MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 35th ANNIVERSARY IN GRAND STYLE WITH HOT LIST OF INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL PREMIERES, ATTENDING FILMMAKERS, STARS, VIP GUESTS, GALAS

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (September 12, 2012) – Presented by the California Film Institute
(CFI), the Mill Valley Film Festival turns 35 with 11 days of cinema, panels, workshops,
concerts, Spotlights and Tributes at venues in Marin County, California from October 4-
14, 2012. The internationally acclaimed Mill Valley Film Festival is greatly anticipated by
cinema aficionados and film industry professionals alike, is well known for the quality of
its programming, and is considered the West Coast’s launching pad for the annual
awards season. MVFF holds the distinction of presenting the Bay Area premieres of
three of the last four films that have gone on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture
(Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, The Artist).

Opening and Closing Night Galas
This year’s festival opens on Thursday, October 4 with two films: SILVER LININGS
PLAYBOOK at the CinéArts@Sequoia in Mill Valley at 7:00 PM and 7:15 PM and ON
THE ROAD at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael at 6:30 PM
and 6:45 PM.

In SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, director David O. Russell, who is expected to attend
opening night, follows up his Oscar-winning drama THE FIGHTER with the story of a
bipolar Philadelphian (Bradley Cooper) who makes a concerted effort to look on the
bright side of life.

Bradley Cooper has a confrontation with Jennifer Lawrence in a scene from “Silver Linings Playbook”, directed by David O. Russell.

ON THE ROAD, directed by Walter Salles, has Jack Kerouac’s alter ego Sal Paradise
(Sam Riley), shambling after the manic, ecstatic Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund) as
they crisscross the country fueled by Benzedrine-laced tea, hot barroom jazz and a
desire for sensory kicks. Salles is also expected to attend.

Jack Kerouac’s alter-ego, Sal Paradise (Sam Riley), shambles after manic, ecstatic Dean Moriarity (Garrett Hedlund) as they crisscross the country fueled by Benzadrine-laced tea, hot barroom jazz and a desire for sensory kicks in Walter Salles’ masterful adaptation of the generation-defining novel, “On the Road”.

Following the two screenings, special guests and audiences will celebrate at the
Opening Night Gala featuring local wineries, breweries and Marin chefs preparing farmto-
table cuisine, held at Mill Valley’s Downtown Plaza, from 9.30 p.m. The Opening Night
films and celebrations are proudly sponsored by Wells Fargo.

Closing Night Gala events take place October 14 with the much-anticipated epic
journey of adventure and discovery LIFE OF PI (based on the novel by Yann Martel),
directed by Ang Lee, who will be honored at MVFF with the Variety International
Filmmaker of the Year Award both for his tradition of breaking new ground and bold
artistic vision that is creating great public anticipation and excitement for this film. Ang
Lee returns to MVFF five years after his film LUST, CAUTION opened the festival in
2007. The festival wraps with its Closing Night Party at 32TEN Studios in San Rafael
from 7:00 PM. Closing Night films are sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle and
Jennifer Coslett MacCready.

Centerpiece, Spotlights, MVFF Award & Tributes
On Saturday, October 6 at 7:00 PM actor John Hawkes will be honored at the Smith
Rafael Film Center with a MVFF Award and Spotlight for his most recent film THE
SESSIONS, sponsored by Jennifer Coslett MacCready. The film will be screened
following the Spotlight. Director Ben Lewin and co-star William H. Macy will join John
Hawkes in person at the screening and at a reception at Tiburon Tavern. Portraying
poet-journalist Mark O’Brien, confined to an iron lung, Hawkes crackles with wit,
frustration and anticipation as he attempts to lose his virginity with the help of a Cheryl
(Helen Hunt), a professional sex surrogate.

On Sunday, October 7 at 6:30 PM at the Smith Rafael Film Center, Academy Award
winning director and co-star Billy Bob Thornton will be honored with a MVFF Award
and Spotlight on his work, which will include a screening of his latest film JAYNE
MANSFIELD’S CAR, sponsored by Sonnen BMW. The thick Alabama air drips with
atmosphere in Thornton’s visceral, provocative tale of a strained Southern family
meeting distant English counterparts who have come to bury their recently deceased
matriarch among “her people,” co-starring Robert Duvall and Kevin Bacon. A post
screening reception will be held at Hawk’s Tavern, Mill Valley.

Acting legend Dustin Hoffman appears on Tuesday, October 9 at 7:00 PM at the Smith
Rafael Film Center in a special Tribute to honor his career and to receive a MVFF
Award. The Tribute will include a Variety Master Class Discussion between the actor
and Variety Executive Editor Steven Gaydos, along with a clip show of his career and
screening of his directorial debut QUARTET. The film is a charming, humorous drama
that features a stellar cast including Dame Maggie Smith as a grand diva opera star,
and takes place in the heart of the English countryside at Beecham House, a home for
retired, genteel musicians. The evening continues with a dinner to benefit MVFF at
Frantoio Ristorante and Olive Oil Co., co-sponsored by Christopher B. and Jeannie Meg
Smith and Frantoio Ristorante and Olive Oil Co.

The festival will also pay a special Tribute to internationally acclaimed director Mira
Nair, who will receive a MVFF Award on Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00 PM at the
Smith Rafael Film Center, followed by a screening of one of the films from an illustrious
career that includes Salaam Bombay, Mississippi Masala, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love,
and Monsoon Wedding. Her newest film is THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST, a
political thriller about a young Pakistani man chasing Wall Street success who finds
himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis and his
family’s homeland. A special reception follows at Nourish at Harbor Point.

The Centerpiece Spotlight on Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00 PM at the Century
Cinema, Corte Madera will include the presentation of a MVFF Award to DreamWorks
Animation and showcase the studio’s latest RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, followed by a
conversation with DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Creative
Officer, Bill Damaschke, and the film’s director Peter Ramsey. When the boogeyman
emerges from the closet to turn children’s dreams into nightmares, childhood’s
Guardians—Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Jack Frost and the Sandman—
must band together and draw on their strongest powers to combat his evil. The
Centerpiece Spotlight is co-sponsored by Technicolor and Dolby Laboratories.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company continues a tradition of sponsoring a family night film at
MVFF with a special 35th Anniversary commemorative screening of preeminent Marin
director George Lucas’ STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE. The event will be
held Monday, October 8 beginning at 5:00 PM with family festivities, film at 6:00 PM, at
the Century Cinema, Corte Madera.

Special Appearances
On Friday, October 5 at 7:00 PM at the Rafael Film Center, Ben Affleck appears in
person with his film ARGO. In the tradition of 1970s espionage thrillers, actor-director
Ben Affleck has crafted an unflinchingly tense caper film which follows the real-life
exploits of CIA agent Tony Mendez (Affleck) as he attempts to free a small group of US
Embassy workers trapped in Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979–81.

Documentarian Ken Burns appears in ‘A Master Class Conversation’ with Michael
Fox on Saturday, October 6 at 11:00 AM at the Smith Rafael Film Center in
conjunction with a screening later in the day at 3:30 PM at the Smith Rafael Film Center
of his new documentary THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE.

Rock ‘n’ roll’s eternally bewitching ‘Gold Dust Woman’ Stevie Nicks appears in-person
on Friday, October 12 at 6:30 PM at the Smith Rafael Film Center, opening her home
studio and creative process to music collaborator, documentarian and former Eurythmics
mastermind Dave Stewart, as the pair document the recording of Stevie’s critically
acclaimed album in Stewart’s documentary IN YOUR DREAMS-STEVIE NICKS.

Director-Actor Fisher Stevens will attend MVFF on Saturday, October 13 at 7:30 PM at
the Smith Rafael Film Center and Sunday, October 14 at 8:30 PM at the
CinéArts@Sequoia as director of his latest work STAND UP GUYS, the action-comedy
starring acting legends Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin as aging
mobsters.

Sopranos creator David Chase is expected to attend the screening of NOT FADE
AWAY, his debut feature film, a rock-infused, coming of age tale of a young man in New
Jersey circa 1964. A great ensemble of talented young performers is joined by
seasoned Sopranos star James Gandolfini, with original soundtrack produced by
Steven Van Zandt.

Local films include World Premieres of Bay Area documentaries VILLAGE MUSIC: THE
LAST OF THE GREAT RECORD STORES, directed by Gillian Grisman; REBELS
WITH A CAUSE, directed by Nancy Kelly; and California premieres of
APPROXIMATELY NELS CLINE by director Steven Okazaki and WITHOUT A NET by
Kelly Richardson.

Mill Valley ASCAP Music Café
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers joins forces with the
California Film Institute to produce the first-ever Mill Valley ASCAP Music Café, a series
of exciting, dynamic music showcases taking place at the Sweetwater Music Hall & Café
over three days, October 11-13 between 1-5pm, during MVFF. An assortment of
composers, songwriters and artists from across the music spectrum will perform,
including John Doe, Pomplamoose, Frankmusik, Nova Albion, Broken Anchor,
Cocaine 80s, and The Goods, among others, sponsored by Lagunitas Brewing
Company and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mill Valley Children’s FilmFest
Family and kids films from around the world have been a part of the Mill Valley Film
Festival since its inception. This year’s Children’s FilmFest, sponsored by Bellam Self
Storage and Boxes, honors the Indian family film industry, along with other children’s
international feature films and kid friendly activities with a Bollywood Party and Parade,
and a children’s animation workshop. Children’s FilmFest are STANLEY’S TIFFIN BOX
(India), CHILLAR PARTY (India), LOTTE AND THE MOONSTONE SECRET (Estonia),
TALES OF THE NIGHT (France), and TANIA 3 (Brazil).

Panels and Forums at MVFF
Active Cinema: Putting Ideas Into Action and New Movies Lab MVFF’s Active Cinema program is once again presenting a series of films and events to engage and inspire audiences. The documentary and narrative feature films included in this program were chosen because they invite viewers to explore significant societal and global issues. Active Cinema events are structured around filmmakers engaging with audiences and creating a dialogue for social change. Sponsored by Bellam Self Storage and Boxes, the goal of Active Cinema is to take the passion and fearlessness of the film community and encourage others to contribute their talents and efforts to positively impact the world. Some titles include BIDDER 70 by Beth Gage and George Gage, THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE by Ken Burns, WAR WITCH by Kim Nguyen, and XINGU by Cao Hamburger.

MVFF’s New Movies Lab features workshops and panels on the art, technology and
business of filmmaking with top filmmakers and industry professionals. This year panels
and forums include MVFF’s popular collaboration with Cinemasports’ Jin Joo returns with
filmmaker teams from Mill Valley competing against the clock to create, shoot, and edit a
filmic masterpiece in one day, alongside filmmakers from Taiwan, South Africa, and
Azerbaijan. Cinemasports at MVFF begins Sunday morning, October 7, 9:00 AM at the
Old Mill Park, Mill Valley culminating with a public screening same day at 8:00 PM at the
142 Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley. At the ‘Active Cinema: Hike and Ideas
Exchange’, with Bay Area filmmakers featured in this year’s festival hosting a hike and
skills exchange on Saturday October 13, 10:15 AM-12:30 PM, meeting in the Tennessee
Valley trailhead parking lot/picnic area.

A panel and reception, ‘Independent Film in the 21st Century: Opportunity or
Challenge?’ features invited distributors, filmmakers, and industry executives including
moderator Tiffany Shlain, filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards, Music Box
Films Managing Director Ed Arentz, Roku marketing head Eric Lachter, and CEO of
Milyoni, John Corpus on Sunday, October 7 at 1:00 PM at the Smith Rafael Film
Center.

In addition to the numerous premieres, gala celebrations, musical concerts, panels,
workshops and special programs, every year MVFF hosts major actors and filmmakers
in the motion picture industry who present their latest works or receive tributes for their
illustrious careers. Recent MVFF honored guests have included actors Glenn Close,
Clive Owen, James Franco, Uma Thurman, Annette Bening, Michelle Yeoh, Edward
Norton and Tim Robbins as well as directors John Woo, Luc Besson, Ang Lee, Danny
Boyle, Sydney Pollack and Alejandro González Iñárritu, among many others.
35th Mill Valley Film Festival

Presented by the California Film Institute, the 35th Mill Valley Film Festival runs October
4-14, 2012 at the CinéArts@Sequoia (25 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley),
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center (1118 Fourth Street, San Rafael) and other
venues throughout the Bay Area. Tickets are $13.50 (CFI Members, $11), unless
otherwise noted and are available for purchase starting on September 11 for
Director’s Circle, Premier Patron and Cinema Benefactors only, September 13 for
all CFI Members only, and starting on September 16 for the general public. Regular
tickets may be purchased online at mvff.com. For additional information, please visit
mvff.com or call 877.874.MVFF (6833).

California Film Institute (CFI)
The non-profit California Film Institute celebrates and promotes film as art and education
through the presentation of the Mill Valley Film Festival and year-round exhibitions at the
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, film distribution by CFI Releasing, and building
the next generation of filmmakers and audiences through the CFI Education program.
For more information visit http://www.cafilm.org or call (415) 383-5256.

Sponsors
As a nonprofit arts organization, MVFF relies on the generosity of its community to
sustain not only the Festival, but also the year-round programs of the California Film
Institute. The invaluable support of our sponsors, foundations, and individual donors
ensures our continued success as we celebrate our 35th year.

CFI is once again proud to acknowledge the leadership support of Christopher B. and
Jeannie Meg Smith, and the continued major support of Jennifer Coslett MacCready,
Ken and Jackie Broad,The Bernard Osher Foundation, the Gruber Family Foundation,
the Marin Community Foundation, the Christine Zecca Foundation and the Horace W.
Goldsmith Foundation. We are also fortunate to have the continued contributions of the
following Major Sponsors of the Mill Valley Film Festival: Wells Fargo, Pacific Gas &
Electric Company, Maroevich, O’Shea & Coghlan Insurance Services, Frantoio
Ristorante and Olive Oil Co., Zaentz Media Center/A Wareham Development and
Bellam Self Storage & Boxes