The Mill Valley Film Festival announced the complete lineup for the 39th iteration of the fest, which will run from October 6–16 this year and includes tributes to Nicole Kidman and Julie Dash.
One-half of the opening night celebration will be devoted to the Amy Adams sci-fi drama “Arrival,” which has been earning rave reviews since playing at the Venice Film Festival. “Arrival” will be joined on the opening night by “La La Land,” for which Emma Stone will be in attendance.
The Mill Valley Centerpiece Spotlight will be “20th Century Women,” starring Annette Bening. The film follows “a single mother who enlists the help of two younger women (Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig) to help raise her teenage son in the hopes that he will grow to understand women.”
Kidman will be the recipient of an MVFF Tribute for her work in the upcoming drama “Lion.” As the release details, “Kidman’s past work will also be highlighted and she will be presented with the MVFF Award in recognition for her remarkable career.”
“25 years after ‘Daughters of the Dust’ first premiered,” the announcement continues, “filmmaker and author Julie Dash will be the recipient of a Tribute program at MVFF featuring an onstage conversation with Dash, a clip reel of her work, and a screening of a restored version of ‘Daughters of the Dust.’”
The festival will also feature a section called “Mind the Gap: Women, Film, Tech,” which the fest details is “a celebration and call to arms to empower women in film and technology. The Festival-wide programming will feature screenings, Q&A’s, panels, master classes, and special events highlighting and exploring the work and impact of women in these fields. Highlights include: the first narrative feature from Eleanor Coppola, ‘Paris Can Wait’; a digital restoration of Julie Dash’s ‘Daughters of the Dust’; a panel about the creation of ‘Hidden Figures,’ the highly anticipated film about female scientists at NASA; and a discussion with the women who work behind the scenes at Walt Disney Animation Studios.”
The Focus: Kinoworks section will “focus on original stories from Germany that center on female characters and creators. Films in this focus include: Germany’s official foreign language Oscar submission ‘Toni Erdmann;’ ‘Doris Dörrie’ looks at two women — one European, one Japanese — who form a special bond in the shadow of Fukushima’s post-tsunami wasteland in ‘Fukushima, Mon Amour;’ vivid animation and music enhance the monster tale ‘Molly Monster;’ and ‘24 Weeks,’ Anne Zohra Berrached’s powerful drama about a woman facing a moral dilemma when she learns of a complication deep into her pregnancy.”
The rest of the festival lineup includes Kelly Reichardt’s “Certain Women” starring Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, and Laura Dern, the haunting drama “Christine,” “Denial” starring Rachel Weisz, female empowerment documentary “The Eagle Huntress,” “Elle” starring Isabelle Huppert, Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack’s “Maya Angelou And Still I Rise,” and Mia Hansen-Love’s “Things To Come” starring Isabelle Huppert.
For the entire lineup and ticket information, head to the Mill Valley Film Festival website.
