Director Benjamin Millepied’s “Carmen,” a musical starring Paul Mescal, will have its West Coast premiere March 25 at the 2023 Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF).
Another debut set to take place during the five-day festival is the world premiere of “Jules,” with director Marc Turtletaub and stars Ben Kingsley and Jane Curtin planning to make an appearance for the occasion. The screening will kick off the opening night of the festival on March 22.
Capping off the event are closing night films “The Eight Mountains,” which received a grand jury prize after its Cannes premiere, and Stephen Williams’ “Chevalier.”
Including the seven U.S. premieres slated for the festival, this year’s lineup features 110 films representative of 32 countries. In total, 38 narrative features, 20 documentary features and 52 short films were selected by the festival curators.
“For my first edition at the Sonoma International Film Festival, with a new curatorial team in place, we aimed to find films from around the world that excite us and that we love,” said Carl Spence, SIFF’s new artistic director. “In our search, we found both the awe-inspiring and sublime, as well as entertaining box office hits from other countries; including eight extraordinary films that also happen to be making their premieres in Sonoma.”
Academy members confirmed to attend the festival include Christine Vachon, John Cooper, Laura Kim, Marcus Hu, Fred Tsui and Steven Raphael. More guests will be announced in the coming month.
Outside of film programming, SIFF 2023 will host two culinary events with chefs Martin Yan and Joanne Weir, along with two panels for filmmakers and attendees alike. A conversation with industry guests titled “Film Veterans Tell All” is scheduled for March 24, while “A Conversation About Food and Cinema” with culinary filmmakers will be held March 25.
The 2023 Sonoma International Film Festival will be held in the heart of Sonoma from March 22-26.
Poppy Jasper International Film Festival Reveals Upcoming Lineup
The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (PJIFF) has announced the lineup for the 2023 festival, which is set to run from April 12-19.
The upcoming festival will include feature films, documentaries and short films from around the globe, including Brazil, Iran, Germany, Mexico and the U.K. The selected feature films that have been announced include “Antarctica,” “Bolan’s Shoes” and “Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game,” while the announced documentaries include “The Creative High,” “Roots of Fire” and “Jack Has a Plan.” The selected international shorts include “The Outing” from the U.K.; two animated shorts from Iran, “Fobi” and “The Sprayer”; as well as the short “Chipper.”
‘Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie’ Moves Debut to September
Paramount Pictures has announced that the “Paw Patrol” sequel, “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” will now premiere on Sept. 29. It was originally scheduled for Oct. 13.
Directed by Cal Brunker, “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” stars Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell, Christian Convery, McKenna Grace, Brice Gonzalez, Lil Rel Howery, Alan Kim, Finn Lee-Epp, James Marsden, Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian, Marsai Martin, Ron Pardo, Callum Shoniker, Luxton Handspiker, Christian Corrao, Nylan Parthipan, North West and Saint West.
The film is produced by Spin Master Entertainment, Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Pictures, Jennifer Dodge, Laura Clunie and Toni Stevens. Bob Barlen serves as associate producer, with Ronnen Harary, Adam Beder and Peter Schlessel as executive producers.