The Best Seat in Town: Mill Valley Film Festival, MVFF49
Big premieres in our small town.
Every October, Mill Valley becomes one of the most important film towns in the country for eleven days. The 49th Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 1 through 11, and general public tickets went on sale this past Thursday. If you have been meaning to finally go, this is your sign.
Let's start with the obvious. MVFF is the oldest fall film festival in California, with a long habit of screening future Best Picture winners before the rest of the country catches on. It also happens to take place on our main street. You can catch an awards contender at the Sequoia on Throckmorton, grab a sandwich across the street, and be home before the fog rolls in.
We will be at opening night on October 1 for Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, set on Easter Island in the run-up to Chile's 1973 coup, with Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich as two CIA operatives and Steve Buscemi as their bureau chief. McDonagh and Rockwell are expected in person. The plan: tacos and margs at Playa, then a very short walk to the Sequoia. We take the pre-game seriously.
Worth Viewing
Sam Rockwell Tribute, Friday, October 2. A career conversation timed to Wild Horse Nine.
New Directors. A new section this year spotlighting first and second features. This is where you get to say you saw them first.
Centerpiece, Wednesday, October 7. I Play Rocky, Peter Farrelly's drama about the making of Rocky.
Closing Night, Sunday, October 11. The Debut, a musical comedy with Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti.
The full program lives at mvff.com.
How to Score Tickets
A very important heads up. The big nights go first, and members get first pick. This year CAFILM members had access starting September 11, and the general public followed on September 17. If a screening you want already says Standby, do not give up. That label means sold out for now.
Check availability daily. mvff.com/current shows what is still open. Once the festival starts, there is a daily ticket drop at noon.
Learn the Standby Line. For sold-out screenings, the festival releases standby tickets 15 minutes before showtime, in person only, first come, first served. Show up early and be patient.
Look beyond the Sequoia. Screenings also run at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, the Lark in Larkspur, the Outdoor Art Club, and BAMPFA in Berkeley. Many titles play more than once, so a sold-out Saturday night might be wide open on a Tuesday afternoon.
Consider a membership. Standard tickets are $20 and CAFILM members pay $16. Members also get earlier access, and higher tiers come with priority lines and lounge access. If you plan to see more than a few films, the math works quickly, and you support the Rafael year-round.
Bring a crew. Groups of ten or more get discounted rates if you book at least ten days ahead.
Know that all sales are final. Pick carefully.
Getting There Early (Learned the Right Way)
Lines open one hour before showtime. Plan to be in line at least 30 minutes before, or your seat can go to someone in standby.
Arrive together. Saving seats is not allowed, so the friend who is "just parking" is a liability.
Know your line. Seating is prioritized by badge level. General admission ticket holders use Line C.
Have a badge? Pick it up before the festival. Pre-festival badge pickup is at the Smith Rafael Film Center, September 27 through 30, noon to 7pm.
Skip the parking hunt. Downtown Mill Valley fills up fast. Walk if you can, even from a few blocks away.
Bring a layer. Downtown Mill Valley gets cold quickly once the sun drops behind the ridge.
Make a Day of It
The festival's home base is the Outdoor Art Club, the 1904 Bernard Maybeck clubhouse across from the Sequoia, and the patio is open to everyone, badge or not. Mill Valley Market runs a lunch cart there from noon to 2pm, October 2 through 9, which beats eating a large popcorn for lunch. There is also a patio happy hour from 4 to 6pm, October 2 through 10, the best spot in town to argue about what you just saw. If you need ticket help, audience services is in the OAC library daily from noon to 7pm.
After each screening, rate the film at mvff.com/vote. Audience Awards matter to filmmakers, and voting stays open until midnight on the final day.
MVFF is big enough to feel like an event and small enough to feel like ours. Next year is the 50th, so consider this your practice round.
Pick a film you know nothing about. Get in line early. Stay for the Q&A. Vote on the walk home.
Tickets and the full schedule are at mvff.com.
