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MVFF T u r n i n g 3 0 Spotlight on Terry George in the naMe oF JustiCe By Michael Fox Irish writer-director Terry George has a singular gift for weaving moral dilemmas into intensely emotional sagas. More than most contemporary screenwriters and directors, George’s themes are rooted in the real-world circumstances that defined his childhood. Growing up in belfast in the ’50s and ’60s, he learned the importance of personal responsibility as well as the consequences of violence. When he began writing screenplays, it was only natural that his focus HotEL rWanDa was “the troubles.” The trio of films he made with Jim Sheridan, in the name of the Father (which garnered the co-writers an Academy Award ® nomination), some Mother’s son (marking George’s directing debut; MVFF 1996) and the Boxer, rank among the most memorable movies of the ’90s. The Irish trilogy established George as a master of shaping real-life drama to the contours of a movie screen—or, more accurately, he pulled and stretched the screen to accommodate the complicated, unwieldy nuances of true stories. With the acutely shattering Hotel rwanda, George deftly moved beyond the borders of his native land, earning a second Oscar nod for his screenplay, which movingly contrasted one man’s courage with international indifference. but Hotel rwanda was not as great a stretch as one might imagine, he told an interviewer: “I had a particular knowledge of sectarian division and how that’s manipulated, the fear that’s injected into ordinary people from the threat of the ‘other side.’ It’s a millionfold the story of Northern Ireland, but the root of it is still the same: divide and conquer, create a sense of fear that the other person is going to rob you of your property and possibly your life.” The director takes another leap with reservation road, his first film set in this country. It is also a departure from his earlier 50 2007 MVFF TICKETS | 877.874.MVFF (6833) work in that it is adapted from a novel, by John burnham Schwartz. but the film is in the same vein as George’s previous dramas, continuing his obsession with individuals who stubbornly refuse to accept societal, institutional or governmental injustice. Terry George’s movies always have a hero, though he or she is assuredly not a superhero. His protagonists are simply ordinary people who are compelled beyond all logic and reasonableness to do the right thing. soME MotHEr’s son George segues from history to fiction with reservation road, and one expects (and we hope) he will move between the two in the future. While the lure of true stories is irresistible for most filmmakers, George brings them to the screen with an integrity and seriousness of purpose that is precious and rare. It is a responsibility that he embraces wholeheartedly. “It’s like the distillation of wine into brandy, almost; you take the facts and you compress them together to give an emotional experience, a flavor and a taste of what went on, for an audience. That, for me, becomes the challenge. I do feel a big obligation to history because, for better or worse, feature film has become the main source of in-depth information about big events.” Michael Fox is a critic and journalist, and curator and host of the Friday night CinemaLit film series at the Mechanics’ institute in san Francisco. seleCted FilMography Writer-director: reservation road (2007) Hotel rwanda (2004) a Bright shining Lie (TV) (1998) some Mother’s son (1996) Writer: Hart’s War (2002) the Boxer (1997) in the name of the Father (1993)
EsErVation roaD spotlight on terry george Wednesday October 10, 7:00 pm Christopher b. Smith rafael Film Center reception to follow at Frantoio ristorante SPOTlIGHT ANd reCePTION $75 SPOT10P SPOTlIGHT ONly $25 SPOT10r reservation road | uS 2007 102 MINS Director Terry George Producers Nick Wechsler, A. kitman Ho Screenwriters John burnham Schwartz, Terry George Cinematographer John lindley Editor Naomi Geraghty Cast Joaquin Phoenix, Mark ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, Mira Sorvino, elle Fanning Print Source Focus Features invited guests: Mark ruffalo, Mira sorvino A car accident is a tragic occurrence, but an accident nonetheless. A hit-and-run is another matter entirely: The accident is just the beginning, the ending shaped by a human response with immeasurable consequences. In this powerful film version of John burnham Schwartz’s heartrending novel by director Terry George (Hotel rwanda; some Mother’s son, MVFF 1996), two fathers end up on their own collision course after a dark night on a winding Connecticut road. desperately seeking justice and retribution, ethan (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes obsessed with near-vigilante efforts to solve a case the police can’t, while divorced dad dwight (Mark ruffalo) struggles to do the right thing and still sustain a relationship with his son. The stellar cast (including Jennifer Connelly as ethan’s wife and Mira Sorvino as dwight’s ex) delivers phenomenal performances, as grief and rage clash with guilt and fear, in a dramatic battle of wills and combustible reactions. —Joanne Parsont online | mvff.com The evening’s Spotlight program features an onstage conversation between Terry George and Festival director Mark Fishkin, a screening of reservation road and the presentation of the MVFF Award.* Following the program, we return to one of our favorite party venues, Frantoio ristorante in Mill Valley, for a lovely dinner complemented by wines from silver oak and twomey Cellars. sponsored by *See page 41 for more information about the Mill Valley Film Festival Award. 51
Page 1 and 2: COVER DESIGN: MINE TM | WWW.MINESF.
Page 3 and 4: Contents 3 | Director’s Note Mayo
Page 5 and 6: MAJOr SPONSOrS MAJOr FOuNDATION AND
Page 7 and 8: PrODuCTS AND SErVICES PrOMOTIONAL P
Page 9 and 10: California Film Institute • Prese
Page 11 and 12: In Memoriam Great Masters, PassinG
Page 13 and 14: Opening Night In honor of the Festi
Page 15 and 16: Closing Night Join us as we say far
Page 17 and 18: liVe PerForManCes at 142 Throckmort
Page 19 and 20: MVFF T u r n i n g 3 0 Children’s
Page 21 and 22: California Film Institute Education
Page 23 and 24: Tribute to Ang Lee Lust, Caution tr
Page 25: the west. [but to] tell a story . .
Page 29 and 30: MarGot at tHE WEDDinG spotlight on
Page 31 and 32: MVFF T u r n i n g 3 0 returned for
Page 33 and 34: Feature the CaMera and the spoon in
Page 35 and 36: Film Categories WorLd cinema Whethe
Page 37 and 38: 5@5: There Is a War TOTAL PROGRAM 8
Page 39 and 40: Autism: The Musical US 2007 94 MINS
Page 41 and 42: Caramel LebANON/FRANce 2007 95 MINS
Page 43 and 44: Crossing the Dust (Parinawa la Ghob
Page 45 and 46: Drained (O Cheiro do ralo) bRAzIL 2
Page 47 and 48: Grace Is Gone US 2006 92 MINS Tuesd
Page 49 and 50: Irina Palm beLGIUM/LUxeMbOURG/UK/Ge
Page 51 and 52: Knee Deep US 2007 81 MINS Saturday,
Page 53 and 54: Margot at the Wedding US 2007 93 MI
Page 55 and 56: The Paper Will Be Blue (Hîrtia va
Page 57 and 58: Que Viva la Lucha (Wrestling in Tij
Page 59 and 60: The Secrets ISRAeL/FRANce 2006 120
Page 61 and 62: Tooned to Murder: Daring Duels and
Page 63 and 64: Welcome to Nollywood US 2007 57 MIN
Page 65 and 66: online | mvff.com 111
Page 67 and 68: Film Calendar sunday october 7 mond
Page 69 and 70: us cinema WorlD cinema ValleY of th
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Page 75 and 76: ASSOCIATE Alex Aal, Theresa Abad, B
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Monique Epstein, Judith D. Ets-Hoki
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Print Sources Garlic Boy Stretch Fi
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The * symbol following a film title
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Kuenne, Kurt Validation . . . . . .
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# a b c tItle Index 5 Cents a Peek
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