The Mill Valley Film Festival always showcases many of the prestige films that are scheduled for release during Award Season. It’s the best opportunity for Bay Area film goers to catch an early look at the Big Movies.
For example, last year’s festival featured The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name and The Florida Project. Those five films combined for 28 Oscar nominations and 7 Oscars. You get the idea.
ALL FOUR of the movies I am expecting to be the year’s best are playing at this year’s MVFF:
- Cold War from Pawel Pawlikowski, the Oscar-winning director of Ida. Pawlikowski will appear in person at MVFF.
- Roma – from Alfonso Cuarón, the Oscar-winning director of Gravity (and Children of Men and Y Tu Mama Tambien). Cuarón will appear in person at MVFF.
- If Beale Street Could Talk – from Barry Jenkins, the Oscar-winning writer-director of Moonlight. Jenkins will appear in person at MVFF.
- Shoplifters, which won the Palm d’Or at Cannes for writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda. He’s had art house hits with Maborosi, Still Walking and The Third Murder, but this could be his masterpiece.
Other highlights include:
- Widows, the latest from director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave). Stars Viola Davis and the trailer is a hoot.
- A Private War, for which Rosamund Pike is getting Oscar buzz (she wears an eye patch!).
- Green Book with Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen.
- Wildlife – actress Carey Mulligan and director Paul Dano will appear in person.
- Boy Erased, Joel Edgerton’s “gay conversion therapy” drama starring Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea and Lady Bird).
- The Kindergarten Teacher, the remake of the recent Israeli film. Star Maggie Gyllenhaal will appear at MVFF.
- Ben Is Back with Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges – very intriguing trailer.
- Non-fiction, a comedy of manners from Olivier Assayas, starring Juliette Binoche, Guillaume Canet and the funny, funny character actor Vincent Macaigne.
- What They Had a family drama that I reviewed at Cinequest, with Blythe Danner, Robert Forster, Hilary Swank and Michael Shannon.
- Capernuaum – this drama about Palestinian refugees could be the festival dark horse.
This year’s festival runs October 4-14 at four different Marin County venues. You can peruse the program and buy tickets at Mill Valley Film Festival.
