Ready, Fest, Go! Your Guide to Festival Weekend

Our Box Office Has Moved!
We have relocated to Festival Headquarters at Oddfellows Hall (on the corner of Kasten and Ukiah Streets in Mendocino), where we will be for the remainder of the Festival. Come visit us from 9 am to 5 pm every day through the end of the Festival and check out our new digs. Pick up tickets for your 2016 film selections while you’re here. 

Dispatches from the Field (or Vineyard)
Cinema in the Vineyards was a huge success! Packed houses, award-winning films, and great wine… What could be better? See photos from last weekend. Reserve your place at this weekend’s festivities.

Read more about the Mendocino Film Festival in Fort Bragg, Willits, and Point Arena, or follow us to stay in the loop, as we continue to share photos, videos, and news from this weekend’s events around Mendocino.

Spotlight Event: Mendocino, I Love You
Opening Night Celebration and Culinary Showcase
Friday, June 3, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Hill House
Exclusive Member Event
Our Opening Night Celebration’s reputation precedes it — and for good reason! This eagerly awaited love song to the place we call home showcases the best of Mendocino, as we welcome our wonderful guests from around the world to partake in a night of glamour. Read more. Become a Member.

Spotlight Guests: Our 2016 Culinary Celebrities

Have you met our celebrity chefs yet? We will feature 16 of Mendocino’s best and brightest culinary minds at our exclusive “Mendocino, I Love You” Opening Night Celebration on Friday. Read more. 

Spotlight on Roederer Estate
Roederer Estate builds on a 200-year tradition to blend French excellence with Mendocino-grown grapes. Since 1982, Roederer has crafted fine wines right here in Anderson Valley. We are thrilled that Roederer will be pouring their fantastic wines at our Opening Night Celebration on Friday. Roederer Estate is also the sponsor of My Golden Days. Cheers!

 

Sponsor Spotlight: Pamela Hudson Real Estate
This year, we are proud to have Pamela Hudson Real Estate as the sponsor of the film Sunset Song, as well as our “Mendocino, I Love You” Opening Night Celebration.

Pamela Hudson Real Estate makes a point to emphasize energy, ethics, and experience and prides itself on its dedication to and familiarity with the Mendocino community. As part of that commitment, Pamela Hudson Real Estate supports many local causes and nonprofits, including the Mendocino Film Festival. Thank you, Pamela, for all you do for the community!

Spotlight Film: Crossing Rachmaninoff 
US Premiere
Friday, June 3, Crown Hall, 3:00 pm
Saturday, June 4, Coast Cinemas, 10:15 am
Q&A with Flavio Villani after screening
Crossing Rachmaninoff follows pianist Flavio Villani as he prepares Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 for his first ever performance with an orchestra. In exploring Villani’s past, present, and aspirations for the future, Crossing Rachmaninoff demonstrates the power of music and the importance of accepting who we are. Read More. Watch Trailer. Purchase Tickets.

Spotlight Guest: Flavio Villani 
We’re delighted to welcome Flavio Villani, the subject of Crossing Rachmaninoff, to the Mendocino Film Festival. He is the founder of the Villani Piano Quartet, and he has performed with orchestras around the world, from Calabria to California. Flavio has earned recognition for his talent and technique as a performer, pianist, and composer and has come all the way from Auckland, New Zealand, to attend with the US premiere of the film. We look forward to showing him our famed Mendocino hospitality. Purchase Tickets.

2016 Short Films Program: Only Human
Multiple screening times and venues
If you missed our award-winning Short Films Program in Philo this weekend, you’re in luck. This Oscar-winning program screens at multiple venues this weekend, including Mendocino Village, Fort Bragg, Willits, and Point Arena.

These short films from around the world offer a heartwarming and humorous look at what unites us and what it means to be human, with all that that entails. Purchase Tickets.

Spotlight on Redwood Roofers
As the proud sponsor of our Oscar-winning 2016 Short Films Program, Redwood Roofers brings these nine films to venues throughout Mendocino. Founded in 1972, Redwood Roofers has been roofing historic and modern buildings for over 40 years, and we are proud to partner with a company that prides itself on experience, quality, and reputation. 

Rio, I Love You
Saturday, June 4, Crown Hall, 5:30 pm 
“Love happens everywhere. Some love stories only happen in Rio.” The latest in the “Cities of Love” series, Rio, I Love You takes a tour of the city through a series of vignettes from 10 visionary directors. Each short film explores a different neighborhood and a different love story; all of them celebrate the distinctive character of Rio. Learn more. Watch Trailer. Purchase Tickets.

Embrace of the Serpent
Saturday, June 4, Festival Tent, 12:30 pm
Set against the backdrop of the ravages of colonialism, this 2016 Oscar nominee depicts the unusual friendship of an Amazonian shaman (ostensibly the last of his tribe) with two foreign scientists in search of the Yakruna plant, their arrival separated by 40 years. Read more. Watch Trailer. Purchase Tickets.

Sunset Song
Friday, June 3, Matheson, 8:00 pm RUSH LINE TICKETS ONLY
Sunday, June 5, Coast Cinemas, 10:00 am PURCHASE TICKETS
In this sweeping and romantic epic based on the classic novel, a young woman experiences profound love and loss as she and her homeland struggle between tradition and change in rural Scotland in the early twentieth century. Learn more. Watch Trailer. Purchase Tickets.

Viva
Saturday, June 4, Festival Tent, 8:00 pm
A young man works as a hairdresser at a drag club in Havana, but he dreams of taking the stage as a performer. Just as he’s about to achieve his goal, his estranged father, a macho former champion boxer, re-enters his life, throwing everything into disarray. Learn more. Watch Trailer. Purchase Tickets.

Spotlight on Inn at Newport Ranch
The Inn at Newport Ranch is the proud sponsor of Our Last Tango, one of this year’s most popular programs. Providing luxury accommodations on a 2000-acre cattle ranch, the Inn at Newport Ranch offers adventure lodging that continues to earn accolades, including a spot on the Conde Nast Traveler 2016 Hot List. They promise a “breathtaking oceanfront experience,” and they more than deliver. Learn more.

Spotlight on our Program
Featuring three Oscar nomineees (two winners), three Sundance Selections, three California premieres, one US Premiere, and two world premieres, the Eleventh Annual Mendocino Film Festival program has an abundance of must-see events and films. Watch our 2016 Festival Trailer to learn more. 

Refresh your Memory
Miss last week’s news? Head to our blog for an archive of past news, as well as the latest Festival developments. Wondering where to start? Check out last week’s newsletter.

Ready, Set, Share!
Join the conversation and stay up-to-date with the latest Festival news. Connect with us on Facebook for the latest announcements, including attending filmmakers and special guests, upcoming radio interviews, film news, and more. 

Looking for an illustrated guide to this year’s films? Take a trip through our program in movie posters with our 2016 Poster Art album.