Author: PFACinema

PLEASE HOLD wins BEST OF FEST

May 9, 2022 blog, homepage, Uncategorized disabled comments

Film Fest Petaluma is pleased to announce that the “Best of Fest” audience favorite goes to K.D. Dávila’s social justice comedy Please Hold. The runner-up was Álvaro Carmona’s The Treatment from Spain. Other notable audience favorites included Pablo Polledri’s animated satire Loop, the UK comedy Don vs. Lightning, the Chilean sci-fi fable Teo, and the Santa Rosa-based comedy #RELATIONSHIPGOALS by local filmmakers Jared Wright and Eric Ivey.

Film Fest Petaluma offers a huge thanks to all our patrons, sponsors, crew, volunteers, and guest filmmakers who made our 14th festival a success. We look forward to seeing you at the movies! 

Film Fest Petaluma returns to the Mystic Theatre Saturday, April 30

April 16, 2022 homepage disabled comments


Thirty-five animated and live-action shorts will be presented at the 14th Film Fest Petaluma on Saturday, April 30, 2022, at the historic Mystic Theatre.  Directors from North and South America as well as Europe will be in attendance and offering Q & As at the conclusion of each screening. 

Programs are offered at 12pm, 3pm, 7pm, and 10pm, with the late show offering edgier fare. The festival, which features films from more than a dozen countries, showcases both Sonoma County talent as well as Oscar nominees and Sundance prizewinners.

Guest filmmakers include 2022 Oscar nominee KD Dávila whose short Please Hold earned an Oscar nomination this year; Swedish filmmaker Jerry Carlsson who has two shorts in the program: The Night Train and Successful Thawing of Mr. Moro; and the Chilean filmmaking team Eduardo Bunster & Belén Abarza who will be presenting their cautionary sci-fi fable, Teo. Local director Ally May will present her Petaluma-shot film, The Last Picture, and Santa Rosa-based filmmakers Jaric & Jared Wright and Eric Ivey will present #RELATIONSHIPGOALS.

Five Sonoma County student filmmakers will sit alongside international guests on all four post-screening discussions. Casa Grande High School student Sabrina Bomberg will present her animated short Made of Memories. Three SRJC students will also take the stage: Andrew Carniglia with A Period in Time; Matty Denison with Night of a Witch; and Rik van Hoorn with Lost and Found. Rounding out the group is SRJC alum Andrew Wynkoop with the horror short,The Nightmare Experiment. Emma Williams, also an SRJC student, was selected as the festival’s student screenplay winner and will see her script produced and exhibited this month under the direction of this year’s artist-in-residence, filmmaker Fabio Frey, who is presenting his newest feature My Dead Dad on April 13th at the Cinema Series.

All-day passes are $35. Tickets for individual shows range from $10-$15 and are available at Petalumafilmalliance.org and McNear’s Restaurant (next to the Mystic). Programs are recommended for 14 and over (17 for the late show).

Petaluma Cinema Series announces its Spring Season

March 19, 2022 Uncategorized disabled comments

SRJC Petaluma re-opens its public Cinema Series after a two-year hiatus with celebrated films and industry guests.

“We’re excited to once again be hosting community conversations around cinema and film education,” says SRJC film instructor and program coordinator Mike Traina. “The Carole L. Ellis Auditorium is a beautiful theater that was upgraded to 4K projection the day the pandemic began. We’ve selected a series of visually stunning films to show it off to the public.” 

The abridged spring season will feature six films accompanied by filmmakers and expert panelists. Rickshaw Girl, an English-language drama shot in Bangladesh and produced by Penngrove resident and SRJC screenwriting instructor Eric Adams will open the series. It’s followed by My Dead Dad, an independent coming-of-age story slated for release later this summer. Both filmmakers will be present at the screenings. “There’s nothing better than having filmmakers join us for conversations on their work,” says Traina. “It affords our audience the opportunity to engage directly with content creators.”

The series also features the Chinese/Mongolian drama Anima and the Mexico/USA co-production I Carry You With Me. Each film will be accompanied by guest panelists offering insight on the work. On May 4 (Star Wars Day), the series will screen Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, widely considered the best film in the franchise. The season closes with Wes Anderson’s stop motion classic The Fantastic Mr. Fox. SRJC Veterinary Tech instructor Dan Famini will host a live animal meet-and-greet with a menagerie of residents from the Sonoma Sloth House prior to the screening. 

Screenings are hosted in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the Petaluma Campus of Santa Rosa Junior College every Wednesday night at 7pm. Guests are invited to attend an optional pre-film program at 6pm to learn more about each film’s production history and issues that are raised within the film. Visit PetalumaFilmAlliance.org for schedule details and additional information.

THE ELEVEN O’CLOCK wins BEST OF FEST

May 8, 2018 blog, Uncategorized no comments

Film Fest Petaluma is pleased to announce that the “Best of Fest” audience favorite goes to Derin Seale’s Australian comedy The Eleven O’Clock. The runner-up was Sébastien Maitre’s Get Up Kinshasa! from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Other notable audience favorites included Alain Delannoy’s animated documentary The Talk: True Stories About the Birds and the Bees, Vincent Gallagher’s stop motion animation Second to None, the experimental horror pic Great Choice, and the live action dramas It’s Just a Gun, Dust, and DeKalb Elementary.

Film Fest Petaluma offers a huge thanks to all our patrons, sponsors, crew, volunteers, and guest filmmakers who made our tenth anniversary festival such a success. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

MADAM BLACK wins BEST OF FEST Audience Favorite

May 11, 2017 blog, Uncategorized no comments

Film Fest Petaluma is pleased to announce that the “Best of Fest” audience favorite goes to Ivan Barge’s New Zealand comedy Madam Black. The top films this year were separated by a razor-thin margin of less than a hundredth of a point. The runner-up was Marc Wilkins’ powerful refugee drama Bon Voyage. Other notable front runners included John Fortson’s US comedy Rated, Alejandro Damiani’s political comedy MAMON, and Craig Foster’s horror/comedy Overtime. Animated favorites included Michael Cusack’s stop motion drama After All and the Spanish comedy Darrel. The favorite documentary was Lucas Schrank’s Nowhere Line: Voices from Manus Island.

The festival offers a huge thanks to all our patrons, sponsors, crew, volunteers, and guest filmmakers who made this year’s event such a success. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

A World of Shorts at the Mystic Theatre

April 23, 2017 blog no comments

Thirty five films from six continents will offer film lovers a taste of global cinema at the ninth annual Film Fest Petaluma on Saturday, May 6, 2017 at the historic Mystic Theatre in downtown Petaluma.

The day long fest will give visitors a sampling of award-winning shorts from prestigious international festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Venice, and Tribeca. After reviewing more than a thousand films, final selections were made representing more than 20 countries including France, Germany, Spain, UK, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Ethiopia, Nepal, Malaysia, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, and New Zealand among others.

Four different collections of shorts will screen at 12:00pm, 3:00pm, 7:30pm, and 10:30pm with the late show offering edgier fare. Programs are recommended for 14 and over (17 for the late show).

Each of the four programs offers a variety of animation, live action, and documentary content as well as a discussion with some of the filmmakers. Directors, actors, and crew from Europe, the Middle East, South America, and across the US will be in attendance at the event.

Seven Sonoma County student filmmakers from SRJC, Santa Rosa High School, and Sonoma State University, who were selected from the Sonoma County Student Film Festival held earlier this month, will sit alongside international guests on all four post-screening discussions.

All-day passes may be purchased for $30. Tickets for individual shows range from $10-$15 and will be available at McNear’s Restaurant, Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, or online through the Petaluma Film Alliance and Mystic Theatre websites.

BEAR STORY wins BEST OF FEST Audience Favorite!

May 16, 2016 blog no comments

Film Fest Petaluma is very pleased to announce that the “Best of Fest” Audience Favorite goes to Gabriel Osorio and Antonia Herrera’s Oscar-winning animated short BEAR STORY! Top ranked shorts on other programs included Dan Hodgson’s UK comedy LOVE IS BLIND and the French animated shorts HE WHO HAS TWO SOULS and CARAPACE.

A big thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s festival the best yet! We’ll see you at the movies!
Bear-Story-1

Film Fest Petaluma Celebrates Short Cinema with the 2016 Oscar Winners

April 14, 2016 blog, Uncategorized no comments

Thirty-eight short films from more than fifteen countries will be on display at the 8th annual Film Fest Petaluma on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at the historic Mystic Theatre in downtown Petaluma. More than a dozen directors have already confirmed attendance at the event including the creators of Bear Story, Gabriel Osorio and Antonia Herrera, the Chilean animation team that won this year’s Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

The day long fest will give visitors a sampling of award-winning shorts from prestigious festivals around the globe including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance. Each of the four programs offer a variety of animation, live action, and documentary content as well as a discussion with the filmmakers. Other confirmed guests include Dive director Matthew Saville from New Zealand, director and choreographer Cylan Shaffer (Pride & Gluttony), actress and filmmaker Johanna Watts (Career Girl), Skinner Myers (Land of Exodus), and Bay Area filmmakers Conner Bell (Chop), and Phil Lorin & Kiel Murray (Green Thumb).

Domestic and international guests will sit alongside four student filmmakers selected from the Sonoma County Student Film Festival on April 1st whose work will also be on display. Featured students include Miles Levin (The Berninator), Rita Amador (La Liberte), Ian Powell (Impressive Stacks), and Luc Londe (Or).

Programs take place at 12:00pm, 3:00pm, 7:30pm, and 10:30pm. Additional events hosted by Santa Rosa Junior College in the days preceding the fest may be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for the fest range from $10-$15 and are available at McNear’s Restaurant, Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, or online through the Petaluma Film Alliance and Mystic Theatre websites. All-day passes may be purchased for $30. Programs are recommended for 15 and over (17 for the late show which features edgier fare).

Visit FilmFestPetaluma.com for the complete film schedule and ticket information.

Cinema Series opens with Oscar frontrunners

January 23, 2015 blog, Uncategorized no comments

On Wednesday, January 28th, the Petaluma Cinema Series opens its spring season with The Grand Budapest Hotel kicking off another great line-up of Oscar nominees, international classics, independent films, and guest filmmakers.

The new season will feature seven films from 2014 including this year’s Best Picture nominees Boyhood, Birdman, and The Grand Budapest Hotel as well as Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin and Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Only Lovers Left Alive. Director Jen McGowan will join us in conversation February 11th to present her debut feature Kelly & Cal starring Juliette Lewis and co-directors Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden will join us March 25th with their brand new documentary, Almost There.

The season is rounded out with William Wyler’s 1961 drama The Children’s Hour, Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction, Alexander Payne’s high school comedy Election, and Performance starring Mick Jagger as well as the international classics Hero, Salaam Bombay!, The Celebration, and Bagdad Cafe.

Screenings are hosted in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the Petaluma Campus of Santa Rosa Junior College every Wednesday at 7pm (Boyhood and Pulp Fiction begin at 6:30pm). Guests are invited to attend an optional pre-film lecture at 6pm. Visit www.PetalumaFilmAlliance.org for schedule details and film trailers.

Get your tickets for Film Fest Petaluma

April 12, 2014 blog, Uncategorized no comments

Film Fest Petaluma returns for its sixth annual festival of short films on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at the historic Mystic Theatre in downtown Petaluma.

Programs feature a broad mix of animated, live action, and documentary shorts as well as a blend of comedy and drama. Shows run at 2:30pm, 7:30pm, and 10:30pm. Each session will host filmmakers in conversation including several Sonoma County students.

The festival features films from the US, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Iran, Cambodia, New Zealand, and Australia. Highlights include Ali Asgari’s Iranian drama More Than Two Hours which screened in competition at the recent Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals, Wild Horses, winner of the Jury Prize for Best Live Action Short at the 2013 Palm Springs International Shortfest, and the Australian stop motion stunner Sleight of Hand, winner of Best Animated Short at the New York and Santa Barbara International Film Festivals. All three directors are expected to attend. Forestville resident Steve Tucker will also be presenting his mini-doc Michael Garlington: Built to Burn on the Petaluma artist’s recent creation for the Burning Man Festival.

The work of four Sonoma County student filmmakers will also be showcased throughout the day including The Promise by Sophia Wasteneys from Summerfield Waldorf High School in Santa Rosa, Ten Grahams by SRJC student Miles Levin, and Bleeding Black by SRJC students Ariana Victor and Joey Emmons. Top films from SRJC’s Associated Students Film Festival on April 4th were invited to screen at the downtown event.

Tickets for the Fest are available at McNear’s Restaurant, Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, or online through the Petaluma Film Alliance and Mystic Theatre websites. Tickets range from $10-$15. All-day passes are available for $25. Programs are recommended for 15 and over.

Visit FilmFestPetaluma.com for the complete film schedule and ticket information.

Day For Night opens Season 10

January 25, 2014 blog, Uncategorized no comments

The new Spring Cinema Series features a kaleidoscope of rarely-screened international gems, brand-new award-winning documentaries with directors in conversation, Hollywood classics, and some of this year’s top Oscar contenders.

Join us Wednesday nights from January 29th through May 14th as we celebrate our tenth season of films. We open this week with Francois Truffaut’s Day For Night, a humorous and loving homage to the triumphs and perils of the motion picture industry, Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film of 1973.

Check out our new season here.

Film Fest Petaluma – Directors Tour 2012

May 19, 2012 blog, Director Insights/Interviews, Film Festivals, Local Film Events no comments

Here are some highlights from our 2012 directors tour we held before the festival…

A big thank you to all the businesses who took the time to give us an inside perspective on how they
provide a unique service to our town.

Lagunitas Brewing Company
Della Fattoria
Terra Firma Farms
Petaluma Historical Museum
Sonoma Valley Portworks
The Tea Room provided our delicious lunch!