Schedule of Events:

Friday, April 26, 2024

1:30 PM: Green Border

Master filmmaker Agnieszka Holland turns her lens to the refugee crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border in her straight-shooting and soul-shattering drama Green Border. Beautifully crafted in stunning black and white, the film follows a group of African and Middle Eastern migrants traveling through the swampy forests of Belarus as they attempt to enter the European Union. Their journey is harrowing, and just when we feel as trapped, desperate, and repeatedly victimized as the refugees, the lens changes to the point-of-view of the border guards, and then to a group of Polish citizens trying to ensure that all people are provided with basic human rights. Holland's film is a poignant and essential clarion call that opens our eyes and pulls at our heartstrings, challenging viewers to reflect on the moral choices that ordinary people make every day.

Location: Cloverdale Performing Arts Center

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5:00 PM: Opening Night - Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

Kick off the Festival with a darling, angsty teen comedy sure to set the tone for the week. Meet the director and stars whose sweet chemistry "takes a bite" out of everything you thought you knew about vampires. After the film, celebrate 10 years of AVFest in Northern Sonoma County with a Block Party on the Boulevard!

Writer/Director Ariane Louis-Seize and lead actors Sara Montpetit and Félix-Antoine Bénard will be in conversation at the screening.

5:00PM - Feature film at Cloverdale Performing Arts Center
7:00PM - Cloverdale Block Party

Dinner, drink tickets, and the screening are included in the ticket price. This event is included in PLATINUM & OPENING WEEKEND PASSES.

FILM SYNOPSIS:

Just as the twisty title suggests, first-time feature director Ariane Louis-Seize surprises us at every turn with her hugely entertaining and exquisitely designed genre mash-up about Sasha, a young female vampire whose primal instincts aren’t developing as expected. When her frustrated parents decide to nudge her out of the nest hoping she’ll land on her feet, she encounters Paul, a young boy who might be the solution to her problems. Packed with humor and pathos from the opening scene, this rom-com/coming-of-age/horror comedy is ultimately a heartfelt journey about two lost and lonely souls finding each other in a big crazy world. Picking up more than a dozen Audience Awards at festivals around the globe, including four prizes at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is a charming crowd-pleaser not to be missed.

Location: Cloverdale Performing Arts Center

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6:00 PM: Cloverdale Block Party

Celebrate 10 years of AVFest in Northern Sonoma County with a Block Party on Cloverdale Boulevard!

Event is FREE to the community. Food and drink tickets will be for sale. Two drinks tickets and a meal voucher at one of our many food vendors are included in PLATINUM & OPENING WEEKEND PASSES.

EVENT SYNOPSIS:

Join us as we fill the Boulevard with live music, food, and local wines. If you want to add a ticket to our Opening Night film at the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center, which includes drink and food tickets, click here.

Location: City of Cloverdale

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8:30 PM: Late Night Shorts

An edgier collection of stories for a midnight audience at 8:30PM.

Filmmakers will be in conversation at the screening.

Included Shorts

FLAIL (13min)
& YET HERE WE ARE... (5min)
MONOCHROME (14min)
SPYSLUTS (10min)
NO BEDROOM (12min)
THE LAST BRUNCH (12min)
BUG DINER (7min)
ROOM FOR ONE MORE (7min) 
LA PURSÉ (9min)

Location: Cloverdale Performing Arts Center

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Saturday, April 27, 2024

10:30 AM: Chronicles of A Wandering Saint

In a tiny rural village in Argentina, Rita Lopez, a pious yet insatiably competitive woman, decides that staging a miracle could be her ticket to sainthood. But the plan she concocts soon goes awry when a jarring turn of events forces her to reevaluate everything she once took for granted. Mónica Villa shines in the principal role as she embarks on a spiritual vision quest that ultimately illuminates her destiny. Embracing the Latin American traditions of Catholicism and Magical Realism, Chronicles of a Wandering Saint is a clever, surprising, and idiosyncratic fable that you won’t soon forget.

Location: Longboard

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1:00 PM: To Die Alone

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT! Irving, a woman with a troubled past, sets out on the Pacific Coast Trail with the hope of renewing her downtrodden spirit. Along the way she’s joined by Ford, an avid outdoorsman and EMT, who offers to help her navigate a few unexpected diversions on their route. But mother nature proves to be a mercurial mistress and a tragic swimming accident jeopardizes their ability to proceed. With everything on the line, the two must decide whether to split up or face potentially deadly consequences. Sonoma County-raised filmmaker Austin Smagalski offers up an intricately structured screenplay, captivating performances, and breathtaking scenery of the Pacific Northwest in this allegorical thriller of a woman in search of redemption.

Location: Longboard

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3:30 PM: Goodbye Julia

Plagued with guilt after an unintentional accident, Mona, a retired Sudanese singer struggles to make amends by offering employment to a victim of her crime. But keeping secrets proves harder than expected as she navigates a tense marriage and new witnesses come to bear. Set against the backdrop of political unrest in Sudan, Goodbye Julia is a gorgeously-crafted and gut-wrenching tale of friendship, betrayal, and atonement for one’s sins. Part thriller, part domestic drama, the film functions as a morality play laden with themes intrinsic to the African continent but universal enough to capture our sympathies with deep emotional resonance. Winner of the Freedom Prize in Un Certain Regard at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Location: Longboard

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6:00 PM: Neighbor Night – Common Ground

Neighbor Night is for family-style dinner, film, and conversation! COMMON GROUND makes a case for regenerative farming that's sure to keep you talking for the rest of the festival.

Filmmakers and guests are expected to be in conversation at the screening.

6:00PM - Reception
6:30PM - Dinner
7:15PM - Film

Dinner, local wines, and the screening are included in the ticket price. This event is included in PLATINUM & OPENING WEEKEND PASSES.

FILM SYNOPSIS:

Fusing journalistic exposé and deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the Regenerative Movement, Common Ground exposes the money, power, and politics behind our broken food system and demonstrates how soil health is the key to bringing our failing ecosystem back to life. Featuring commentary from Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Rosario Dawson, Ian Somerhalder, and Woody Harrelson, the film takes a hopeful and solution-oriented approach to how we can balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize the economy with a common sense application to regenerative agriculture.

Location: Alexander Valley Hall

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Sunday, April 28, 2024

10:30 AM: Possibilities

Introducing us to a diverse cross-section of modern-day individuals living with vision loss, Bill Sarine’s brand-new documentary, Possibilities, breaks down common misperceptions and introduces audiences to new technologies and strategies designed to help the visually impaired navigate a world built for the sighted. With a prologue that pays tribute to Helen Keller's life and legacy, the film takes a deep dive into blind culture and the lessons we can learn from this diverse, problem-solving population. Produced by the American Foundation for the Blind, the film features open audio description, making it not only accessible but essential viewing for general audiences.

Director Bill Sarine is expected to be in conversation at the screening.

Location: Longboard

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1:30 PM: Shorter Is Better

Join us for an eclectic collection of mixed-genre shorts about healing and overcoming long odds.

Filmmakers will be in conversation at the screening.

Included Shorts

WRITTEN IN THE STARS (15min) 
THE BIRD RESCUE CENTER (13min)
GROUP C (17min)
HUNKY DORY (6min)
BOB'S FUNERAL (19min)
TENNIS, ORANGES (11min)
DONKEY (16min)

Location: Longboard

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4:00 PM: Humanist Vampire

Just as the twisty title suggests, first-time feature director Ariane Louis-Seize surprises us at every turn with her hugely entertaining and exquisitely designed genre mash-up about Sasha, a young female vampire whose primal instincts aren’t developing as expected. When her frustrated parents decide to nudge her out of the nest hoping she’ll land on her feet, she encounters Paul, a young boy who might be the solution to her problems. Packed with humor and pathos from the opening scene, this rom-com/coming-of-age/horror comedy is ultimately a heartfelt journey about two lost and lonely souls finding each other in a big crazy world. Picking up more than a dozen Audience Awards at festivals around the globe, including four prizes at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is a charming crowd-pleaser not to be missed.

Location: Longboard

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6:30 PM: World Shorts Showcase

A compilation of creative cinema from around the globe with storytellers in attendance. The event includes a glass of Longboard Vineyard's finest!

Filmmakers will be in conversation at the screening.

Included Shorts

DANNY (10min) 
SLOW LIGHT (11min) 
WILDMEN OF THE GREATER TORONTO AREA (12min) 
WE HAVE HOMELAND (21min) 
THEN COMES THE BODY (14min) 
SPRING ROLL DREAM (9min) 
YELLOW (13min) 
NOODLES FOREVER (12min) 

Location: Longboard

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Monday, April 29, 2024

5:30 PM: The Grab and Afterparty

Our programming team has been chasing this doc since we saw it at TIFF two years ago.  And now you get a chance to see it with AVFest and Little Saint before its release this summer! Following the screening, Producer Jeff Ubben (Little Saint) will sit down with Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite to catch up on the film and any developments from the investigation. After their chat, head to Little Saint for an Afterparty with the filmmakers and AVFest crew. Book dinner reservations with the Little Saint team in advance by clicking here.

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite and Producer Jeff Ubben will be in conversation at the screening.

5:30PM - Film
8:00PM - Afterparty at Little Saint

Screening and one Afterparty cocktail at Little Saint are included in the ticket price. This event is included in PLATINUM PASSES.

FILM SYNOPSIS:

The Grab follows award-winning journalist Nathan Halverson and his team at the Center for Investigative Reporting as they crack open a story of epic proportions. Leaked documents reveal how the world’s most powerful countries are secretly purchasing land, food, and water outside their borders in anticipation of future shortages. It’s a global land grab game where the stakes are literally life and death. Unspooling like a thriller, Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish) keeps viewers on the edge of their seat as she presents a gripping and incendiary wake-up call on the scarcity of natural resources and its impact on the world order.

Location: Longboard

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Tuesday, April 30, 2024

5:30 PM: Savor The Night With M.F.K. Fisher - The Art Of Eating

Tuesdays are for tasting. Taking a page from M.F.K.'s writing, we will gather for some of the things that make us most human: food, conversation, stories, and quality time. Kick off the evening with a deeper look at the woman behind the magic, hear from the filmmakers, and then tuck in for a simple, sensuous French meal from Chef Marc-Henri of Maison Porcella in Lo & Behold's homey setting.

Filmmakers and Chef Kyle Connaughton will be in conversation at the screening.

5:30PM - Feature film at Longboard Vineyards
7:30PM - Dinner at Lo & Behold from Chef Marc-Henri of Maison Porcella

Three-course dinner, local wines, and the screening are included in the ticket price. This event is included in PLATINUM PASSES.

FILM SYNOPSIS:

The Art of Eating honors the life and legacy of intrepid mid-century California food writer M.F.K. Fisher, who elevated cooking from a domestic chore to a critical study of life itself. Described by W.H. Auden as “the best prose writer in America,” the under-recognized Fisher helped introduce Europe and the world to America’s burgeoning culinary scene all while sounding the alarm over the industrialization and commodification of our food. Perhaps more importantly, she forever transformed the 1950s-era background figure of a woman in the kitchen into a living, breathing subject with dazzling ideas, passionate emotions, and insatiable appetites. Featuring compelling testimony from Alice Waters, Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, Annie Lamott, Ruth Reichl, John Ash, Michele Anna Jordan, and SingleThread’s Kyle and Katina Connaughton, among others, the film demonstrates how Fisher was not just a trailblazer in gastronomy and literature who published more than thirty books, but a feminist icon who urged us all to live our best lives, especially by breaking bread and communing with the people we care about most.

Location: Lo & Behold

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Wednesday, May 01, 2024

5:00 PM: Tribute To Ben Burtt - Wall E

Our centerpiece tribute celebrates the career of Oscar-winning sound designer Ben Burtt who has been a leader in his industry for nearly 50 years. Perhaps best known for his pioneering work creating the soundscape for the original Star Wars trilogy, Burtt has worked on such blockbusters as E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, WALL-E, Munich, and Lincoln. Burtt will participate in an onstage conversation about his storied career followed by a special screening of WALL-E, a film he was not only instrumental in crafting but one for which he voiced the principal character.

Academy award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt will participate in an onstage interview at 6PM and answer questions following the 7PM screening. This event is presented in cooperation with the Petaluma Cinema Series at Santa Rosa Junior College.

5:00PM - VIP reception
6:00PM - Onstage interview with Ben Burtt
7:00PM - Feature film
8:30PM - Q&A

The VIP Reception (bites and sips) and reserved seating are included in the VIP ticket price. The VIP Reception is included in PLATINUM PASSES. Regular individual tickets include the interview, screening, and Q&A immediately following.

FILM SYNOPSIS:

In the distant future, a small, lonely, waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space adventure that not only leads him to find love but ultimately shapes the fate of mankind. Featuring extraordinary visuals and incredible sound design, WALL-E is a feast for the senses and a delight for audiences of all ages. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards including a win for Best Animated Feature.

Location: Ellis Auditorium

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Thursday, May 02, 2024

6:00 PM: An Evening In Geyserville - Thelma

Domenica and team welcome us back to the patio with their signature family-style Italian comfort food, local wines, and a view of the night sky that can’t be beat. After dinner, head over to the Geyserville Firehouse for a look at the antique trucks and settle in for a hilarious screening of THELMA, fresh off of its Sundance premiere.

Writer/Director Josh Margolin and guests will be in conversation at the screening.

6:00PM - Dinner with Domenica and team at Catelii's
8:00PM - Feature film at the Geyserville Firehouse

Dinner from Catelli's, wine, and the screening at the Firehouse are included in the ticket price. This event is included in PLATINUM PASSES.

FILM SYNOPSIS:

In this wildly entertaining adventure comedy, June Squibb stars as Thelma, a feisty 93-year-old grandmother who decides to take the law into her own hands after she becomes the victim of a telephone scam targeting the elderly. Eliciting help from her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree in his final performance) who provides a motorized scooter, the two embark on a treacherous quest across Los Angeles to get her money back. First-time feature director Josh Margolin does a remarkable balancing act between action stunts, cheeky comedy, and heartfelt drama exploring issues surrounding aging and independent living for the ones we love. Featuring an excellent supporting cast including Parker Posey, Fred Hechinger (White Lotus), and veteran actor Malcolm McDowell, the film was named ‘Best of Fest’ at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Location: Catelli's

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Friday, May 03, 2024

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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Saturday, May 04, 2024

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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Sunday, May 05, 2024

11:00 AM: Green Border

Master filmmaker Agnieszka Holland turns her lens to the refugee crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border in her straight-shooting and soul-shattering drama Green Border. Beautifully crafted in stunning black and white, the film follows a group of African and Middle Eastern migrants traveling through the swampy forests of Belarus as they attempt to enter the European Union. Their journey is harrowing, and just when we feel as trapped, desperate, and repeatedly victimized as the refugees, the lens changes to the point-of-view of the border guards, and then to a group of Polish citizens trying to ensure that all people are provided with basic human rights. Holland's film is a poignant and essential clarion call that opens our eyes and pulls at our heartstrings, challenging viewers to reflect on the moral choices that ordinary people make every day.

Location: Longboard

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2:00 PM: The Unredacted

Meg Smaker’s captivating and controversial documentary, formerly titled Jihad Rehab, follows a group of former Guantanamo Bay detainees who were held without a trial or charge for their associations with Al Qaida or the Taliban. After 15 years of detention, the US Government handed the men over to Saudi Arabia to undergo a ‘deradicalization’ program for terrorists in the world’s first rehabilitation center for extremists. Expertly crafted and featuring extraordinary access to the men as well as the Saudi center, the film examines the men’s personal histories and contemporary world views in a way that will both illuminate and provoke the film’s viewers. Debuting in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, the film has become a lightning rod on the international festival circuit and generated significant debate in the global press.

Director Meg Smaker will be in conversation at the screening.

Location: Longboard

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5:00 PM: Closing Night - Ghostlight

Come close the Festival with GHOSTLIGHT, a moving tale of love, healing, and family. After the screening, join us at The Matheson for the Closing Night Awards.

Writer/Director Kelly O’Sullivan, Co-Director Alex Thompson, and lead actors Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, and Tara Mallen are expected to be in conversation at the screening.

5:00PM - Film
7:00PM - Closing Night reception & Awards

Closing Night reception with ample bites, beer, and wine, plus the screening are included in the ticket price. This event is included in PLATINUM, GOLD & CLOSING WEEKEND PASSES.

FILM SYNOPSIS:

Plagued by grief after a devastating family tragedy, Dan (Keith Kupferer), a middle-aged construction worker, finds it increasingly difficult to connect with his devoted wife and troubled daughter until one day when he unexpectedly and inadvertently falls into the company of a group of misfit thespians. Aimless and looking for ways to avoid confrontation with his family, he reluctantly agrees to participate in a table reading of Romeo and Juliet until the scene-stealing Rita (Dolly De Leon of Triangle of Sadness) convinces him to join the company. What follows is a testament to the healing and cathartic power of live theatre, exquisitely realized by a pitch-perfect script penned by co-directors Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan. Masterfully crafted with heart and humor, Ghostlight is an independent gem that continues to resonate long after the curtain closes.

Location: Longboard

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Date: April 26-May 5, 2024

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