Alexander Valley Film Festival

Schedule of Events:

10:00 AM: Tuesday

Croatian writer-director Daina Oniunas-Pusiç reaches for the stars in her ambitious allegory about Zora (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a grieving mother struggling with the imminent death of her terminally-ill daughter Tuesday (Lola Petticrew). When the grim reaper shows up as a giant shape-shifting macaw, the two do all they can to prolong the inevitable in this fantastical and wholly unexpected fairy tale about the echoes of loss and finding resilience in the unexpected. Featuring stunning VFX and a brave, if not ferocious, performance from Louis-Dreyfus in a dramatic turn, Tuesday examines the ways we cope with death in new and previously unseen ways.

Location: Longboard

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12:30 PM: A Normal Family

Two brothers’ families collide in this wily urban tale of privilege, nepotism, and moral decline. Jae-wan is a successful defense attorney whose work is frequently at odds with the ethos of Jae-gyu, his pediatrician brother. Punctuated by monthly fine dining meet-ups between the brothers and their wives, secrets are revealed, alliances betrayed, and consciences tested as their families become increasingly entangled in unexpected ways. Based on the celebrated Dutch novel The Dinner by Herman Koch, A Normal Family is exquisitely shot and features impeccable performances from its multi-generational cast. It invites us to reflect on what we’re willing to sacrifice to protect the ones we love.

Location: Longboard

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3:00 PM: Robot Dreams

Few films evoke as much pure joy as Pablo Berger’s Oscar-nominated Robot Dreams, winner of Best Film at the prestigious International Festival of Animation in Annecy, France. This wordless wonder follows Dog, a lonely Manhattanite who decides to build himself a companion, Robot. The two quickly become inseparable until one fateful day at the beach that puts their commitment to the test. Set in New York in the 1980s with a toe-tapping soundtrack, this sweet and charming buddy film slowly uncovers universal truths about the precious and sometimes transitory nature of genuine friendship that just might leave a lump in your throat. A marvel to watch, Robot Dreams is visual storytelling at its finest.

Location: Longboard

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5:00 PM: Student Film Competition And Healdsburg Block Party

Come support local student filmmakers and celebrate 10 years of student works of art, AVFilm, and community building through cinema with a Block Party on Center Street in Healdsburg!

Local students will be in conversation at the screening.

5:00PM - Students walk the Red Carpet
5:30PM - Student Film Competition
6:00PM - Healdsburg Block Party
8:00PM - Screening of BLUE GIANT - separate reservation required, click here.

Event is FREE to the community. Food and drink tickets will be for sale. VIP Block Party Passes include reserved seating for the Student Film Competition AND the 8:00 PM screening of BLUE GIANT plus two drink tickets and a meal voucher for the Healdsburg Block Party. VIP Block Party Pass is included in PLATINUM & CLOSING WEEKEND PASSES.

EVENT SYNOPSIS:

The Student Film Competition is an annual event that encourages students from across Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino Counties to practice their storytelling skills. Students work in and outside of classrooms to produce their own short films, which are then entered into our competition. This event will screen the finalists selected from dozens of films in each category for middle school, high school, and college students.

Location: The Raven Performing Arts Theater

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6:00 PM: Healdsburg Block Party

Celebrate 10 years of student works of art, AVFilm, and community building through cinema with a Block Party on Center Street in Healdsburg!

EVENT SYNOPSIS:

Join us as we fill Center Street with live music, food, and local wines.

Location: City of Healdsburg

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8:00 PM: Blue Giant

When Dai Miyamoto discovers jazz, his world is turned upside down. Committed to becoming one of the greatest saxophonists of all time, he moves to Tokyo and forms a band with Yukinori, a talented and formally trained pianist, in search of their big break. But getting an invitation to perform in the city’s top jazz club proves harder than anticipated in this crowd-pleasing exploration of the creative process by Japanese animator Tachikawa Yuzuru. Adapted from the award-winning manga of the same name, Blue Giant is a spirited, intimate, and delightfully chaotic story of self-discovery, friendship, and the commitment it takes to make it to the top. Featuring breathtaking animation and a knockout score, the film is an inspired visual and aural ode to the artistry of jazz that resonates like a perfectly improvised note.

Location: The Raven Performing Arts Theater

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