Annual Mill Valley Film Festival Now Under Way

MILL VALLEY, CA – The Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF), presented by the California Film Institute, celebrates its 39th edition this year. The 11-day event kicked off this Thursday with two opening-night movies.

"La La Land" is Damien Chazelle's romantic ode to old Hollywood musicals, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, and featuring winsome compositions by Justin Hurwitz.

Hurwitz, Chazelle and Stone were in attendance.

The other opening-night film was "Arrival," Denis Villeneuve's cerebral and humanely sci-fi thriller, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.

Adams was also at this year's MVFF's opening-night celebration.

This year's fest, taking place through Sunday, Oct. 16, once again, boasts an impressive list of actors and filmmakers to be honored in person. They are Nicole Kidman, Julie Dash, Ewan McGregor, Gael Garcia Bernal, Aaron Eckhart, Mike Mills, Annette Bening, Elle Fanning and Lucas Jade Zumann.

"Loving," Jeff Nichols' take on the story of Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), an interracial couple whose love story helped change interracial marriage laws in the U.S. closes the festival. Nichols, Edgerton and Negga are expected to attend.

Film screening locations include: CinéArts@Sequoia and The Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley;
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael; Cinemark Century Larkspur Landing and
Lark Theatre in Larkspur; and Cinemark Century Cinema Corte Madera in Corte Madera.

For more information on the 39th MVFF, visit the festival's website (mvff.com) and Facebook page.

— By Beau Behan (Patch Film Critic); Photos by Jonathan Shensa Photography