Tiburon - California: The Tiburon
International Film Festival (TIFF), founded in 2001, completed another very successful 9-day event from March 22 to March 30, 2007, in Tiburon. Tiburon, is just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge in beautiful Marin County.
This year’s Festival was the 6th Annual Film Festival to be held in Tiburon. More than 3,000 films were submitted for consideration in 2007 with 250 independent films selected for the Festival from 90 countries.
The rich and varied Special Programs this year included Short Films from Pixar Animation Studios, Independent Filmmaker Animations, Spotlight on Tunisian Cinema, Cinema for the Ages, Music & Dance, War Films, a Salute to Native Americans, All About Sports and an annual tradition of the Marin Filmmakers latest films.
The 2007 Festival included a special Tribute to Mark Rydell, Academy Award nominated Director for his film On Golden Pond. This year Mr. Rydell presented the West Coast Premiere of his newest film, Even Money. Even Money starring Kim Basinger, Forest Whitaker, Danny DeVito, Kelsey Grammer, Nick Cannon, Ray Liotta, Jay Mohr, Cassandra Hepburn and Tim Roth was shown to a “Sold-Out” crowd.
Tributes for 2007 included John Ford, considered one of the best directors of all time. Best known for his Westerns, he made dozens of films in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Tiburon International Film Festival was proud to honor his memory with a life and work documentary titled Directed By John Ford.
Marcello Mastroianni, Academy Award nominated Italian film actor, was also presented with a special Tribute at the 2007 Film Festival. A highlight of the Festival was a documentary about Mastroianni’s life titled, Marcello: A Sweet Life. The film included interviews with Mastroianni, excerpts from many of his films, and testimonies from his daughters, actors and directors, and others who were close to him.
French Film Pioneers, the Lumiere Brothers who created the cinematographe, were honored with a presentation of the film Lumiere & Company. Georges Melies was honored with a presentation of his film, A Trip to the Moon, a film made in 1902. This Melies film was among the very first science fiction films. These three French Film Pioneers led the way in creating the film industry we know today.
A highlights of this year’s Festival was a special seminar titled “Scriptwriting and Independent Filmmakers” that was open to all interested filmmakers and film buffs. The discussion panel included three top independent filmmakers: Irving Saraf, Allie Light and Matt Hader. Saraf and Light are recipients of the 1991 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature and Mr. Hader, an accomplished screenwriter and producer, is on the American Screenwriters Board of Directors.
A special Meet the Filmmakers Party gave the public an opportunity to mix and mingle with filmmakers from all over the world. The Opening Night Gala and the Closing Night Celebration and Awards Ceremony were both held at the Corinthian Yacht Club Ballroom overlooking the Bay with beautiful starlit views of the San Francisco skyline. Live music, entertainment, dancing, food and libations made both nights memorable.
In addition to the nine-day Festival of 250 films from 90 countries, the Festival bring films to the northern California communities through the Tiburon Film Society via a year-round program each month. A complete schedule and films are on the TIFF website (www.TiburonFilmFestival.com).
The "Call for Entries" for the 7th annual festival [March 13-21, 2008] has just begun, and the deadline for submissions is December 1, 2007.
