In 1977, Mark Fishkin, Rita Cahill and Lois Cole created the Mill Valley Film Festival; the first films were at the Sequoia Theater. It ran for three days. Now, they’re running eleven days: October 5 – 15.
Despite the name, the festival spread throughout Marin County, then Berkeley and San Francisco. This year, the Mill Valley Film Festival will play at:
- Sequoia (Mill Valley)
- Rafael: (San Rafael)
- Lark (Larkspur)
- BAMPFA (Berkeley)
- Roxie (San Francisco)
- Streaming in your home
So far, I’ve watched and reviewed five films that will play at the festival. Two of the films are connected to live music events.
Here’s what I saw:
A- Farming While Black
The title suggests a documentary about banks and other institutions keeping African Americans away from getting back to the land. But that’s only a small part of this optimistic film. This very upbeat doc follows three hard-working and enthusiastic farmers who have a deep love for the earth. They, with their friends and families, work together with others to grow food. Where do they grow it? Upstate New York, Maryland, and believe it or not, the Bronx.
- Saturday, October 7, 3:00pm
- Sunday, October 15, 4:00pm
A- Mountains
I don’t know why this film is called Mountains. The terrain is entirely flat. Maybe it’s because of the rocky emotions in this Haitian immigrant family. The father works hard in a demolition gang, tearing down homes to make bigger room for rich mansions. He’s black, and his boss is somewhat racist. He has a small home and struggles with his sensible wife and a young son who wants to be a stand-up comedian. Father and son argue about almost everything. And both of them are right.
B+ The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane
These days, documentaries about aging performing artists are a dime a dozen. But Barbara Dane seems to still be having an interesting life. Her exceptional voice made her sound black (she’s white). In the ’50s, she sang jazz. In the ’70s and beyond, she sang protest. She avoided top managers and major labels, and never became rich. During the McCarthyism era, she was thrown out of the American Communist Party, but director Maureen Gosling never tells us why. I would like to know that story.
- Sequoia, Tuesday, October 10, 5:00pm
- Lark, Saturday, October 14, 3:15 pm
- Streaming, October 16 through October 22
Live music at Sweetwater Music Hall: Sweetwater Music Hall, Tuesday, October 10, 7:00pm
B+ Fast Charlie
Film Festivals usually present serious works of the cinematic arts. But Fast Charlie is simply a work of entertainment. Well, not that simple. You’ll leave the theater wondering what happened. Pierce Brosnan plays an aging hit man, knowing that he’s not going to be living much longer. When a killing goes wrong, Charlie is up to his neck. The plot involves taxidermy, men with guns, car chases, alligators, an exploding donut, and, of course, a beautiful woman much younger than him. Turn off your morals before you can enjoy this one.
B Feast Your Ears: the Story of Whfs 102.3 FM
I’m enough of a baby boomer to enjoy nostalgic 60’s rock radio. If this documentary is accurate, this is the story of WHFS 102.3 FM, a rock radio station where the disc jockeys played what they liked to hear. The film suggests that this little DC station almost changed American society – such as hiring the first woman DJ (or so the film claims). Some funny animation makes for entertaining visuals.
- Sequoia, Friday, October 13, 4:45pm
- Rafael, Saturday, October 14, 1:00 pm
- Streaming, Monday, October 16 through October 22
Live music at Sweetwater Music Hall, October 13, 2023 7:00pm
Watch out for other Mill Valley Previews.
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