‘SUFFRAGETTE’ To Close 38th Mill Valley Film Festival; Plus Carey Mulligan Spotlight Conversation

SAN RAFAEL, CA. (September 15, 2015) –The Mill Valley Film Festival is pleased to present as its Closing Night Film Focus Features’ critically acclaimed Suffragette. There will also be a Variety Contenders Conversation with the all-female Suffragette production team; and a Spotlight on the film’s star, Carey Mulligan, as part of the final weekend of the 38th Mill Valley Film Festival.

Closing Night Film  |  SUFFRAGETTE
Profoundly moving, Suffragette tells the story of women who were foot soldiers in the fight for the right to vote in the early 20th century: ordinary women who risked all their jobs, homes, children, and even their lives. One such woman is Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan): a laundry worker since childhood, she joins the evolving Suffrage movement in hopes of breaking the cycles of injustice, poverty, and abuse that so many women endure. With peaceful protest a long-gone option, the Suffragettes become street activists. On the front lines with pharmacist Edith Ellyn (Helena Bonham Carter, MVFF Tributee 1998) and inspired from afar by the Suffragettes’ leader Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep), Maud’s involvement escalates despite huge personal loss. Hounded by the authorities, she realizes that “war’s the only language men listen to.” A homage to the working women whose passion and vision gained British women the vote, Suffragette is an inspiring and stirring reminder that change is worth fighting for. Suffragette is directed by BAFTA Award winner Sarah Gavron, written by Emmy Award winner Abi Morgan, and produced by Academy Award nominee Alison Owen and Golden Globe Award nominee Faye Ward.

Sunday, October 18 at 5PM at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
Sunday, October 18 at 5PM and 5:15PM at CineArts at Sequioa
Screenings followed by Closing Night Party at 7PM at Terrapin Crossroads

Variety Contenders Conversation |  THE MAKERS OF SUFFRAGETTE
Three women, all creative forces behind the MVFF38 Closing Night film,Suffragette, discuss its genesis, history, and journey to the screen. This VarietyContenders Conversation is one case study where the director, screenwriter, and producer will all offer insights into their production. Invited guests include:

• SARAH GAVRON, director (Suffragette, Brick Lane, This Little Life)
• ABI MORGAN, screenwriter (Suffragette, The Hour, The Iron Lady)
• FAYE WARD, producer (Suffragette, Jane Eyre, Dancing on the Edge)
• Moderator: Variety representative to be announced

Saturday, October 17 at 2PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center 

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Spotlight  |  CAREY MULLIGAN
Carey Mulligan, who stars as Maud Watts in Suffragette, was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for her starring role as Jenny Mellor in Lone Scherfig’s Best Picture Academy Award nominee An Education. The portrayal earned her the National Board of Review Award, the BAFTA Award, and the BIFA (British Independent Film Award) for Best Actress, among other honors.

She made her film debut in Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice, also released by Focus Features. Among her other early films were Anand Tucker’s When Did You Last See Your Father?; Shana Feste’s The Greatest; Michael Mann’s Public Enemies; and Jim Sheridan’s Brothers.

She starred in Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go, for which she won the Best Actress BIFA and was an Evening Standard British Film Award nominee; Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, for which she was a BAFTA Award nominee; and Steve McQueen’s Shame. The latter was her first film with Suffragette screenwriter Abi Morgan, bringing Ms. Mulligan Critics’ Choice Movie Award, Evening Standard British Film Award, and BIFA nominations, among other honors.

Moviegoers have also seen her in Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis; Thomas Vinterberg’s Far from the Madding Crowd; and Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, which won two Academy Awards and for which she received an Australian Film Institute Award nomination as Best Actress.

Ms. Mulligan’s telefilm credits include Brian Kirk’s My Boy Jack and Jon Jones’Northanger Abbey. She costarred in the BBC miniseries Bleak House, directed respectively by Justin Chadwick and Susanna White, in which Natalie Press of Suffragette also starred.

In 2014, she made her West End stage debut starring with Bill Nighy and Matthew Beard in a revival of David Hare’s Olivier Award-winning play Skylight, directed by Stephen Daldry. In 2015, the same creative team reconvened to stage the production on Broadway, and it won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play; Ms. Mulligan received Drama Desk and Tony Award nominations for her performance. She was previously a Drama Desk Award nominee for her starring role in the Atlantic Theater Company’s 2011 production of Through a Glass Darkly, at the New York Theatre Workshop; the off-Broadway adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s screenplay was adapted by Jenny Worton and directed by David Leveaux. She was also a Drama Desk Award nominee for her 2008 Broadway debut in Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, directed by Ian Rickson at the Walter Kerr Theatre, after having originated the role in the production’s 2007 Royal Court Theatre staging.

The Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with Carey Mulligan, a look back at her film roles, discussion of and clips from Suffragette, and the presentation of the MVFF Award to Ms. Mulligan in recognition of exceptional artistry.

Saturday, October 17 at 6PM at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center 
Spotlight followed by a reception at 9PM at Frantoio Restaurant

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About the 38th Mill Valley Film Festival
Presented by the California Film Institute, the 38th Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 8-18, 2015 at the CinéArts Sequoia (25 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley), Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center (1118 Fourth Street, San Rafael), and other venues throughout the Bay Area. With a reputation for launching new films and creating awards season buzz, MVFF has earned a reputation as a “filmmakers’ festival” by celebrating the best in American independent and world cinema, alongside high-profile and prestigious award contenders. MVFF welcomes more than 200 filmmakers representing more than 50 countries.

About the California Film Institute
The non-profit California Film Institute celebrates and promotes film as art and education through the presentation of the Mill Valley Film Festival and year-round exhibitions at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, film distribution by CFI Releasing, and building the next generation of filmmakers and audiences through the CFI Education program. For more information visit www.cafilm.org or call  (415) 383-5256.

www.MVFF.com, www.CAFilm.org