When the lights go down at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1 in the Sebastiani Theatre, ticket holders for the Sonoma International Film Festival will get to see the premiere of a movie whose title, for now, is “top secret.” The names of the other 65 or so flicks are listed on the schedule at the festival’s Web site, sonomafilmfest.org, along with the dates, times and venues for various parties and panels.
And what a list it is, boasting an unprecedented number of foreign entries, from Israel, Russia, Sweden, Great Britain and other countries. Screenings will be held at the Sebastiani, the Community Center, the Sonoma Memorial Veterans Hall and the Sonoma Woman’s Club, known as the ”House of Doc,” which will screen documentaries from morning till night (April 2, 3, 4 and 5), according to Sonoma International Film Society chairman Kevin McNeely.
The event formerly known as the Sonoma Valley Film Festival was rechristened the Sonoma International Film Festival this year. “We feel that Sonoma has evolved after a 12-year period to merit ‘international’ in the name, now that we feature films and filmmakers from all over the world,” McNeely said.
The name change is not merely cosmetic. Nor is it a gimmick designed to increase attendance.
“’Sonoma Valley’ doesn’t really tell you what kind of film festival it is,” said program director Cevin Cathell. “With ‘Sonoma International,’ we are bringing the world to Sonoma. I tried to have as many international films as possible, putting the emphasis on features as well as shorts and docs, which account for 40 to 50 percent of the total.”
Cathell says she culled the lineup from more than 900 movies to select 35 feature-length films plus 30 documentaries and shorts for this year’s event, which runs from April 1 through 5 in downtown Sonoma.
Cathell, who also served as program director for the 2007 festival, spent 14 years as a movie producer. “Then I started volunteering at the Santa Barbara Film Festival,” she said. “I took over as program director and stayed for a couple of years,” during which time she screened thousands of films. It was through that festival that she met McNeely.
“He kept inviting me up to, as he said, ‘see our little festival.’ When I did, I fell in love with Sonoma and he recruited me two years ago. Then I had another offer in Jackson Hole, but Kevin called me back this year and I was really excited.”
A major factor was the environment. “The Santa Barbara festival is a lot about the celebrities – nine tributes over 11 days,” said Cathell, who has also attended film festivals in Toronto, Sundance, Berlin and San Sebastian. “I’m attracted more to film than to the celebrities.
“The community here is into this festival,” she said. “There are some really die-hard film lovers in Sonoma, but not many independent films are shown here.
“I love doing this. I love being able to sift through film after film and find ones that Sonoma people will like. It’s not like Santa Barbara or Jackson Hole. Sonoma Valley is sophisticated and educated, but with a Bohemian touch. People in Sonoma know how to live – the food, the wine, all the things to do. People here are open. They want to learn something but they also want to be entertained.”
Cathell kept these facts as well as others in mind when creating the mix of choices for the festival. “This year the economy is so awful. Some of the films up for Oscars were so heavy. I thought, ‘Let’s distract people, let them have a good time.’ That is what I was striving for. But we’ve probably got something for everyone.”
The festival includes family films like “Dandelion Dust” and “The Full Picture” (which Cathell describes as a black comedy from a San Francisco director) as well as “Good Dicks,” which she called a “quirky comedy, romantic but also with a dark twist. It’s ultimately redeeming.”
In addition to features, said Cathell, “The documentaries are fantastic and the shorts are among of the best films of the year, and some are hilarious.”
“Bedford: The Town They Left Behind” is a look at the effects on a small Virginia town and the boys of its National Guard Unit, both on D-Day in 1944 and 60 years later, with new faces deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
“It’s well done technically and the people chosen to interview – lovely, graceful and of all ages. Everyone should see this one,” Cathell said.
She also recommends another documentary, “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison.”
“There is no video of that day, just still photos and recordings. The movie is not just about that day but also about the impact Johnny Cash had on the prisoners, and includes interviews with several who have gotten out.”
Cathell is also enthusiastic about “Food, Inc.” “It’s the most fascinating documentary. It’s about the globalization of food manufacturing, where our food comes from. It’s so eye-opening. Every single American should see this. Then everyone would be eating organic. It would also change the world of fast food,” she said.
On the lighter side are the comedy “Spooner” and “Special People,” which Cathell describes as a low-budget British “drama-dy.” From Israel comes “Lemon Tree,” from Russia, “Mermaid” and from Sweden, “Ciao Bella.”
Then there are the two silent screenings with live piano accompaniment, including the original “Robin Hood,” starring Douglas Fairbanks, whose granddaughter, Victoria Fairbanks, will be in attendance.
In addition to movies, the four-day fest will include panels, parties and an appearance by Bruce Willis, who will be presented with the society’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.”
“The most exciting events are the Pitch Panels,” said McNeely. Held in the Veterans Hall – a.k.a. “Hollywood & Vine” – the panels consist of a studio head, a director and a writer (in this case, Sonoma vintner Robert Kamen, who wrote the scripts for the “Karate Kid” movies and for “A Walk in the Clouds”). “Filmmakers get the opportunity to pitch them for three minutes and then the panelists critique the pitch,” McNeely explained.
What more could an aspiring filmmaker ask for?
The Sonoma International Film Festival runs April 1-5. For information and tickets go to www.sonomafilmfest.org, or call 707.933.2600
