Alexander Valley Film Festival

Schedule of Events:

10:00 AM: Shorter Is Still Better

Join us for another eclectic collection of bite-sized stories about characters facing difficult decisions.

Filmmakers will be in conversation at the screening.

Included Shorts

CRARYLAKE BOATS AND FLOATS (9min) 
A DAY IN FEBRUARY (7min) 
PIG (8min) 
CLOSING DYNASTY (17min) 
VOICE EVER (15min) 
MOVEMENT (8min) 
THE MASTERPIECE (20min)
ALL TIED UP (6min)

Location: Longboard

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12:30 PM: Riley

SNEAK PREVIEW! Ambitious high school athlete Dakota Riley has spent years living within carefully designed boundaries and orchestrating a future in college football. But all of that begins to unravel when he witnesses some campus bullying and starts to question his sexual identity. Featuring a break-out performance by Jake Holley and an impressive supporting cast, Riley is a contemplative coming-of-age film that evokes the anguish of one’s teenage years. Eschewing standard cliches, first-time feature director Benjamin Howard presents a nuanced examination of the murky but impenetrable line between queer love and fraternal brotherhood that breaks down common stereotypes and encourages us to live life as our most authentic selves.

Director Benjamin Howard will be in conversation at the screening.

Location: Longboard

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3:30 PM: Dandelion

2021 AVFest Audience Award Winner Nicole Riegel (Holler) returns to the festival with her sophomore feature about Dandelion, a Cincinnati-based singer-songwriter struggling to make ends meet. After reluctantly agreeing to compete in a Battle of the Bands competition in South Dakota, Dandelion encounters Casey, a drifter and musician with whom she quickly falls in love. Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) showcases extraordinary musicianship in the lead role as does real-life Scottish singer Thomas Doherty who plays Casey in what becomes a masterclass in the creative process. Melodically meditative and visually sumptuous, Riegel tells the story impressionistically as we root for Dandelion to discover a voice that is authentically her own.

Director Nicole Riegel and lead actor Kiki Layne will be in conversation at the screening.

Location: Longboard

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6:00 PM: The J.E.D.I. Award - Terrestrial Verses

Join us as AVFilm presents the J.E.D.I. Award to filmmaker Alireza Khatami for crafting a bold, brave, and biting social satire about everyday citizens struggling for justice and equal treatment under the law.

6:00PM - Dinner & mixer
7:00PM - Feature film at Longboard Vineyards

Dinner, wine, and the screening are included in the ticket price. This event is included in PLATINUM & CLOSING WEEKEND PASSES.

FILM SYNOPSIS:

Shot in secret in Tehran, Terrestrial Verses exposes the plight of everyday Iranians as they struggle to navigate the sometimes absurd restraints placed upon them by religious and governmental institutions. Poetically structured in a series of stirring vignettes that are both humorous and affecting, the film captures the spirit and determination of a citizenry yearning for social change. Its radical form also invites the viewer to reflect on the burgeoning tension that fills the space between social repression and righteous indignation. Even making this film is an act of social resistance in Iran that risks consequences for filmmakers Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami.

The J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Award is a jury prize awarded to a film that rights a wrong, corrects revisionist history, or brings a new or underrepresented perspective; amplifies a traditionally marginalized community or is made by women, nonbinary, and/or BIPOC artists; and deals with themes of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion/belonging.

Location: Longboard

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9:15 PM: Werewolf Serenade

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT! When the Chair of the Parapsychology Department at the Freestone School of the Arts goes missing, burnt-out film professor Peter MacTire is asked to step in and complete his generously endowed research project. With the school’s fate on the line, MacTire accepts, not knowing the task will bring him face-to-face with an evil occultist and transform his life forever. Petaluma filmmaker and renaissance man Daedalus Howell stars as Peter in this cleverly written B-movie horror opus full of werewolf lore and double entendre. Shot at recognizable locations throughout the city, this over-the-top action comedy will have you cheering for its bumbling protagonist as he struggles to foil a nefarious plot that will save the college and his marriage.

Director Daedalus Howell will be in conversation at the screening.

Location: Longboard

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