For anyone who has ever attended a film festival, it is interesting to know what people find most memorable about the entire experience. Without a doubt, some film festivals carry more weight than others and some are far more enjoyable than others. Very rarely does a film festival manage to mix these two things, where it can carry a great deal of weight in the film industry and be an enjoyable process for both filmmakers and the community at the same time. However difficult this might be, the Mill Valley Film Festival, held annually in Mill Valley, California, has managed to do exactly that.
This is a film festival that has been around for quite some time. In fact, it started in 1977 and has been an annual event ever since. Developed by Mark Fishkin, the first few film festivals lasted for only three days. At the time, that was considered a real feat but today, the festival runs every year for eleven straight days. Its success alone is enough to get the attention of almost everyone, but that isn’t why it has been so successful.
In truth, this is an internationally acclaimed film festival that focuses far more on community than anything else. It isn’t one of the stuffy film festivals that so many people dread attending, but something entirely different indeed. The truth is, this is an event that has developed a true following among both filmmakers and individuals within the community. Everyone looks forward to this event each year. Better yet, it is now known for helping many filmmakers launch their careers.
Each year, the Mill Valley Film Festival focuses on foreign films as well as independent films. With that being said, it also incorporates a fair amount of films from filmmakers who are already well established. When it is all said and done, the event typically involves over 200 films from approximately 50 different countries in virtually every category you can think of. There is even a special division that is just for children’s films. Many people enjoy it because it allows filmmakers to present their work in a far more relaxed atmosphere than many of the other film festivals that are currently in existence.
Because this particular event incorporates filmmakers and the general community as one, it creates an entirely different environment than many of the other events that make many people feel excluded. One of the reasons that this particular event has been so successful throughout its history is because it has always felt all inclusive. Filmmakers look forward to coming to the event and individuals within the community look forward to supporting it. As a direct result, the event itself has been a tremendous success over the years, largely because it knows how to incorporate and include everyone involved at the same time. As such, this is a film festival that is able to successfully showcase the best films out there without developing that overly competitive nature that exists in so many other venues of the same type.
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