The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide named it one of America's "Top
Ten Best Vacation Film Festivals." IFC News called it a “cinematic
magic carpet ride." Each year it draws an eclectic crowd of hot indie
filmmakers, food and wine enthusiasts, celebs and adventurous locals to
partake in its festivities.
And this year promises to be better than ever.
What is it? Duh! It’s the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, running this year
from April 11th through the 15th right here in the heart of wine country.
In its 10th year, this year’s highly anticipated festival is quite possibly
THE excuse you’ve been looking for to make a trek to wine country. Besides
celebrity cameos and other surprises, the festival will feature gourmet
wine and food pairings prior to every screening of its more than 75 scheduled
indie flicks from around the world. And in keeping with the wine theme,
many films will be screened at wineries, putting cinema quite literally
smack dab into the context of some of the best wine and food found anywhere.
Take Two
Praised by the likes of The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco
Chronicle and Wine Enthusiast for its stellar programming and indulgent
wine and food experiences, Sonoma’s annual festival also offers visitors
opportunities to explore nearby wineries, mingle with emerging filmmakers
and attend glam pre- and post-film parties. Plus, star winemakers and
celebrity chefs will be on-hand to chat guests up about their wares in
person, making the festival quite possibly the most stellar coming together
of celebs from the worlds of film, food and wine anywhere.
And besides these perks, the festival will culminate with a highly anticipated
Saturday evening tribute to Sonoma Valley resident and two-time Academy
Award®-winning director John Lasseter, the creative force behind Disney
and Pixar Animation Studios. The tribute will also include appearances by
Mr. Lasseter’s friends and creative collaborators, many of whom are movers
and shakers in the far-away land of Hollywood.
Production Details
If coming for the whole festival still sounds like a tall order
to you, then consider attending the Sonoma Valley Film Festival LIGHT,
the way I like to look at the Festival Gala scheduled for Saturday, April
14. THE social event of the festival, the Gala promises to be a fantastic
celebration of wine, food and music at Cline Cellars winery and vineyard
in Sonoma. Essentially, it’ll be a great way to get a taste of the festivities
without committing to the whole thing.
Tickets to the festival range from $100 for the Gala only, $225 for access
to all film screenings and panels (but excludes the Festival Tribute, Awards
Ceremony, Opening and Closing Night screenings, Gala and VIP events), and
up to $1200 for a Patron ticket, an all-access pass that includes perks
like VIP admission to the Festival Tribute, Gala, private receptions and
exclusive after-parties, VIP Hospitality Center, and no waiting in lines.
Because if you’re mingling with the stars, you might as well feel like one
too.
Click here for Sonoma Valley Film Festival Exclusive Experience
To sign up, visit sonomafilmfest.org.
