SONOMA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2008 TRIBUTE HONOREE AND EARLY FILM SELECTIONS

USA
(SANEPR.com) February 20, 2008 -- SONOMA, Calif., February 20, 2008 – The Sonoma Valley Film Festival has announced that award winning actor Michael Keaton will be honored for his outstanding work in film at the 2008 festival. Keaton will be introducing his directorial debut The Merry Gentleman, which will be screened along with an outstanding selection of other independent films from around the world during the 11th Annual festival (http://www.sonomafilmfest.org), taking place from April 9th – 13th, 2008.

“We are looking forward to an incredible 11th year,” said Festival Executive Director Marc Lhormer, “We believe this April’s festival will take our celebration of film, food and wine to a whole new level, with top tier indie film premieres, along with pairings of award-winning regional wines curated by our official film sommelier Christopher Sawyer, and cuisine created by celebrity chefs to delight every taste bud. The 2008 Sonoma Valley Film Festival will offer a true feast of cinematic pleasures, including inspiring documentaries, innovative animation, thrilling dramas, and hilarious comedies.”

Films screened at the 2008 Sonoma Valley Film Festival will showcase outstanding performances by Michael Keaton, Laura Dern, Martin Sheen, Brittany Murphy, Malcolm McDowell, Kristen Bell, Blake Lively, Joe Mantegna, Mary Steenburgen, Orlando Bloom, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Ormond, William H. Macy and many other celebrated actors and filmmakers.

Official Opening Night on Thursday evening, April 10th, will launch in glamorous style at the grand Opening Night Gala at the stunning, newly constructed Jacuzzi Winery (http://www.jacuzziwines.com/), an Italianate dream-castle.

The 2008 Festival, presented by MBT Physiological Footwear, will take place throughout an all-walkable Festival Village surrounding historic Sonoma Plaza. Film and wine lovers will be able to casually meet stars, filmmakers, celebrity chefs, legendary winemakers and fellow enthusiasts at the ultimate celebration of film, food and wine.

The 11th Annual Festival will culminate at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony taking place on Sunday, April 13th where awards in the form of cash, prizes and custom hand-blown glass wine decanters by master artisan Ryan Blythe will be given in the following categories: Best Animated Short, Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Feature, and Audience Awards for Favorite Narrative Feature and Favorite Documentary Feature.

Sonoma Valley Film Festival Film Selection (Cont.)

2008 Early Official Film Selections

The Merry Gentleman
In person: Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton's sensational directorial debut, a recent hit at Sundance, follows a woman who narrowly escapes a bad relationship to find comfort in the arms of a suicidal hit man.

Elvis and Anabelle
In person: Director Will Geiger, Joe Mantegna
Starring Joe Mantegna, Blake Lively, Max Minghella and Mary Steenburgen
A gothic love story set in West Texas. At the moment of her coronation, a young beauty pageant-winner dies of eating disorders compounded by the pressures of competition and an overbearing stage mom. Her demise lands her on the embalming table of Elvis, an embittered young man whose sense of family duty and love for his brain-damaged mortician father (Joe Mantegna) keep him from following his dreams. When Anabelle is miraculously resurrected on Elvis' embalming table, their touching, hilarious, and very strange romance sparks a tabloid media sensation.

Love and Other Disasters
In person: Director Alek Keshishian!
From Alek Keshishian, the cult director of Madonna: Truth or Dare. Love and Other Disasters, starring Brittany Murphy, is a sexy comedy about an obsessive matchmaker with a fast-paced life at British Vogue.

Lynch
In person: (Surprise Guest!)
Starring David Lynch, Jeremy Irons, Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Julia Ormand, William H. Macy, and Harry Dean Stanton. Lynch is a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of award-winning cinematic genius, David Lynch, director of contemporary classics like Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, and The Elephant Man.

Fugitive Pieces (Poland, Greece, Canada)
This dramatic and poetic epic follows the life journey of a child who makes a courageous escape from Poland during World War II and heads to Greece before coming of age as a famous writer.

Flatland
Starring: Martin Sheen, Kristen Bell
Based on Edwin Abott's classic 1970’s mathematical novella "Flatland", this animated film dramatizes the conflicts, hopes and fates of a community of geometric characters living in a two-dimensional world. When a young girl named "Hex" decides to "think outside the box" (in a world where such thought is forbidden), her life is threatened and it is up to her grandfather to save her life.

Young at Heart
Young at Heart, which has been receiving huge buzz across the country, is a musical documentary that follows a SENIORS ONLY choir as they amaze and stun with their unexpected covers of artists from Jimi Hendrix to Coldplay to Sonic Youth.

Amal (India)
Saint-like autorickshaw driver Amal is content with the small but vital role he serves - driving customers around New Delhi as quickly and safely as possible. But his sense of duty is tested by an eccentric, dying billionaire, who, moved by Amal's humility, bequeaths him his entire estate… placing Amal in the deadly path of money-hungry family members and corrupt business partners.

Sonoma Valley Film Festival Film Selection (Cont.)


A great ticket option for every taste and budget!

The Sonoma Valley Film Festival offers a variety of ticket options for attendees that are reasonably priced and rich in rewards. Every festival screening is preceded by an indulgent food & wine pairing, and many are also followed by an exclusive Q&A with the filmmakers.

For the complete Festival experience, recommend passes include: Festival Passes, VIP Premier Passes, and VIP All-Access Patron Passes.

INSIDER BARGAIN SCOOP: $60 Day Passes are also a great starter option, providing access to all films and panels for a full day Friday, Saturday or Sunday (Sunday Day passes also include a ticket to the Awards Ceremony and Closing night Wrap Party).

$10 Door Tickets are also available at every screening throughout the Festival on a first-come first-served basis – Available passes will be sold 20 minutes in advance of each film screening at the theater box office.

For complete film listings and screening times, celebrity guests, event schedule, FAQs and to order tickets please visit: http://www.SonomaFilmFest.org or call (707) 933-2600.


The Sonoma Valley Film Festival:

Set amidst the unparalleled beauty of the Sonoma Valley wine country, the Sonoma Valley Film Festival welcomes filmmakers and film lovers to an intimate and luxurious extended weekend, pairing great food, fine wine and over 65 new independent films from around the world. The festival, acclaimed as a “sun-drenched, wine-soaked cinematic magic carpet ride!” (IFC NEWS), invites guests to enjoy some of the year’s best new independent films, specialty events, luxurious parties, wine and food pairings – and casual mingling with top filmmakers and celebrities from around the world.

Tickets are already selling fast. Order online at http://www.SonomaFilmFest.org or call (707) 933-2600.


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Editors Note: Filmmaker and celebrity interviews and high-resolution images are available upon request.