Michael Keaton to be honored at Sonoma Valley Film Festival
“Love and Other Disasters” is a comedy about a matchmaker with a fast-paced life at British Vogue.
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The Sonoma Valley Film Festival has announced a star-studded program of all-new independent films for the four day event, which will run from April 9 to 13 in an all-walkable Festival Village around the Sonoma Plaza.
This year’s festival will present more than 75 films from around the world, including feature-length narratives, documentaries, shorts, animation and student works.
The 11th Annual Festival has also announced that this year’s Festival Tribute will honor award-winning actor Michael Keaton for his outstanding work in film. The special Tribute event, with Keaton appearing in person on Saturday afternoon, April 12 at the Sebastiani Theatre, will be followed by a special screening of one of Keaton’s most beloved films, “Beetlejuice,” directed by Tim Burton and starring Keaton, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Catherine O’Hara.
This year’s festival films will showcase exciting and in some cases career-topping work by heralded stars and breakthrough talent, including Alan Alda, David Lynch, Matthew Broderick, Helen Hunt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bruce Dern, Brittany Murphy, Martin Sheen, James Brown, Virginia Madsen, Winona Ryder, Bette Midler, Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Sisto, Stephen Dillane, Colin Firth, Matthew Modine, Mary Stuart Masterson, Christina Applegate, Bill Pullman, Michael York, Max Minghella, Joe Mantegna, Blake Lively, Mary Steenburgen, Matthew Lillard, D.B Sweeney, Kristen Bell, John Ratzenberger, Malcolm MacDowell, Liev Schreiber, as well as more than 200 filmmakers and a number of surprise guests.
“We are looking forward to an incredible 11th year,” said Festival Executive Director Marc Lhormer. “We believe this April’s festival will take our celebration of film, food and wine to a whole new level, with top-tier indie film premieres, along with pairings of award-winning regional wines curated by our festival sommelier Christopher Sawyer, and cuisine created by celebrity chefs to delight every taste bud. The 2008 Sonoma Valley Film Festival will offer a true feast of cinematic pleasures, including inspiring documentaries, innovative animation, thrilling dramas, and hilarious comedies.”
The Film Festival will officially open on Thursday evening, April 10, in glamorous style at the grand Opening Night Gala, to be held at the stunning new Jacuzzi Winery in Sonoma.
Other great films of note playing at the 2008 festival include: The gothic West Texas love story “Elvis and Anabelle,” directed by Will Geiger, starring Joe Mantegna, Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Max Minghella and Mary Steenburgen; “Love and Other Disasters,” a sexy comedy about an obsessive matchmaker with a fast-paced life at British Vogue, directed by Alek Keshishian (Madonna: Truth or Dare), and starring Brittany Murphy, Matthew Rhys, Orlando Bloom, and Gwyneth Paltrow; “Diminished Capacity” with Alan Alda and Mathhew Broderick; and “Lynch,” a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life and mind of award-winning cinematic genius, David Lynch, director of contemporary classics like “The Elephant Man,” “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive.”
The 2008 Festival will culminate at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday, April 13, when awards will be given in the form of cash, prizes and custom hand-blown glass wine decanters by master artisan Ryan Blythe, in the following categories: Best Animated Short, Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Feature, and Audience Awards for Favorite Narrative Feature and Favorite Documentary Feature.
Several ticket options
The Sonoma Valley Film Festival this year offers a great variety of ticket options for attendees for every taste and budget, including $10 Door Tickets and $50 All-Day Passes, as well as great value all-week Festival Passes, VIP Premier Passes, and VIP All-Access Patron Passes.
Tickets are already selling fast and are available for purchase online. To order tickets, and also for complete film listings, screening times, events, and celebrity appearances, visit www.SonomaFilmFest.org, or call 707.933.2600.
2008 Selected Films
Feature Films:
Love and Other Disasters,
directed by Alek Keshishian
Fugitive Pieces,
directed by Jeremy Podeswa
Young at Heart,
directed by Stephen Walker
Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene,
directed by Loren Mendell
Tellin’ It Like It Is,
directed by Kevin Gordon
Diminished Capacity,
directed by Terry Kinney
Beetlejuice,
directed by Tim Burton
Then She Found Me,
directed by Helen Hunt
The Journey Makes Us One,
directed by Derek Diaz
Why Shakespeare?,
directed by Lawrence Bridges
Amal, directed by Richie Mehta
Captain Abu Raed,
directed by Amin Matalqa
Jar City,
directed by Baltasar Kormakur
Amexicano,
directed by Matthew Bonifacio
The Cake Eaters, directed by Mary Stuart Masterson
Elvis and Anabelle,
The Neighbor,
directed by Eddie O’Flaherty
One of Our Own,
directed by Abe Levy
The Village Barbershop,
directed by Chris Ford
Mr. Dial Has Something to Say, directed by Celia Carey
This Dust of Words,
directed by Bill Rose
Beyond Belief,
directed by Beth Murphy
Lost and Found in Mexico, directed by Caren Cross
Pilgrimage,
directed by Tadashi Nakamura
Lynch, directed by blackANDwhite
My Tale of Two Cities, directed by Carl Kurlander
Never Apologize, directed by Mike Kaplan
Operation Filmmaker, directed by Nina Davenprot
A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman, directed by Peter Raymont
Riding Solo to the Top of the World, directed by Gaurav Jani
Row Hard No Excuses, directed by Luke Wolback
Unsettled, directed by Adam Hootnick
The Art of Travel, directed by Thomas Whelan
Let Them Chirp Awhile,
directed by Jonathan Blitstein
Corked, directed by Ross Clendenen, Paul Hawley
Entry Level,
directed by Douglas Horn
Golden Days, directed by Chris Suchorsky
Kenny, directed by Clayton Jacobson
Molotov Alva, directed by Douglas Gayeton
Not Fade Away, directed by Susan Boyer, Wayne Boyer
Opa! Starring Matthew Modine
Shorts:
The Great Wall of Texas,
directed by Valerie Asensio
These Boots are Made for Walken, directed by Jeremy Pack
ESP, directed by Will Lamborn
Speed Dating,
directed by Crystal Liu
I’m Pretty, Too,
directed by Matt Jespersen
Just a Slice,
directed by Tim Tommasino
‘my Olympic summer’,
directed by Daniel Robin
Ed Meets His Maker,
directed by Laurence Sarezky
State of Grace,
directed by Tim Bellen
A Day’s Work,
directed by Edward Feldman
Estranged,
directed by Mike Kukula
Morning Fall,
directed by Edward McGinty
The Homecoming,
directed by Rachel Earnest
No. 6,
directed by Robin Larsen
Pitstop,
directed by Melanie McGraw
The Postman,
directed by Adam Bostock
Un Certain Regard,
directed by Geraldine Maillet
Wednesday,
directed by Rob Sorrenti
Dear Lemon Lima,
directed by Suzi Yoonessi
Driftwood,
directed by Michelle Steffes
High Maintenance,
directed by Phillip Van
The War Prayer,
directed by Michael Goorjian
Trigger Effect, directed by
Timothy Gordon, Wes Sullivan
The Rapture of the Athlete Assumed into Heaven,
directed by Keith Bogart
Still Life,
directed by Mahesh Pailoor
She Pedals Fast (For A Girl), directed by Eva Vives
Festival Experience,
directed by Elizabeth Pasiczny
Animated Short:
Zoologic,
directed by Nicole Mitchell
Flatland: The Movie,
directed by Jeffrey Travis,
Dano Johnson, Seth Caplan
Big Dreams,
directed by Robyn Von Arx
MFA, directed by Elizabeth Pasieczny
The Toll,
directed by J Zachary Pike
‘Till Death Do US Part,
directed by Rick May
Bare,
directed by Andy Lyon
A Shady Deal,
directed by Justin Weber
The Intruder,
directed by Alessandro Ceglia
Fantaisie in Bubblewrap, directed by Arthur Metcalf
Marcelino and Bartolomea:”Bye-Bye!’,
directed by Mario Pochat
For complete film listings and screening times, celebrity guests, event schedule, FAQs and to order tickets please visit: www.SonomaFilmFest.org or call 707.933.2600.
The Sonoma Valley Film Festival:
Set amidst the unparalleled beauty of the Sonoma Valley wine country, the Sonoma Valley Film Festival welcomes filmmakers and film lovers to an intimate and luxurious extended weekend, pairing great food, fine wine and over 75 new independent films from around the world. The festival, acclaimed as a “sun-drenched, wine-soaked cinematic magic carpet ride!” (IFC NEWS), invites guests to enjoy some of the year’s best new independent films, specialty events, luxurious parties, wine and food pairings – and casual mingling with top filmmakers and celebrities from around the world.
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