Mill Valley Film Festival Dates, Early Entries Announced

The producers of the  Mill Valley Film Festival said Tuesday the 2010 festival will be held from Oct. 7 to 17 at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center and the CinéArts@Sequoia in Mill Valley.

The 33rd annual festival celebrates independent and world cinema, and is considered to be a launching pad for upcoming Academy Awards  campaigns.

The festival takes place at the restored Art Deco Rafael at 1118 Fourth St. and other Marin venues. It is presented by the California Film Institute, which owns and operates the Rafael.  It includes opening and closing night galas, as well as special parties and musical events.

The line up for the festival is still under consideration but early programming includes "The River Why" by Matthew Leutwyler, a Marin native. It is the story of 20-year-old Gus Orviston, known as the Mozart of fly-fishing, who leaves his big city home in rebellion from his family to live in a secluded cabin on the banks of a wild river. Instead of finding fishing bliss, his desolation drives him on a reluctant quest for self-discovery.

Leutwyler is the author of "Road Kill" and "The Space Between Us." The screenplay is co-written by John Jay Osborn, a Marin native known for his first novel, "The Paper Chase," which became an Oscar-nominated film.

Also featured will be "Atomic Mom," a documentary by East Bay filmmaker M.T. Silvia, who has worked with Skywalker Sound and Pixar Animation Studios. "A Somewhat Gengle Man" by Norwegian Hans Petter Moland is also confirmed.

The complete Mill Valley Film Festival schedule will be announced on Sept. 14. Tickets will be available to the general public on Sept. 22 via www.mvff.com and at the MVFF box office at the Smith Rafael Film Center.

 For more information visit www.cafilm.org.