at the Margrit Mondavi Theatre, Lincoln Theater, Native Sons, Uptown Theatre, and new this year The Archer Hotel Napa, Las Alcobas Napa Valley and the Drive-In at the Calistoga Fairgrounds.
“We are eager to share this year’s compelling film lineup with our audiences: playful, poignant and powerful narratives, blended with educational, eye-opening, and inspirational documentaries, with a good helping of star power on top for good measure”, said Marc Lhormer, NVFF Executive & Artistic Director. “We are especially excited to introduce our new #ArtInspiringAction initiative enabling audience members to engage more deeply with the issues raised in many of our films. We look forward to celebrating together at all of our events and parties overflowing with Napa Valley’s finest food and wine.”
CELEBRITY TRIBUTES
Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Ant-Man and the Wasp) will receive this year’s Charles Krug “Legendary Actor” honor at this year’s Celebrity Tributes program that salutes the highest levels of cinematic achievement. The Celebrity Tributes program will take place on Thursday, November 8 at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville, and will include video highlight reels and intimate on-stage conversations with Access Hollywood’s Natalie Morales. Additional honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.
In addition, NVFF will be honoring the esteemed alumni of The Groundlings Theatre and School with the Miner Family Winery “Legacy Ensemble” award on Friday, November 9. Accepting on behalf of The Groundlings are Stephanie Courtney(Progressive Insurance’s Flo), Taran Killam (Saturday Night Live, Single Parents), Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live, Coneheads), Cheri Oteri (Saturday Night Live, Scary Movie) and Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live, It’s Pat). Later that evening,Geena Davis (Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own) will be honored with the Davis Estates “Visionary Tribute” following a screening of the documentary This Changes Everything.
The second annual Rising Star Showcase presented by Materra | Cunat Family Vineyards on Saturday, November 10 will honor a handful of young talent including Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story, The Nun), Billy Magnussen (Maniac, Game Night), Camila Mendes (Riverdale, The New Romantic), Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel, Maze Runner: The Death Cure), Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One, X-Men: Dark Phoenix) and Alexandra Shipp (Love, Simon, X-Men: Dark Phoenix).
SNEAK PREVIEW NIGHT, OPENING NIGHT AND CLOSING NIGHT
NVFF will kick off with their Sneak Preview Night on Tuesday, November 6 with a special presentation of Columbia Pictures’ The Front Runner. The film, directed by Jason Reitman and starring Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons and Alfred Molina, is the story of American Senator Gary Hart’s presidential campaign in 1988 as it is derailed when he is caught in a scandalous love affair.
The festival’s official Opening Night film on Wednesday, November 7 is Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures’ Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini. In the film, Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. . Closing the festival on Sunday, November 11 is HBO Films’ Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind. Directed by Marina Zenovich, the documentary gives an intimate look into the life and work of the revered master comedian and actor, Robin Williams.
AWARD SEASON CONTENDERS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
The rest of the NVFF film line-up is as follows:
Core Competitions (previously announced)
Narrative Features
Documentary Features
Verge
Documentary Showcase
Food & Beverage Spotlight
The festival will also feature Short Film Programs with 16 Narrative Shorts and 16 Documentary Shorts.
About the Napa Valley Film Festival
The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, the Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) lights up wine country at the most colorful time of year, November 7-11. NVFF presents approximately 100 new independent films and studio sneak previews in 10 beautiful venues in Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga. Attendees interact with over 300 filmmakers at screenings and special events, as well as enjoy daily culinary demonstrations and wine tastings. Events include the Celebrity Tributes, Awards Ceremony, Festival Gala, Opening and Closing Night parties and much more. The Napa Valley Film Festival is presented by Cinema Napa Valley, a registered 501c3 non-profit organization headquartered in Napa, California. Visit www.nvff.org for more information.
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