Maud Apatow’s directorial debut, Poetic License, opens at the 29th Sonoma International Airport. The main screening at the festival is “The Christophers,” directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Ian McKellen.
The festival, which runs from March 25th to 29th in the heart of California’s wine country, will also screen director Julian Schnabel’s latest film, In the Hand of Dante. Schnabel will be in attendance for the special evening, which will also include a moderated talk about his career, visual art, and film.
The festival’s 104-film lineup spans 37 countries and concludes with “Under the Lights,” filmed in Sonoma. It follows a teenage boy with epilepsy who risks everything to attend prom.
Carl Spence, the festival’s artistic director, admits that March is a kind of dead zone for the festival, post-Oscars and pre-Cannes/Venice/Toronto, but that’s a plus.
“The beauty of Sonoma is that it’s very freeing. We’re not a festival that requires premieres,” Spence says. “There are a lot of movies that grab your attention throughout the year. The important thing is to find the really great movies.”
Highlights of the schedule include “I Swear,” “Mile End Kicks,” “The Last One for the Road,” “Winter of the Crow,” and a special screening of “Vertigo” in conjunction with the documentary “Kim Novak’s Vertigo.”
Mr. Spence points out that Schnabel’s “The Hand of Dante,” starring Oscar Isaac, was a “divisive” film that premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
“It’s a great cast, really influenced by Oscar,” Spence says, but Schnabel’s work goes beyond filmmaking and draws on his expertise as a painter and visual artist. “He makes films like a painter, and you just follow. I went along with him, and I thought it was a beautiful film, with texture and transcending time and space.”
The fest will feature “Kai Nam Ying” directed by Leon Le, “Maspalomas” directed by Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Alesi, “My Tennis Maestro” directed by Andrea Di Stefano, and the latest film directed by Oscar director László Nemeth. “The Silent Rebellion” directed by Marie-Elsa Suguardo, “The Soundman” directed by Frank Van Passel, “Sundays” by helmer Arauda Ruiz and “Vainilla” directed by Mayra Hermosillo.
Documentaries in competition include “The Art of Adventure” (directed by Alison Reed), “Barbara Forever” (directed by Bridie O’Connor), “The Big Cheese” (directed by Sarah Jo Wolanski), “Fork in the Road” (directed by Jonathan Nastasi and Vivian Sorenson), “Jane Elliott Against the World” (directed by Judd Ehrlich), and “The Works of Kim Novak.” “Vertigo” (director: Alexander O. Philippe), “Newport and the Great Folk Dream” (director: Robert Gordon), “Raoul’s New York Story” (directors: Greg Oliver, Karim Raoul), “State of First” (director: Chase Joynt), etc.
“The most important purpose of the competition is to shine a spotlight on great films that have been overlooked or deserve more attention,” Spence said. “None of the films in the competition have a confirmed distribution schedule at the time of their selection. They are all films that are trying to gain some kind of attention here in the United States.”
Sonoma will also host a genre-specific section called SIFF After Dark, which includes David McKenzie’s Fuse, Ben Wheatley’s Normal, Mad Mikkelsen’s The Last Viking, and Jorma Taccone’s horror comedy Over Your Dead Body, starring Jason Segel and Timothy Olyphant.
The festival will also feature panel discussions with film experts. These include “The Art of Casting: The Technology Behind the New Oscars,” which explores the Academy’s newest categories and the evolving role of casting in shaping performances and careers. A discussion with documentary filmmakers about the power of storytelling, impact-driven filmmaking and audience engagement. “Movie Veterans Tell All” and “Food, Movies, and the Future.”
And it wouldn’t be a California wine country film festival without food-focused films and events, including the Moon and the Stars Dinner at the famed Valley Bar + Bottle restaurant, featuring wines from Moon Mountain AVA Winery and a spring menu featuring the best seasonal ingredients. There’s also the Opening Night Party at the historic Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery, the Studio 54 Disco Party at Hopmonk, and the featured Dolce After Dark Party at Buena Vista Winery.
“We’re very fortunate to have community members who support this festival. It’s hard to make these things work, but we have wonderful and important community members who are willing to take on this festival and help make it happen,” Spence said, noting that pop-in tastings will also be held at MacArthur Place Bar, Williams Sonoma and the Sonoma Cheese Factory.
“I’m really proud of the lineup we’ve put together,” Spence says. “It really celebrates the movie in so many different ways.”
Winter of the Crow (starring Lesley Manville)
