Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) Offers A Robust Lineup For 23rd Edition
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- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Thursday, 05 March 2020 22:15
- Written by Hildy Johnson
The 23rd edition of the Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF), offering the best in independent cinema from around the world, announces a robust lineup of 131 features, documentaries and short films that includes a selection of premieres from 30 countries.
Blending a program of world-class film, food and wine, SIFF2020 is presented by United MileagePlus® Cards from Chase, and takes place from March 25 - 29 in Sonoma, Northern California, the prestigious, world renowned wine growing capital of the US.
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SIFF Executive Director Kevin McNeely states: "SIFF is proud to showcase this year's programming theme of women overcoming adversity as part of its 2018 commitment to a 50/50 gender parity by 2020, which has been achieved in less than two years. In addition to offering a rich selection of female-driven films, SIFF is also pleased to present a stellar lineup of feature, documentary and short films by female directors."
Steve Shor, Program Director for SIFF, adds: "The 2020 theme and gender parity commitment marries SIFF's returning shorts sidebar program LunaFest, a travelling film festival by and about women which we are proud to present for the fifth year. Our new shorts sidebar No Man's Land is a curated film festival presenting films through a uniquely female lens in the outdoor film and adventure sport industry.
"To round out the festival's commitment, SIFF will also be presenting an Industry Panel "The Female-Driven Story" to explore the influences that have provoked the recent shift to female-character driven films," said Shor.
This year's celebrity guests will include award-winning director Lasse Halstrom ("My Life as a Dog," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "The Cider House Rules"), acclaimed Swedish actor Lena Olin (THE ARTIST'S WIFE, "Alias," "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"), SIFF alumni director/actor Karen Allen (COLEWELL, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Starman") and Oscar® and Golden Globe-winner Louis Gossett Jr. (THE CUBAN, "An Officer and a Gentleman"), each of whom will receive SIFF's Award for Cinema Excellence.
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Iconic American rock singer-songwriter-bass player-author-actor Suzi Quatro will receive SIFF's 2020 Appreciation Award for the titular music documentary on her life, SUZI Q (Closing Night Film). Quatro will also give a live performance at SIFF along with music luminaries Cherie Currie (The Runaways), Laurie Lewis (The New Mamas and the Papas) and famed keyboard player Robby Robinson.
Other Appreciation Award recipients will be director Edward James Olmos, actors David Strathairn, Haley Joel Osment, Martin Sheen, actress Kate Bosworth (THE DEVIL HAS A NAME) and documentarians Jennifer Siebel Newsom (THE GREAT AMERICAN LIE) and Robert Kennedy Jr. (VAXXED II - THE PEOPLE'S TRUTH).
Highlights of SIFF's female-driven themes and female directed films include Tom Dolby's THE ARTIST'S WIFE which premiered at The Hamptons starring Lena Olin, Bruce Dern, Juliet Rylance (Strand Releasing); Unjoo Moon's I AM WOMAN, the inspiring story of 1970's Australian musician and activist Helen Reddy which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival; Richard Hobert's THE BIRDCATCHER'S SON which recently won the Audience Choice Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival; Claudia Sparrow's award-winning documentary MAXIMA about a fearless Indigenous woman which won the Best of the Fest at Palm Springs and the coveted Audience Award at Canada's HotDocs; Irish director Mary McGuckian's A GIRL FROM MOGADISHU which premiered at Dublin Film Festival; Tom Quinn's award-winning COLEWELL starring SIFF alumni Karen Allen; Eliza Schroeder's British bakery drama LOVE, SARAH; Rahat Kazmi's THE QUILT based on the celebrated Urdu short story by Ismat Chughtai in its US premiere; Maria Peters' THE CONDUCTOR about a young woman's dream of becoming a conductor; Sabrina Aman's Eastern Sudan refugee camp documentary, THE FORGOTTEN, and the US premieres of Liam Firmager's documentary SUZI Q, on 70's rock icon Suzi Quatro which shares Closing Night Film status with Tom Waller's Thai cave rescue drama THE CAVE.
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As part of its curation for the 23rd edition, SIFF has included a rich selection of international films by award-winning auteurs, many of whom have represented their respective countries at the Oscars®, including: AgustÌ Villaronga (BORN A KING- UK/Spain - Opening Night Film), Espen Sandberg (AMUNDSEN - Norway/Sweden/Czech Republic), Samir (BAGDAD IN MY SHADOW - Switzerland/UK/Germany), Euros Lyn (DREAMHORSE - UK), Pietro Marcello (MARTIN EDEN - Italy), Mika Kaurismaki (MASTER CHENG - Finland/UK/China), Peter Cattaneno (MILITARY WIVES - UK), Vladimir Khotinenko (THE LENIN FACTOR - Russia) and Rodrigo Bellott (TU ME MANQUES - Bolivia).
Cementing its reputation as a leader in mouth-watering, culinary-themed film festival programming, SIFF is also presenting a raft of films from around the globe that includes narrative dramas and comedies, documentaries and a smorgasbord of short films. For the third year in a row, SIFF|Devour! Chefs & Shorts Dinner program on Thursday, March 26, offers pairings of food-focused short films with noted chefs and top wines in a culinary extravaganza curated by Devour's Michael Howell and Lia Rinaldo of Wolfvillle, Nova Scotia.
On Friday, March 27, the instant cult film FANTASTIC FUNGI will screen as part of SIFF's Screen & Cuisine Lunch program , and further highlighting the best that SIFF has to offer, the new SIFF "Sip Trips" will give participants a private excursion to notable wineries between screenings taking place Thursday through Sunday.
PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS
OPENING NIGHT FILM
SIFF2020 will start with the Opening Night Film, the North American premiere of the true events-based historical drama BORN A KING directed by Agustí Villaronga, starring Ed Skrein (Deadpool) and Hermione Cornfield (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation) and produced by Andrés Vicente Gómez. The Opening Night film is presented by LCI Landers Curry and Christine Curry Design.
An extraordinary real life story set in 1919, BORN A KING is a coming-of-age story about Faisal, the 14-year old teenage Arab prince, who was dispatched from the deserts of Arabia to London by his warrior father, Prince Abdul Aziz, on a high stakes diplomatic mission to secure the formation of his country.
CLOSING NIGHT FILMS
The Closing Night Films will be the North American Premiere of the documentary SUZI Q, directed by Liam Firmager, and THE CAVE, directed by Tom Waller.
SUZI Q is the story of trailblazing American rock singer-songwriter Suzi Quatro, who helped redefine the role of women in rock'n'roll when she broke out in 1973. The film includes testimony from a host of rock luminaries including Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, Deborah Harry, Cherie Currie, KT Tunstall, Tina Weymouth and Suzi's musical family; and follows Quatro as she returns to her hometown, Detroit. Suzi Quatro is scheduled to appear at SIFF2020 for a post-screening Q&A.
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Based on true events, THE CAVE starring Maythavee Burapasing ("Sming," "Four Fingers") and Ron Smoorenburge ("Who Am I?," "Brothers, Enter the Warriors Gate") tells the story of when a soccer team of 12 boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach are trapped deep inside a cave in Northern Thailand, thousands of volunteers and soldiers from around the world unite in a race against time to find them. THE CAVE presents the thrilling tale of the largest international rescue mission of modern times. THE CAVE is presented by Music Nomad.
SIFF will bestow juried awards for Best American Independent Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Foreign Feature, Best Animated Short, Best Comedy Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Dramatic Short and Best Foreign Short. Audience Awards with cash prizes will be handed out for Best Documentary, Best World Feature and Best American Independent Feature.
The list of prestigious judges at this year's SIFF includes renowned cinematographer John Bailey, former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard, President of Global Sales and Distribution of Storyboard Media; Nigel Daly O.B.E, former Chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts-Los Angeles and President of industry trade magazine Screen International; Joe Della Rosa, an agent in the Media Finance department at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA); Britta Erickson, Denver Film Festival Director and Interim Executive Director for Denver Film; Gabrielle Kelly, screenwriter, producer and film lecturer; Hunt Lowry, CEO/President of Roserock Films and former CEO & President of Gaylord Films/Pandora; and Yumi Yokoo, CEO/President of Ponycanyon Music Publishing Inc. and Global Sales General Manager of Ponycanyon Inc., one of the leading companies of Fuji Media Holdings, Inc.
SIFF takes place within walking distance of Sonoma's historic plaza and was voted one of the Top Ten Film Festivals in the country last year by USA Today and one the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World by Moviemaker Magazine in 2016 and 2018.