Disclosure: I will be covering the festival the next 5 days as it unfolds upon Napa Valley.  The Napa Valley Film Festival will transcend into town officially tomorrow night, Wednesday, November 12th with the screening of The Imitation Game and the opening party. This FESTIVAL is an annual event that I look forward to every year.  This year begins its 4th season.

A few highlights of this year’s festival include:

1) Celebrity Tributes

Beginning at 5:30pm on Friday evening, every year the festival honors celebrities that have truly contributed to the filming community.  This year’s tributes include Kevin Costner, Michelle Monaghan and Mike Myers.  And these tributes also guarantee celebrities being present at every festival season.

2) The Films

This year’s festival will showcase over 120 films in a 5 day period in 12 different screening venues.  You can begin your day as early as 9:30am and and go through 11 at night.  There is that much to see. The Napa Valley Film Festival truly excels in showcasing great documentaries, along with narratives, and shorts throughout the 5 day festival.  There is truly something for everyone during this long weekend celebration. Our narrative and documentary Artist in Residence program will bring together 22 feature length films in competition. This program, generously supported by Meadowood Napa Valley, provides the writers/directors with six days of mentoring, networking and accommodations at the luxurious property. And our popular animated short film competition, generously sponsored by Amazon Web Services and Intel, provides a platform for filmmakers utilizing the powerful cloud computing service to create their works. ~Napa Valley Film Festival.

A full list of the films can be seen here.  Definitely make sure to pick out the films YOU absolutely want to see and coordinate your schedule around those. And you will find after the screenings, often times the writers, producers, filmmakers will appear on stage for an on site Q & A with the audience.  A favorite about the festival.  And who knows, there may just be a few celebrities on site while there.

3) The Wine

One of the best parts of the Napa Valley Film Festival is not only the spectacular scenery that greets you along the 29, but the wine that is also showcased at the festival.  With many screening venues offering you a glass of wine to enjoy as you wait for the film to premiere. But, beginning Friday and lasting through Sunday, at 2:30pm, the wine pavilions open up in each screening village offering you many opportunities to try the various wines of Napa Valley. Here’s what the villages are offering:

Napa:

Friday & Saturday: Crusher Wine District: A collaboration of avant-garde wineries dedicated to cutting edge wines and honest hospitality. Their location in the industrial area of South Napa says it all – authentic, stripped down and a little funky.  There are different wineries being showcased each day.

Sunday: Mexican-American Vintners Association: This pavilion will feature wines produced by Mexican-American vintners, who advocate quality standards for its members, and promote and support the contributions of Mexican-Americans in the wine industry.

Yountville:

Friday: We’re Drinking Merlot! Tasting and Panel: Showcasing some of our favorite “hillside” and “valley floor” producers. Come sample the Best of Napa Valley Merlots! At 3:30, a prestigious panel of wine experts discuss the virtues and characteristics of select Merlots from the Napa Valley floor to the top of the mountains

Saturday: Stags Leap District: House of Cab: Visit the House of Cab for a rare and exclusive tasting of the 2010 Appellation Collection – the Stags Leap District Winegrowers’ limited release of 17 Stags Leap District Cabernets from its member wineries. NVFF Passholders receive priority access to the Wine Pavilion.

St. Helena: