The Sonoma International Film Festival – formerly the Sonoma Valley Film Festival – kicks off on April 1st this year, and as the name change implies, there will be far greater focus on international films than the previous festivals. After twelve successful years the festival changed the name to reflect the scope of the event and highlight its ever expanding international film focus. The five day event pared down nine hundred entries to arrive at thirty five feature length offerings and thirty documentaries and shorts. And while the films are culled from all over the world, one of the benefits of the festival’s size and location is that all of the films will be shown in close proximity, in a central location – half a dozen buildings centered around Sonoma’s downtown square – rather than scattered all over the Sonoma Valley like some wine country tour.
The festival is being run for the second year by Cevin Cathell, who has fifteen years as a film producer as well as two as the program director for the Santa Barbara Film Festival but was enticed to switch allegiances to join as program director for the Sonoma International Film Festival because as she suggests, the Santa Barbara festival revolved around celebrities more than film. In Sonoma she feels that the community is really into the festival and the she loves the environment, as the people are educated and sophisticated, with a touch of bohemian flair and of course the food and wine is always special.
And she keeps those people – as well as the current state of the world - in mind when selecting the films which she believes will resonate with festival goers. While she was careful to select a cross-section of subjects, interests, and tones, she was keen to lighten things up this year and give people some levity with their entertainment given the recession. The festival will run through April 5th and in addition to the screenings, there will also be parties, panel discussions, movie pitch panels, and a celebration of this year’s honoree, Bruce Willis who will be receiving a lifetime achievement award.
