ABOUT US

Welcome to our 34th edition! A celebration of the best in independent and world cinema, MVFF brings together a community of filmmakers and film lovers in Mill Valley, San Rafael and beyond to experience amazing new films in the beautiful environment of San Francisco’s Bay Area. With its reputation as a filmmakers’ festival, this prestigious noncompetitive event showcases international features, documentaries, shorts and children's films—something for every filmgoer.

For filmmakers, audiences and industry professionals alike, the Mill Valley Film Festival is the perfect environment. Founded in 1978 by California Film Institute Director Mark Fishkin, the Festival is well known for the quality of its programming. It has established an impressive track record for launching new films and new filmmakers, and has earned a reputation as a filmmakers’ festival by offering a high-profile, prestigious, noncompetitive environment for celebrating the best in independent and world cinema.

Each year, the 11-day Festival sells over 40,000 tickets and welcomes more than 200 filmmakers from around the world. Festival sections include: World Cinema; US Cinema; Valley of the Docs; Children’s FilmFest; 5@5, a daily shorts program; and Active Cinema, our activist films initiative. Gala celebrations, tributes to actors and filmmakers, workshops, panels and seminars, as well as opportunities to mingle with filmmakers in the spectacular setting of the San Francisco Bay Area are just a few of the reasons Screen International named Mill Valley one of its top 10 US film festivals.

The Festival is also an important industry resource, both for its emphasis on films that have not yet secured US distribution and for fall launches and northern California Academy Award® campaigns. The Bay Area continues to be a significant market for independent and international film, and MVFF consistently provides a forum for introducing new films to West Coast audiences.

Presented by the California Film Institute, the 34th Festival will take place at the CinéArts@Sequoia and 142 Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley), Century Cinema (Corte Madera) and the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center (San Rafael).

We invite you to join us in celebrating great filmmaking!