Over the past decade-plus, the Mill Valley Film Festival has made its name on a handful of attributes: an incredibly eclectic selection of films from all over the world; an almost eery ability to showcase films that end up garnering Academy Awards; and celebrity appearances by actors and directors to receive tributes and to accompany awards-worthy screenings.

For its 39th edition, set for Oct. 6-16 in downtown Mill Valley and at venues all over Marin, MVFF organizers have once again knocked it out of the park in the first two categories – and  set the bar at an all-time high in the third.

The roster of celebrity appearances at MVFF39 starts with one of the biggest names in show business: Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman, who will appear in person to receive a tribute to her career on Oct. 9, when she will present her latest film, “Lion.”

The lineup also includes a pair of actresses well on their way to having Kidman-esque careers in Hollywood: Emma Stone, who will appear at a screening of “La La Land,” the widely acclaimed musical from director Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”) she stars in with Ryan Gosling; and Amy Adams, who stars in the equally lauded science fiction film “Arrival” from director Denis Villeneuve (“Sicario”). Both actresses headline their respective Opening Night screenings on Oct. 6.

MVFF39 also features appearances by actors Ewan McGregor (“American Pastoral,” director and star), Gael García Bernal (“Neruda”) and Aaron Eckhart (“Bleed for This”) as well as groundbreaking filmmaker Julie Dash (“Daughters of the Dust”) – all of whom will sit down for onstage conversations after the screening of their films. as festival honorees.

“When you look at turning 39 and heading into our 40th year, the amount of energy and change and innovation we’re doing with this festival is extraordinary,” MVFF founder and Executive Director Mark Fishkin said in unveiling the lineup earlier this month.
The festival closes Oct. 16 with the hotly anticipated “Loving,” Jeff Nichols’ film “Loving,” the tale of an interracial couple that fought for the right to marry, a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court in 1967. Nichols and actors Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga will appear in person at the screening, which will be followed by a Closing Night Party at Cavallo Point.

The 411: The 39th Mill Valley Film Festival is Oct. 6-16 at venues in Mill Valley, San Rafael, Corte Madera and Larkspur. MORE INFO & TIX.

The 38th Mill Valley Film Festival wrapped up Sunday night with multiple screenings of of Suffragette, the story of the women who were foot soldiers in the fight for the right to vote in the early 20th century, ordinary women who risked their jobs, homes, children and even their lives. MVFF38 also concluded with a raucous closing night party featuring music from the Monophonics and the Crackerjack DJs at Terrapin Crossroads, the spacious live music venue and restaurants perched on the canal waterfront in San Rafael.

The evening capped 11 days of sold-out screenings that drew more than 68,000 filmgoers, far surpassing 2014's then-record attendance of 61,000. The festival included myriad acclaimed filmmakers and special guests, including MVFF Audience Award winners and likely Academy Award contenders Spotlight and Room, as well as tributes to actors Sir Ian McKellen, Carey Mulligan, Sarah Silverman and Brie Larson and appearances from directors Tom Hooper, Tom McCarthy, Catherine Hardwicke and Cary Fukunaga with their films the Danish Girl, Spotlight, Miss You Already and Beasts of No Nation, respectively.

Festival organizers said the event drew more than 68,000 attendees to its Marin venues.
 
“This was an amazing eleven days for film lovers, music enthusiasts, and members of the industry,” said Mark Fishkin, Founder/Director of the Mill Valley Film Festival. “We are so proud to be a festival that filmmakers—both local and international—return to year after year to present their films to our sophisticated and influential Bay Area audiences, who love to see and nurture these new works. With the beautiful backdrop of Marin County and a relaxed, non-competitive atmosphere, the Festival gives filmmakers and audiences alike the opportunity to share their work and experiences in a collaborative and convivial setting. It’s gratifying to hear others say ‘It’s a festival second to none’”.

“The response to our women’s initiative, Mind the Gap, has been incredible—with engagement across the Festival," added Director of Programming MVFF Zoë Elton. "MVFF has had a long-term commitment to women in film, but in this year’s program we’ve upped the ante in the conversation about women, work, and film. Our goal was to step up and model what a film festival can do: We celebrated women creators from around the world in films; we produced panels, tributes, an exhibit on Ingrid Bergman, and an installation on female role models. These events and programs galvanized audiences and filmmakers alike to engage in an issue whose time is now. Mill Valley has been a-buzz!”
 
MVFF38 also featured a pair of classic films: a free screening of the The Wizard of Oz in Old Mill Park in Mill Valley, and a sold-out screening of Return of the Jedi_, preceded by a costume contest and two sneak-peek trailers of The Force Awakens, which hits theaters in December.

Over the course of her 23-year career, Sarah Silverman has drawn widespread acclaim as a stand-up comedian and as an actress in both TV (The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers) and film (The Aristocrats, School of Rock), largely on her ease – and willingness – to make the uncomfortable funny.

But in the intense addiction drama I Smile Back, Silverman looks to make the uncomfortable simply discomfiting, playing attractive, intelligent suburban wife and devoted mother of two Laney Brooks, whose seemingly picture-perfect life belies the fact that beneath the façade she's ridden with depression and disillusionment that send her careening into a secret world of reckless compulsion.

Ih her portrayal of Brooks, Silverman displayed such dramatic chops that she'll be honored with the Mill Valley Award during a Spotlight event at the 38th Mill Valley Film Festival, which runs Oct. 8-18.

After I Smile Back debuted at Sundance Film Festival in January, Silverman drew rave reviews, with Variety's Scott Foundas declaring, "Rarely has a performer striven so concertedly to shed any trace of his/her comedy roots as Sarah Silverman does over the course of I Smile Back, an addiction drama in which the acerbic comedienne gives the kind of warts-and-all, let-it-all-hang-out (body parts, fluids, etc) turn that awards' consultants dreams are made of..."

The Mill Valley Film Festival screening of I Smile Back, a film adaption of a novel by Amy Koppelman, will be followed by a line on-stage Q&A with Silverman and a presentation of the MVFF Award.

Raised in New Hampshire before attending New York University, Silverman joined comedy juggernaut Saturday Night Live in 1993 as a writer and feature performer. She's garnered two Emmy Awards and a Grammy nomination.

The California Film Institute will unveil the complete schedule for the 38th Mill Valley Film Festival on September 15.

Watch Sarah Silverman and the filmmakers of I Smile Back discuss the film at the Variety Studio at Sundance:

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For the past decade, the Throckmorton Theatre has been one of the favorite Bay Area haunts for big time comedians. Throughout June, many of the famous funny people who have graced its stage – and many who haven't – will be on the vaunted venue's walls, as acclaimed Bay Area photographer Dan Dion showcases his "Legends & Superstars" work.

Over the past two decades, Dion has earned the respect of nearly every major comedian in the business, from Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Martin to Dave Chappelle, Jay Leno and Mill Valley's own late Robin Williams.

"I love what I do because I know that what I'm doing is creating an archive, a collection, a document of comedy," Dion says in the Weekly Flickr. "I've been doing it for 20 years and I'm not a comedian myself, but this has allowed me to become a respected part of their community because they respect what I do it and I love it."

“Legends & Superstars” will also include portraits and performance photos of Johnny Cash, Lily Tomlin, John Lee Hooker, Cheech & Chong, Don Rickles, Beck, Stephen Colbert, Debbie Harry, and many more. He will also, for the first time ever, be exhibiting his 360-degree panoramic photographs of vintage venues from the Bay Area - The Paramount, The Warfield, The Fillmore, The Fox, and the Purple Onion. Dion was the house photographer at the Fillmore in San Francisco for 20 years.

In addition to exhibiting Dion's "Legends & Superstars" work throughout June, the Throckmorton is hosting a wine reception for Dion on Tuesday, June 2 from 5–7pm as part of the First Tuesday Artwalk. More info. 

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

Award-winning local artist Sharon Paster has exhibited her work all over Mill Valley and Marin over the years, including the Seager Gray Gallery, Throckmorton Theatre, RubyLiving Design, Noci Gelateria, the Depot Bookstore & Cafe and many more.

Now it's the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center's turn to showcase paster's oil paintings throughout the month of June, with a wine reception on June 2 (6–8pm) as part of the Mill Valley Arts Commission's First Tuesday Artwalk.

The monthly celebration of local art includes a host of venues, including the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Seager Gray Gallery, the Mill Valley Public Library, Zener Schon Contemporary Art, Gelateria Noci, Julie Tuton Boutique, Terrestra, the Depot Bookstore & Café, City Hall, Famous4 and the Mill Valley Community Center, Seager Gray Gallery and the Throckmorton Theatre. Receptions at each venue are Tuesday from 6–8pm. First Tuesday Artwalk Guide with venues and a map.

Paster has dubbed her exhibit "Some Things We Know," hoping to convey a state of possibility, "where everything in the atmosphere pulsates with life, on the verge of movement and change," she says. "My paintings are not about what is seen, they are about the forces of energy that surround us. How one motion affects the next is a continuing source of fascination for me."

"I’ve been exploring abstraction more and more over the years, but–even with my representational pieces–I am focusing on the vibration of matter and how our world exists right on the edge of chaos, in almost constant flux," she adds. "I'm definitely inspired by the water and landscape that surrounds me in Marin County. That’s why retaining a sense of gestural animation in my work is important to me. Paster's studio is in the historic ICB in Sausalito. She graduated as a painter from Brandeis University in 1976 and has been painting since the age of 13, "after falling in love, as a toddler, with the smell of turpentine in my grandfather’s basement studio in the Bronx," she says.

Paster represented locally by Mill Valley-based Stephanie Breitbard Fine Arts, which is opening a gallery on Montgomery Street this summer and is known for its roster of contemporary, affordable artists. 

The 411: Sharon Paster is exhibiting "Some Things We Know" at the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center, 85 Throckmorton Avenue, throughout June. The First Tuesday Artwalk receptions are Tuesday, June 2, 6–8pm. First Tuesday Artwalk Guide with venues and a map.

The Mill Valley Public Library’s Centennial Celebration in 2011 had a pair of notable outcomes: recognition for one of Mill Valley’s hallmark institutions and its ability to evolve in the digital age, and a shot of fundraising adrenaline for the once-disparate organizations dedicated to supporting that institution.

At the Mill Valley Library Foundation’s Beyond the Book Bash Saturday night at the Throckmorton Theatre, the celebration continued with a group of star-studded group of talent from literary, comedic and musical arts. And library supporters’ ability to raise money showed no signs of slowing down.

Foundation officials reported Tuesday that the event raised another $124,000 to support Library programs and services, and that the foundation has raised more than $1 million for an endowment and financial support of programs such as First Fridays and After Hours events; children and teen programming and digital entertainment. 

"Programs like these make the library more relevant than ever," City Librarian Anji Brenner said.

“We want to blow your mind about what a library can be in a community,” MVLF board chair Andy Mercy told the crowd of more than 200 people. “Tonight is a celebration of your thirst for knowledge and the library’s ability to quench that thirst.”

That thirst was quenched Saturday night from every angle, with local comedian Mark Pitta keeping the night moving swiftly with joke-laden segues, including light jabs at City Hall: “I almost didn’t make it here tonight on Miller Avenue; man, someday they might give us drivers our own lane!” and book sales in the digital age: “The title of my new book is ‘Add to Cart.’”

The night’s entertainment included:

• Tam High student Emma Weinswig reading her poem “26 Seconds,” which juxtaposed the rate of high school dropouts in the U.S. and the struggles of children in places like Afghanistan, where the Taliban “scare dreamers into silence.”
• A reading by local author Holly Payne from her new book Damascena: The Tale of Roses and Rumi that took the audience to Turkey in 1270. Payne brought the unparalleled poet Mevlana Rumi to life, unraveling the mystery surrounding a legendary orphaned girl who discovers her gift of turning roses into oil.
• Tam Valley actor, author and ubiquitous documentary narrator (including Ken Burns’ The Roosevelts) Peter Coyote gave a wildly entertaining reading about a youthful jaunt through Mexico from his latest book, The Rainman’s Third Cure, a spiritual memoir that will be published by Counterpoint Press in spring 2015. 
• In a hilarious chat with Pitta, legendary comedian and political humor pioneer Mort Sahl spoke about Last Man Standing: The Life and Passion of Mort Sahl, author James Curtis’ impending biopgraphy, with Sahl drawing raucous laughter with lines like: “There are many wives to chase down and they’ll tell him, ‘Every minute with him was pure hell,’” and “It wasn’t a very puritanical life, but it was a whole lot of fun.”
• Joined by piano, drums and Beyond the Book Bash producer Tom Corwin on bass, longtime Santana singer Tony Lindsay gave a spirited performance, while New Tork Times best-selling author Tom Barbash delivered a reading from "The Break," a story about a newly single mother who in interferes in her son's love life over his Christmas vacation from college – part of Stay Up With Me, his 2013 collection of stories that explore the myriad ways we try to connect with one another and with the sometimes cruel world around us. 

But while the readings, the music and the performances were stellar, it was the tributes to the library itself that stood out.

• "Hi I’m Mark and I have a Library Card," Pitta quipped at the evening's outset.
  
• "The Mill Valley Library is showing the way in how to stay relevant in the digital age," Corwin said.
  
• "Our library is a ridiculopusly beautiful place," Barbash said.
  
• "I’m so excited to see all these people out here for this secret leftist institution, the library, paid for by your tax dollars – how discreet," Coyote joked.

"For thousands of years the library has been a vital repository for knowledge and books, a place to explore and touch the physical world," Mercy said. "In Mill Valley, we are blessed also by a place of beauty that nurtures contemplation and collaboration. Tonight's event celebrates that legacy and the innovation that keeps it relevant in today's changing world."

Click here for more information of the 31-year-old Mill Valley Library Foundation.

The Mill Valley Library Foundation has made supporting the Library an increasingly entertaining exercise.

The foundation's annual Beyond the Book Bash, set for Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Throckmorton Theatre, features an entertainment program from some of the most well known and multi-talented people in Marin, with comedian Mark Pitta serving as emcee. They include:

• Mill Valley’s own actor, director and screenwriter Peter Coyote
• Internationally published Discover Great New Writers author Holly Payne
• New York Times bestselling writer Tom Barbash
  
• Legendary comedian Mort Sahl
  
• Grammy-winning musician and Santana frontman Tony Lindsay

"The event, for all involved, isn't just about the library," Foundation board member Lynn Brinton said. "It's about our community and how we seek to connect and support the arts. This event raises money so that we can continue to support the arts at the library, as a place to meet and share not only literary arts but music, theatre, and much more."

The Beyond the Book Bash has consistently provided a unique opportunity to see Marin's most talented artists on one stage, often performing new works for this event exclusively. Participants over the years have included Annie Lamott, Joyce Maynard, Maria Muldaur, Tim Hockenberry, The Kitchen Sisters, Jason Roberts, Liss Fain Dance, teen slam poet Billy Butler, Mac Barnett, Chinaka Hodge, Glen David Gold and James Nash.

Proceeds from the event help ensure that the Mill Valley Library "continues to offer the highest-quality programs, technology, and services and remains one of the most celebrated community treasures in Marin," according to the Foundation. 

Foundation officials said they expect to gross more than $100,000 from this year's event. The Foundation has raised more than $250,000 for the Library over the past four years.

The event kicks off at 7pm with a cocktail buffet featuring local food purveyors and specialty beverage makers, and the show begins at 8pm. 

The 411: Tickets are $150 per person. Go here for more info and to buy tickets.

Hilary Swank, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Jason Reitman, Elle Fanning and Eddie Redmayne are among the stars set to appear, with each of the four members of legendary Bay Area rock band Metallica serving as Artists in Residence.

The California Film Institute unveiled its 37th Mill Valley Film Festival on Tuesday, a lineup loaded with Academy Award winning actors, likely 2015 Oscar contenders, Hollywood luminaries, emerging stars and a slate that is chock-full of far-reaching range of international flair and documentaries, including a robust menu of music docs.

The 11-day event, set for Oct. 2-12, will once again take over venues in downtown Mill Valley and across Marin. The festival has attracted appearances from a number of big name stars, with Hilary Swank, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Jason Reitman, Elle Fanning, Eddie Redmayne all set to appear. In addition, each of the four members of legendary Bay Area rock band Metallica are serving as Artists in Residence, individually selecting a film to screen at MVFF37 and appearing at that event. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will appear at the US Premiere of Like Sunday, Like Rain, in which he makes his acting debut alongside Leighton Meester and Debra Messing. Meester will be in attendance with Armstrong and director Frank Whaley.

The festival has become one of the key predictors of Oscar success, as five out of the last six Academy Award winners for Best Picture (Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, The Artist, Argo and 12 Years A Slave) were screened at MVFF with filmmakers and cast members in attendance.

Opening Night – Oct. 2

The Homesman – Two-time Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank stars as the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy, tasked with saving three women living on the edge of the American frontier and transporting them by covered wagon to Iowa. Cuddy employs a feisty low-life drifter, George Biggs (director Tommy Lee Jones), to join her. The film screens at CineArts at Sequoia Theatre in downtown Mill Valley, and will be followed by an Opening Night Gala at the Corte Madera Town Center, with Swank expected to appear at both events. Thursday, October 2 at 6:45PM & 7PM at the CinéArts@Sequoia. Click here for more info.

Men, Women & Children – Director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up In The Air) will premiere his latest film, the story of a group of teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-images and their love lives. Reitman and Ansel Elgort, best known for his starring role in hit film The Fault in Our Stars, will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screening. Thursday, October 2 at 7PM at Century Cinema Corte Madera. Click here for more info.

Opening Night Gala – After those screenings, the party moves to the Corte Madera Town Center, with food from Balboa Café, Big Jim’s BBQ, Caribbean Spices, Equator Coffees, Il Fornaio, Johnny Doughnuts, Judy’s Breadsticks, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pig in a Pickle and Pizza Antica. Lagunitas Brewing Company and local wineries are providing libations, with live music from The Brothers Comatose, hot off their performance at Outside Lands and US tour, and tunes spun by The Crackerjack DJs. Thursday, October 2 from 9PM – Midnight at Town Center Corte Madera. Click here for more info. 
 
Spotlight on Elle Fanning: Low Down – Elle Fanning launched her career at the age of three, and now, at the age of 16, has built an accomplished body of work and is the subject of a Spotlight event. The evening will feature a screening of her latest film, Low Down, and will be followed by a live on-stage conversation. Elle Fanning stars in the film as Amy-Jo, the teenage daughter to the gifted but troubled jazz-pianist Joe Albany (John Hawkes). Saturday, October 4 at 7PM at Smith Rafael Film Center. Click here for more info. 

Soul of a Banquet special screening with Wayne Wang and Cecilia Chiang – The Mill Valley Film Festival is proud to honor the contributions of renowned local filmmaker Wayne Wang and the subject of his new film, legendary culinary artist Cecilia Chiang, with a special screening of Soul Of A Banquet. The film, a moving tribute to Cecilia Chiang, the celebrity chef who changed the face of Chinese food and culture in the Bay Area, will be followed by an on-stage conversation with Wayne Wang and Cecilia Chiang. Sunday, October 5 at 5PM at Smith Rafael Film Center. Click here for more info. 

Centerpiece Film: Black and White – Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer star in Mike Binder’s latest film, which follows an attorney (Costner) who becomes entangled in a custody battle with his bi-racial granddaughters paternal grandmother (Spencer) following the death of his wife and daughter. Mike Binder will be in attendance for the screening. Wednesday, October 8 at 7:30PM at Smith Rafael Film Center. Click here for more info.

Spotlight on Eddie Redmayne: The Theory of Everything – Having already won an Olivier and Tony Award for his work on John Logan’s acclaimed Red, and garnered recognition for his roles in Les Miserables, and My Week With Marilyn, actor Eddie Redmayne has established himself as one of the most promising actors of his generation. The Spotlight program on Redmayne features a screening of his latest film, The Theory Of Everything in which he plays a young Stephen Hawking. A discussion with Redmayne follows the screening. Thursday, October 9 at 7PM at Smith Rafael Film Center. Click here for more info.

Tribute to Chuck Workman: Magician – In addition to creating short films and openings for 20 Academy Award presentations, Chuck Workman has directed the Oscar-winning short Precious Images, produced several documentaries, and edited main titles and sequences for countless film and television series. With his latest film Magician, Workman pays homage to Orson Welles, and MVFF37 is recognizing his work with a special Tribute. Workman will be in-person for the screening and a post-screening conversation. Friday, October 10 at 7PM at Smith Rafael Film Center. Click here for more info.

Closing Night – Oct. 12 

Wild with a Tribute To Laura Dern – Academy Award-nominated actress Laura Dern will be presented with a special Tribute. Born into the movie business as the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, Laura Dern has starred in numerous acclaimed films including Wild At Heart, Rambling Rose, Inland Empire and Blue Velvet. This event will feature an onstage conversation with Dern and a clip reel highlighting her past work including previews of her latest film Wild, in which Reese Witherspoon stars in Jean-Marc Vallée’s (DALLAS BUYERS CLUB) adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s best selling memoir, a striking account of the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail trek she undertook to grieve the death of her mother (Dern) and give closure to her troubled past. Sunday, October 12 at 5PM at CinéArts@Sequoia and Smith Rafael Film Center. Click here for more info.

Closing Night Gala – The festival will wrap following the screenings at the Elks Lodge where film goers will enjoy live music performed by Danny Click and the Hell Yeas and tunes spun by DJ Richard Habib. Food from Sol Food, Teresa & Johnny’s Comfort Food, Big Jim’s BBQ, and West End Café among others. Sunday, October 12 at 7:30PM at Maple Lawn Estate at the Elks Lodge. Click here for more info.

Metallica: MVFF Artists in Residence – Metallica, locals and longtime friends of the festival, are serving as Artists in Residence for MVFF37. Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo have each selected a film to host at the festival and will be present to introduce and discuss their chosen films.

• Kirk Hammett, a noted horror movie aficionado presents an unadulterated, schlock-filled, Z-movie euphoria, late night screening of the 1971 favorite Dracula Vs. Frankenstein.Friday, October 3 at 10PM at Smith Rafael Film Center.
• Robert Trujillo brings MVFF audiences a sneak peek at Jaco, the new documentary that brings the story of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius to the screen; produced by Trujillo with John Battsek of Passion Pictures.  Monday, October 6 at 6PM at CinéArts@Sequoia.
• Lars Ulrich makes a cutting-edge selection with Whiplash. This indie feature about an aspiring drummer and his ruthless teacher won multiple awards at Sundance this year. Following the screening, director-screenwriter Damien Chazelle will join Lars on stage for a conversation. Tuesday, October 7 at 7PMat Century Cinema Corte Madera.
• James Hetfield’s classic pick The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is in all its restored, big-screen glory. Wednesday, October 8 at 7PM at Century Cinema Corte Madera.

Children’s Film Fest
Music dominates this year’s family films. Whether it’s the hip-shaking beat of Brazil or the lilting of 1940s swing, most of our programs will have you dancing your way out of the theater after the credits roll. The Boy And The World starts with simple washes of color and samba and ends with neon cityscapes, hip-hop, and scarcely a word spoken. In France’s 3D animation Minuscule: Valley Of The Lost Ants, there are no frantic melodies but instead a lovely, upbeat score that complements the action as our ant friends move sugar cubes across perilous landscapes. 

Movies in the Park
In partnership with the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce and the City of Mill Valley's Recreation Department, MVFF37 is presenting a free screening of the 1941 animation by the Fleischer Brothers, Hoppity Goes To Town, a takeoff on Jimmy Stewart films that will have everyone swinging to jazz and crooning love songs. Click here for more info.
 
Live Events 
A Musical Celebration of Jaco honors the pioneering jazz musician Jaco Pastorius and feature a work-in-progress screening of Jaco, a documentary from Stephen Kijak, which captures the story of Jaco Pastorius. The evening will be hosted by Robert Trujillo and will feature MAERIC with Mary Pastorius, David Pastorius and Eric Young, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo of Metallica, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction, L. Shankar and other special guests. The event is a benefit for the California Film Institute. Monday, October 6 at 9PM at Sweetwater Music Hall. Click here for more info.
 
Professional comedians and award-winning filmmakers weave together film and live stand-up comedy for a unique storytelling experience in 3 Still Standing – On Stage!. The evening will be part film, and part stand up with the world premiere of 3 Still Standing, a documentary about local comedians Will Durst, Larry “Bubbles” Brown, and Johnny Steele. Following the film, the 3 comedians will take the stage for a live stand-up act. Saturday, October 4 at 8PM at 142 Throckmorton Theatre. Click here for more info.
 
With Robin Williams: A Celebration, MVFF37 hosts an informal celebration of the life of one of the most beloved and brilliant members of the Bay Area film community. The event will feature footage from his appearances at the Mill Valley Film Festival, including a spontaneous routine with his mentor Jonathan Winters, as well as his 1988 MVFF trailer, in which, playing campy film critic Lex Leed, he interviewed himself as five different filmmakers. More details and guests TBA. This is a free event, but will be ticketed. Sunday, October 5 at 1PM at 142 Throckmorton Theatre. Click here for more info. 

Other Major Film Screenings

In addition to the bevy of special events, MVFF37 features screenings of a number of major films, including:

• Director Bennett Miller won the Best Director Award at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival for his latest film Foxcatcher, a dark drama starring Steve Carrel, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo.
  
• Director Morten Tyldum directs Benedict Cumberbatch as the British mathematician Alan Turning in The Imitation Game.
  
• The German drama Beloved Sisters about two aristocratic sisters who find themselves in a love triangle with poet Fredrich Schiller.
  
• Olivier Assayas’ Cannes Film Festival selection Clouds Of Sils Maria starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz.
  
• The Israeli drama Gett: The Trial Of Viviane Amsalem which will make its US Premiere at the festival.
  
• David Dobkin’s drama The Judge starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall.
  
• Lynn Shelton’s latest film Laggies starring Keira Knightley, Sam Rockwell and Chloë Grace Moretz.
  
• Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong will be in attendance for the US Premiere of Like Sunday, Like Rain in which he makes his acting debut alongside Leighton Meester and Debra Messing. Meester will be in attendance with Armstrong and director Frank Whaley.
  
• Xavier Dolan’s Cannes Jury Prize Winning film MOMMY
  
• Timothy Spall won Best Actor honors at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in Mr. Turner; the Dardenne Brothers’ (Jean-Pierre and Luc) latest film Two Days, One Night starring Marion Cotillard.
  
• A special screening of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back with Skywalker Sound veterans Matthew Wood and David Acord on hand to discuss the sounds of the Star Wars universe.

Click here for more info on the 37th Mill Valley Film Festival.

By Ronnie Sharpe, from Ronnie’s Awesome List

Want to hear something funny? Go find a comedian. How about 3! 3 Blonde Moms are rolling into Marin with their hilarious hit comedy show called "3 Blonde Moms....See How They Run!" I sat down with Joanie Fagan, the Bossy Mom, creator and producer of the show to see how these 3 friends with their own successful comedy careers came together. They perform on Sept. 18 at 8pm at the Throckmorton Theatre.

Q. Hit me (but not too hard please) with a pitch on your upcoming show? Give me a brief me on each of the 3 Blonde Moms?
Joanie Fagan: We are 3 unlikely friends that live in The Valley but this last month both Beaumont Bacon and Donna Cherry hubbies are now employed on the east coast but we are still a trio. The 3 of us are so distinctly different that none of our material overlaps.

• I am perky mom. That Martha Stewart wannabe but I fall short of being perfect or being Martha Stewart. I’m always one craft away from snapping. I think I’m perfect but I’ll walk out of the house with a velcro roller on the back of my head.
• Beaumont is the feisty mom. She tells it like it is. Beaumont is a 5ft. whipper snapper from Texas and it doesn’t get any feistier then that. She is in a different phase of her life. Her children are older and she’s re-learning how to date her husband again. Reentering that phase of her life she is so use to bossing people around she says to her husband at the movies “Get me some popcorn! Oh, I mean, I love you!”
• Donna is the hot momma. Always perfect with her make-up and heals. Donna actually is a former Ms. California, a Juliard trained singer, use to open for Barry Manalow and does these amazing singing impressions of famous moms. She is very girlie, loves pink and has 2 boys 7 & 17 so she has great boy jokes.

So, if you are not one of us, you know one us.

Q. How is juggling motherhood and a career working out for you?
All things go back to being a good mom. I am lucky because I get to work in spurts. 3 Blonde Moms performs 1-2 times a month and then I am a stay-at-home mom 90% of the time. The kids get to travel with us to really cool places like Washington DC and San Francisco. Half of the time we perform, we donate the show for charity. One year I donated the show to Save the Tata’s which was on the Royal Caribbean in the Bahamas. It a great balance. I am home most of the time, I make an income for the family, I get to make other families happy and my 13 year old daughter will not let me leave the house in sweats. I love what I do. I meet women who haven’t been out in so long and it’s so therapeutic. They laugh so hard they cry, it’s like a release. Laugher heals. Laughter is jogging on the inside. At the end of a 90 minute show people say "I feel better, lighter, refreshed, I can start the new day." We forget how important laughing
is.

Q. My 10 year old daughter says she wants to be a paleontologist and a comedian. Were you a funny kid? What advice would you give to a kid who wants to be a comedian?
Yes, I was funny kid. I took a lot of acting, drama and improv classes. I was at Harvey Lembecks Comedy Workshop for six years and then I joined The Groundlings. I suggest as soon as your daughter can, join an improv class. You learn timing and find out what you are funny at. Some people are funny writers, some are funny characters, some are physically funny, some people just stand there and have such a dry wit. Get her into acting or improv classes as soon as she can so she can start exercising that muscle. And also she should still focus on paleontology and keep going in that direction. I have a journalism degree from USC and it was something I could always fall back on and I use it now when I write press releases. You can’t be diverse enough. The more you have in life, the more you can talk about it and reflect it on stage. Her interest is so fascinating and specific that her talking about that or relating it to life and tying it all together is very unique.

Q. Who did you admire or influenced you to become a stand up?
Sadly we lost Joan Rivers and Robin Williams so recently. Both of those people have had a thread through my life as either motivators or people I looked up to. And then I met Robin twice at the Throckmorton Theatre which was amazing to me because I’m also an actor and he’s been able to successfully live in both worlds. He was just so nice. Joan Rivers always said “Stand up comedy is a calling” because it’s so odd that we would want to go on stage and tell jokes to people and make them laugh. It’s so hard at the beginning when you don’t have enough material but it is a calling.

Q. How do you envision 3 Blonde Moms in the future?
3 Blonde Moms has been a live stage show for 12 years. And I do other things, I have a vod-cast (video podcast) called The Joanie Show. I did 10 episodes for the Jon Lovitz Podcast Theatre - I LOVED IT. I finally got to use my journalism degree and interview great people. It was a lot of fun. The thing I want to do next is go into movies. "The Adventures of the 3 Blonde Moms" because we are so different from each other - we can take adventures to Vegas or go camping. Like the Vacation movies but more PG and showcase the things we naturally go through. I envision one of the moms would only communicate with her kids through texting back and forth - we never see the kids just their hands. Moms are just amazing!

Q. What do your spouses and kids think of your act? What compromises have you had to make? Is there territory that they ask you not to talk about?
The spouses are cool with it. Actually, we don’t talk about them much. I know a lot of comics are more "male bashing." We talk about ourselves and how we fit into the world. The in-laws, you have to explain, I might say a thing or 2 but it’s done in the best of ways. For instance, my husbands 4 sister all came to my wedding pregnant and they were all bridesmaids. We had to keep adding panels to their dresses. So I just line them up in order of trimester. They got progressively larger as they walked down the aisle. It was ok, I came down feeling “Oh, look how fit I am." Its all in fun - they’re ok about it.
The kids we talk about them sometimes. For instance, with my 13 year old, I can only shop at certain stores like Brandy Melville. On the door it says one size fits all. So, I
walked up to the counter and said to the clerk, "One size fits all?" And he looked at me up and down and he says "Well, not all." I thought, Hmph! I think I’ll go try on all your stretchy clothes NOW. Things happen - we’re kind of talking about the kids but in the friendliest of ways and experiences we go through. They love that we make people laugh.

Q. You each had successful careers in show business. What made you realize you wanted to collaborate together and create a stand up routine? When did you get that ah ha moment?
I birthed my child and a couple of years later I birthed the show. When I did stand up while I was pregnant and talking about my experiences about anticipating being a mom, people listened. I realized it’s so interesting and no one is talking about that. Then when I had my daughter I was talking about being a mom. People were leaning in, nodding their head and relating to what I was talking about. Before that, my material might have been funny but it wasn’t relatable or real until I became a mom. I thought, I’m perky and blonde so wouldn’t would be really funny to have 3 totally different moms on stage? The title came from the nursery rhyme “3 Blind Mice" but said “3 Blonde Moms...See How They Run” and the title clicked. Diversity on the stage just took off. We were selling out shows in advance. My favorite part is meeting other moms with the same experiences. I found a niche that’s underrepresent.

Q. How old are your kids? Who has the funniest kid and why?
We all have funny kids in their own way. Beaumont has 2 girls 10 & 15 and the whole family is funny. Donna's 7 year old wants to be Indiana Jones and runs around with a hat and whip and her 17 year old is funny. My 13 year old daughter is funny. She makes me laugh all the time. Years ago, I walked into a room and turned on the light and my daughter said, “No, no mommy. You look so much better in the dark.” And I looked at her and said “Aw, thank you honey." It was so adorable.

Q. So, do you write your own routines or do your kids?
Ha, we all write our own material. From the beginning, I talk about how different we are, how different our husbands, kids, background, etc. By the time we go one stage together it’s like you already know us.

Q. Did your parents support your dreams? Is "funny" in your genetic make up?
When I was growing I took acting classes. My dad is a lawyer and he thought I’d grow out of it. I never did. So he said, well, just go to college and get a degree and then you can do that as your minor. So I did. I went to college in journalism but minored in theater and went to improv classes. It was my path all along. When I was little, I was always performing so my parents eventually thought she is actually good and motivated and they did get behind me. I have a head for business and I’m creative. Just the fact that I was creating this whole act on my own my parents always said they are so proud of me. They have come to every show that is close by in LA. Sadly, my mom passed away last year. My dad is 86, still practices law, still comes to shows, and still couldn’t be more proud.

Q. They say "if you don't ask you don't get.” Of course, you need talent too. What lengths have you gone through to go after what you want and standing up for yourself?
You can listen to “no" all day long but I carved my own path, and we fill these rooms and get repeat audiences who want to hear from us. As Joan Rivers said, that is where "the calling comes" in. It’s almost an undeniable course that we are set on because it can be challenging and difficult and there is sexism and ageism. It’s better now but luckily I created 3 Blonde Moms out of thin air and we are all out there and the audience proves we, and all other moms, have something important to talk about, that's relatable and significant. The proof is in the actual results so I don’t have to pay attention to all that stuff luckily.

Q. Funniest person ever - past and present?
I was immersed in comedy since I was a baby. Growing up, Carol Burnett and her whole cast, Tim Conway and Harvey Corman, made me laugh so hard. When I started doing stand-up, one night at the Improv, Tim and Harvey were hosting and they brought me on stage. I was speechless. Beaumont is one of the funniest people I've ever met. Robin Williams was one of my most favorite as both an actor and comic. Joan Rivers, I saw her as a teenager in the Catskills and fell out of my chair laughing so hard. Watching her on E as the fashion police was so funny. She forged the path for women. There weren’t many women doing stand up when I started. I was just behind Kathy Griffin, Rosie, and Ellen who are all great. People on Saturday Night Live - off and on, Gilda Radner when I was in college. I always loved Peter Sellers. Current comedians, so many - Kathy Griffin still makes me laugh, she is unique with her own way, Zach Galifianakis, Steve Martin, Jamie Fox, just so many.

Q. Parenthood is already a stand up act on a good day. What recommendations do you have to other moms and dads out there who want to consider stand up or writing humor especially about parenthood?
Just write, especially in the beginning. I wrote down everything. I always had a pad or paper and pen ready to write. If it is funny to you, it’s probably funny to other people. The next step is get on stage and start doing it. There are open mic nights where you can try it out for 5 minutes and even if they don’t laugh eventually you’ll find your rhythm where you’ll fine-tune your punchlines and figure out new material, get rid of what doesn’t work and keep what does. It’s a whole process. I teach at the San Francisco Comedy College a couple times a year. It’s a great place. I love teaching comedy because l love what I do so much and I can share it with other people. Almost anyone can be funny, and if you have a passion for it, you just need a little guidance.

Q. Stand-up comics write "savers," funny comebacks for the things that can go wrong. Envision yourself on stage and various scenarios are bound to happen. What is the first thing that comes to your head when I say:

• Hecklers? Drunk - usually in theaters they don’t heckle although you’ll occasionally hear a mom say "Right On!" In comedy clubs they serve alcohol and shows are later, so heckling happens all the time. Sometimes it’s funny or can be a minefield. Your instinct has to say to I want to participate or is this a sinking ship. Sometimes it can be funny banter and I learn from it. I have a bit about being past puma and past cougar and I thought, what would be funny past cougar and I thought badger. But someone yelled out saber tooth - that was funny.
• Bombing a joke? (i.e. they don’t laugh) Awkward
• Offending an audience member? More awkward

Q. What do you tell yourself on days when you really don't want to get out there? How do you stay motivated, focused, fresh and original?
The show must go on. At the end of the day and we’re professionals. Like yesterday, we found out about Joan Rivers passing but there were comedians booked and they were so sad about her passing but Joan Rivers, above of, would want us to go on stage and be funny. The last thing Joan and Robin would want is for anyone to be sad.

Q. Where else will you all be performing while you are here?
Beside our performance on September 18th, 8pm, I will also be at The Mark Pitta Show at the Throckmorton Theatre on Tuesday September 16th. Beaumont Bacon does the spicier version of her act Friday and Saturday at The Legendary Purple Onion in San Francisco (where Joan Rivers spent a year perfecting her act.) Use code word "blonde" and get $2 off.

Q. Finish this sentence - The best thing about being a comedian is.....?
Free therapy, I get to go on stage and talk about what ever I want and I have a captive audience.

Q. What does being a comedian mean to you?
Aw, sweet question because of losing 2 of my comic heroes. I feel like I have the ability and gift to bring laughter and joy and we need that so much that I am grateful I can do that.

Q. Are you going to write a joke about this conversation?
I don’t have any jokes but I did have a lot of laughter in the conversation.

Aw, thank you Joanie!

Ten months after his FXX show “Totally Biased” was canceled midseason, longtime Bay Area comic gets ready to record a comedy special as many of the greats like the late Robin Williams have done – by trying out some new material at Mill Valley’s laugh house.

In the days and weeks after the August 11th death of legendary comedian and actor Robin Williams, tributes poured from around the globe, from fellow Hollywood icons to local residents who were amazed at Williams’ grace and generosity upon their interaction with him over the years.

But few of those tributes could match the gratitude of that of W. Kamau Bell, a veteran Bay Area comedian who had met Williams a number of times over the years. Bell recounted a story on the heels of his performance at the same event as Williams, a benefit for the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco:

“And then one day out of the blue I got an email from an email address that didn’t have the words ‘Robin’ or ‘Williams’ anywhere in it, but it was him. And he told me that my stand-up was a ‘revelation’ and ‘you got the spark.’ Robin had no idea how often I thought of the fact that HE thought I had ‘the spark.’ He had no idea that those simple words helped dig me out of my own dark corners and emotional dead ends. Even now I spend more time offstage wondering if this career makes any sense for me than I spend onstage doing it. And his simple words have often made a difference in me getting up and getting at it again and again.” (Click here to read Bell’s full tribute)

Bell is indeed “getting up and getting at it again.”

Ten months after “Totally Biased,” his late-night comedy show produced by Chris Rock on FX (and later FXX) was canceled in the midst of its second season, Bell is set to perform at the Throckmorton Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 11, part of a series of shows he’s doing to prepare for a much larger comedy tour and, in January, the recording of a comedy special that he’ll be shopping around to “the titans of show business” in Los Angeles in a few weeks.

The Throckmorton is far from unfamiliar territory for Bell, who actually was on the bill the night that local legend Mark Pitta began his now decade-old Mark Pitta & Friends Tuesday Night Comedy showcase. He shared the stage that night in 2004 with Pitta and Dan St. Paul, and has been back a number of times over the years.

We spoke with Bell about the craziness of his past two years and his upcoming plans. 

Enjoy Mill Valley: What’s life been like since your show ended?
W. Kamau Bell: You know how you have half the time you were in a relationship to mourn that relationship? I’m still in that phase where I’m allowed to talk sh** about my ex. It was a whirlwind. It was a great car accident. Getting a TV show turns your life upside down and now it’s kind of strewn all across my mental highway.

Enjoy Mill Valley: You and your wife and daughter moved to New York to do the show. Are you back in the Bay Area now?
W. Kamau Bell: I’m actually in LA right at this moment, but we live in Berkeley. We thought for a while about whether we should stay in New York, but then my wife got pregnant, so it was, ‘Do we want to have a baby in New York City?’ That sounded like a reality show that I wouldn’t want to watch. Most of my wife’s family is from the Monterey area, and I have 15 years of friends in the Bay Area, so it made sense for us as a family to come back. And with things like planes, emails and phones, you can stay connected to places like New York and LA from the Bay Area.

Enjoy Mill Valley: Give me a sense of what this series of stand-up shows you’re doing is all about.
W. Kamau Bell: With the show, I wasn’t doing a lot of stand-up. I did a tour in the spring and now this is me getting ready to do a much bigger tour and recording my first comedy special. 

Enjoy Mill Valley: Why play the Throckmorton?
W. Kamau Bell: (Founder and executive director) Lucy (Mercer) has always been great, has always been really supportive. I’ve played there a bunch since that first time with Mark (Pitta), so I’ve got some Mill Valley street cred (laughs). The Throckmorton's legend is that comics go there to push themselves and present new vistas. I’m excited to take part in that.

Enjoy Mill Valley: Your tribute to Robin Williams was fantastic. 
W. Kamau Bell: That thing could have been 3-4 times as long. Every time I saw him, I felt like I had gotten into the club. I introduced myself to him every time – but he would always remember my name  and ask me when I was doing shows. I often felt like I probably didn’t push as hard as I could have in connecting with him. I just didn’t want to be a person who was ever perceived as someone who wanted to know to him. We weren’t friends. But the amazing thing that struck me was that Robin “got me” with Mork when I was a kid, and then he “got me” again as an adult. That’s incredible.

Enjoy Mill Valley: Did you miss doing stand-up?
W. Kamau Bell: The incredibly complicated nature of doing a TV show certainly made me a fan of doing stand-up comedy. I crave contact with the audience, and with 'Totally Biased,' I was always like, ‘Can we get the audience closer to me? This isn’t just about me. This is about me talking to these people.' So yeah, the stand-up experience is much more intimate.

Enjoy Mill Valley: Does your set reflect that intimacy? “Totally Biased” was focused largely on current events and the headlines. 
W. Kamau Bell: Yeah, I’ll be talking more about my personal life and how that affected my look at the outside world. We’re about to have another baby, so that inherently makes it much more personal than the TV show since I have the time to talk about those things.

Enjoy Mill Valley: But I imagine you’ll still have plenty to say about the recent events in a certain town near St. Louis.
W. Kamau Bell: What events? I hadn’t heard about that (laughs). Uh, YES, people who follow me on Twitter know I’ve had plenty to say about that.

The 411: W. Kamau Bell performs at the Throckmorton Theatre, 142 Throckmorton Ave., on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 8pm. Click here for more info and to buy tickets.

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