Haute Scene : Sonoma International Film Festival Brings Star Power to Wine Country

The 16th Annual Sonoma International Film Festival brought a taste of Hollywood to wine country, with a lineup of more than 100 films, 7 premieres, and a bevvy of A-list stars. Amidst the films, parties, food and wine that the five-day event is known for, the SIFF honored Golden Globe-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker with the Sonoma Spotlight Award. Parker accepted the honor alongside honoree Demián Bichir at a tribute event, where moderators Elliot Kotek and Claudia Mendoza-Carruth quizzed the two on their series Weeds. Later, the two stars joined Ray Liotta and dozens of filmmakers at an intimate celebration on Sonoma’s Historic Plaza. The festival also featured a screening of the film The Iceman, directed by Ariel Vromen and starring Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans and James Franco. Vromen and Liotta were on hand for a Q&A at the Sebastiani Theatre, and another at the Sonoma Valley High School Media Arts Program, where they answered questions from over 300 local aspiring filmmakers. To close the festival, attendees partied on into the night following the screening of A Monkey on My Shoulder (Á Coeur ouvert), directed by Marion Laine and starring Juliette Binoche and Edgar Ramirez.