‘Conclave’ to Open 47th Mill Valley Film Festival

The California Film Institute announced today that Focus Features’ papal thriller Conclave from Academy Award-nominated director Edward Berger is set to open the 47th Mill Valley Film Festival on Thursday, October 3.

Conclave will have its West Coast premiere at the festival. The film delves into the enigmatic and captivating world of a papal conclave, offering a compelling narrative and stellar performances. Berger and Ralph Fiennes will attend the opening night festivities. The complete lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.

The evening will kick off with the screening of Conclave at both the newly remodeled Sequoia Cinema in Mill Valley and the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. Following the screening, guests are invited to the Opening Night Gala, a festive celebration at the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur. This exclusive party allows attendees to mingle with industry professionals, filmmakers, and fellow cinema enthusiasts while enjoying gourmet food, drinks, and live entertainment.

“Thank you, Edward Berger, for allowing us to enter the secretive world of the Papal conclave. Conclave, with all its intrigue and significance, beautifully portrays the human side of the cardinals, reminding us that despite their rise to the highest levels of the Catholic Church, they remain human, possessing the same strengths and weaknesses as the rest of us. This humanity only deepens the drama, enriched further by superb performances from Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini, along with brilliant supporting roles. While the ritual of MVFF Opening Night (which has been in effect for only 47 years) is in its infancy, I have no doubt our audience will feel the weight and importance of this sacred and ancient ritual, exemplified by your masterful filmmaking.”-Mark Fishkin, Founder, MVFF.

“I’m thrilled that we’re opening this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival with Academy Award-winning director Edward Berger’s latest,” said MVFF Director of Programming Zoë Elton. “He’s again proving himself a director of note—visually, aurally, and as an actors’ director. This film works on so many levels, articulated through an ensemble of actors who are absolutely on the top of their game. Ralph Fiennes’s central performance is gorgeously nuanced. In a role both complex and heartfelt, he creates an unforgettable emotional epicenter to this completely gripping film. It’s a great reminder of why we love cinema!”

Conclave, based on the best-seller by Robert Harris, follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church. In addition to Fiennes, the film also stars Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Carlos Diehz and Isabella Rossellini. Focus Features will release the film in the U.S. beginning November 1, 2024.

Edward Berger graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1994 and gained early experience working for the U.S. independent production company Good Machine, working on films by Ang Lee and Todd Haynes. His film Jack competed at the Berlin International Film Festival, earning three German Academy Award nominations and winning in Silver for Best Picture, along with Best Director at the German Director’s Guild Awards. In 2015, Berger’s 8-part television series Deutschland ’83 premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, becoming the first German television show ever to air in the US on Sundance TV. It won Best International Drama at Séries Mania, an International Emmy, and a Peabody Award. His 2022 feature film adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front from Netflix received 14 nominations at the 76th British Academy Film Awards (winning seven, including Best Film) and nine at the 95th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won four: Best International Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. The four wins tied All Quiet on the Western Front with Fanny and Alexander (1982), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and Parasite (2019) as the most-awarded non-English language film in the Oscars’ history.

Ralph Fiennes made his feature film debut as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1992). His film credits include Schindler’s List, The English Patient, The Constant Gardener, The End of the Affair, The Reader, Quiz Show, Oscar and Lucinda, Onegin, Spider, Sunshine, Strange Days, and The Hurt Locker. He played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series and the role of ‘M’ in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die. Fiennes has received multiple Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations, winning a BAFTA for 1993’s Schindler’s List.