Mill Valley Film Fest offers a starry lineup
Ali, Chalamet, Pike among actors set to attend the Oct. 4-14 festival
True to form, the Mill Valley Film Festival continues to be a Bay Area magnet for potential Oscar nominees. Just consider its just unveiled, head-turning 41st annual lineup.
The two opening night selections are already generating a buzz. They are “A Private War,” the true story about a valiant war correspondent starring “Gone Girl’s” Rosamund Pike and “Fifty Shades” actor Jamie Dornan, and the basedon-a-true-story comedydrama “Green Book” with Oakland native and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali portraying a pianist on a road trip with a bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) through the racially tense South.
Pike, Ali and their respective new-film directors will be at the Oct. 4 opening night screenings. The festival will run through Oct. 14.
Other eagerly anticipated screenings, tributes and celebrity guests at the starstudded festival include:
“IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK” » “Moonlight” filmmaker Barry Jenkins’ anticipated follow-up is based on James Baldwin’s novel about a woman’s fight to get the father of her yet-to-be-born child out of prison. It closes the festival Oct. 14; Jenkins plans to be there.
“WILDLIFE” » Paul Dano’s already heralded directorial debut is based on awardwinning author Richard Ford’s slim novel. It revolves around a troubled 1960s family as seen from the perspective of a teenage son watching a marriage erode. Star Carey Mulligan and Dano plan to attend Oct. 5.
“COLD WAR” » Acclaimed filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski’s (“Ida”) family-inspired drama delves into the fiery romance of two creative people set around the midcentury mark in Poland. Pawlikowski will receive a festival tribute Oct. 5.
“THE PARTING GLASS” » “True Blood” star Stephen Moyer’s directorial debut features “Blood” costars Anna Paquin — his wife — and Denis O’Hare (“American Horror Story”), who wrote the screenplay, for this personal journey
into one family’s struggles with grief while on a road trip. Cynthia Nixon costars. Moyer, Paquin and O’Hare will attend the Oct. 6 screening.
“BEAUTIFUL BOY” » Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet returns for another awards-buzzy performance playing a young man battling addiction. Steve Carell, another Oscar nominee, plays his father. Filmed in San Francisco and Marin County, it’s based on celebrated memoirs by David Sheff and his son Nic. Director Felix Van Groeningen, Chalamet and actress Amy Ryan are slated to attend the film’s Oct. 6 special presentation.
“BOY ERASED” » Actor-director Joel Edgerton wrote, costars and directed this cinematic adaptation based on another true story. Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe play parents who send their son (Lucas Hedges) into gay conversion therapy. Edgerton is slated to attend the Oct. 7 screening.
“THE HATE U GIVE” » Amandla Stenberg stars in George Tillman Jr.’s intense adaptation of Angie Thomas’ young adult novel about a teen who witnesses the death of her friend at the hands of a police officer. Stenberg will attend the Oct. 7 screening.
“ROMA” » Alfonso Cuaron’s film, focusing on a year in the life of a woman trying to make ends meet in Mexico
City, won raves at the Venice Film Festival. The Oscarwinning director (for “Gravity”) will be on hand when “Roma” screens as a centerpiece selection Oct. 8.
“DESTROYER” » The ever busy Nicole Kidman is earning raves for her tricky performance playing a Los Angeles detective investigating a case that dredges up unresolved issues. Director Karyn Kusama (“Aeon Flux”) is slated to attend the Oct. 10 spotlight screening.
“CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?” » After a series of boxoffice duds, Melissa McCarthy is said to be in terrific form as a celebrity biographer who pens shocking — and fake — letters from the rich and famous. Richard E. Grant co-stars while Marielle Heller directs. Grant will appear at the Oct. 10 screening.
“THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER” » Maggie Gyllenhaal is being hailed for her complex, complicated performance as a teacher who takes too keen of an interest in a gifted child who can write stunning poetry. Gyllenhaal is slated to attend the Oct. 12 screening.
“KANNAPOLIS: A MOVING PORTRAIT” » The Mill Valley Film Festival takes pride in thinking outside of the box, and that’s reflected in this collaboration that brings together video images from H. Lee Waters of more than 118 small Southeast towns taken during the mid-’30s to early ’40s and the music of Jenny Scheinman. East Bay filmmaker Finn Taylor teamed up with Scheinman to create this unique portrait of Americana. The live music event takes place Oct. 10.
“WORLD OF URSULA K. LE GUIN” » Richmond native Arwen Curry peers into the influential life of the late Berkeley novelist.
NOTABLE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES INCLUDE » Freddy Jones Band (Oct. 5); Jarvis Cocker (Oct. 6); Holly Near with Tammy Hall and Jan Martinelli (Oct. 7), tied to the documentary “Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives”; Michael Franti (Oct. 8), tied to the documentary “Say Human”; Black Zeppelin (Oct. 9); Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Concert (Oct. 10), tied to the documentary “One Voice”; “Half Pint” (Oct. 12); Honus Honus (Oct. 12), tied to the documentary “Use Your Delusion.”
For the full lineup, go to mvff.com. General tickets go on sale Saturday.