RAFAEL EVENT VIDEOS
HER | SCIENCE ON SCREEN
Our Science On Screen presentation of Her included a post-screening discussion about The Future of Sex: Love & Relationships in the Age of AI, featuring Millennials Talk Cinema of the Petaluma Argus-Courier and Petaluma360.
13 February, 2020
NO TIME TO WASTE: THE URGENT MISSION OF BETTY REID SOSKIN
We were so pleased to welcome local legend Betty Reid Soskin to the Smith Rafael Film Center for a special screening of NO TIME TO WASTE, followed by a presentation of the Mind The Gap Award to Ms. Soskin by MVFF Director of Programming Zoë Elton and CFI Education Outreach Manager Shakira Refos.
2 February, 2020
CONTACT | SCIENCE ON SCREEN
Our Science On Screen program returned with a special screening of CONTACT, hosted by series programmer David Templeton and special guest Dr. Eugenien Scott, former executive director of the National Center for Science Education.
16 January, 2020
JUST MERCY
JUST MERCY director Destin Daniel Cretton stopped by after a CFI Member Screening of his powerful film (MVFF42 Opening Night) for a thoughtful onstage conversation with California Film Institute Executive Director/Founder Mark Fishkin
19 December, 2019
JOKER
Another great conversation at the Smith Rafael Film Center! Q&A with director Todd Phillips and MVFF Program Manager Sterling Hedgpeth after a packed screening of Phillips’ unique and fascinating film JOKER.
18 December, 2019
18 December, 2019
BOMBSHELL
BOMBSHELL director Jay Roach and producer Michelle Graham in attendance for an onstage conversation with California Film Institute Executive Director/ Founder Mark Fishkin and reception following a CFI Member Screening of their film.
7 December, 2019
ROCKETMAN
Taron Egerton and Dexter Fletcher participated in an entertaining onstage conversation and Q&A with MVFF Director of Programming Zoë Elton after a CFI Member Screening of their electrifying Elton John biopic ROCKETMAN.
4 December, 2019
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
A great night at the Rafael with Quentin Tarantino in the house with his latest film ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. Another fantastic packed CFI Member Screening followed by an engaging, animated, and trivia-packed onstage conversation.
30 November, 2019
THE TRAITOR
Director Marco Bellocchio and actor Pierfrancesco Favino visited the Rafael with a screening of their visceral Italian gangster epic THE TRAITOR, followed by a conversation with MVFF Senior Programmer Karen Davis.
17 November, 2019
ATLANTICS
Composer, musician, and conceptual artist Fatima Al Qadiri participated in a Q&A with MVFF Director of Programming Zoë Elton following a screening of Mati Diop’s ATLANTICS.
11 November, 2019
HARRIET
Star Cynthia Erivo received a standing ovation following a screening of Kasi Lemmons’ HARRIET featuring a Q&A and reception with Erivo and moderator Ericka Huggins.
4 November, 2019
THE FAREWELL
Director Lulu Wang discussed her film THE FAREWELL during a pre-screening reception and Q&A with MVFF Director of Programming Zoë Elton in front of a rapt audience of CFI Members.
24 June, 2019
MAIDEN
MAIDEN film subject Tracy Edwards and director Alex Holmes participated in a spirited Q&A with MVFF Director of Programming Zoë Elton following a screening of their thrilling yachting documentary.
16 June, 2019
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM director/farmer/author John Chester from Apricot Lane Farms joined us for a fun and engaging Q&A at the Smith Rafael Film Center.
28 February, 2019
GLORIA BELL | FILMMAKER HIGHLIGHT EVENT
MVFF Director of programming sits down for a Q&A with director Sebastian Lelio following a special screening of his new film GLORIA BELL.
28 February, 2019
THE WIFE | MEMBER SCREENING
Glenn Close, THE WIFE director Björn Runge and screenwriter Jane Anderson joined us for another amazing Special Member Screening .
19 July, 2018
PUZZLE | MEMBER SCREENING
Another great Special Member Screening of PUZZLE with Kelly Macdonald and director Marc Turtletaub in attendance for an engaging onstage conversation with a full house of guests.
18 July, 2018
LIFE AND NOTHING MORE
LIFE AND NOTHING MORE director Antonia Méndez Esparza in conversation with CFI Founder/Executve Director Mark Fishkin.
April, 2018
THE FEMALE BRAIN
A full house at the Rafael for the National Evening of Science on Screen® with a screening of THE FEMALE BRAIN and lively conversation with neuroscientist Dr. Louann Brizedine on whose book the film is adapted.
2 April, 2018
EARLY MAN
Wonderful CFI Member Screening of Aardman Animation’s new film EARLY MAN with director Nick Park and animators Will Becher and Merlin Crossingham! Thanks for bringing by a few friends to meet our all-ages audience!
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12 February, 2018
AN EVENING WITHG LIV ULLMANN
A truly wonderful Evening with Liv Ullmann. Warm and generous, Ms. Ullmann enchanted the sold-out audience with her lifetime of stories and great humor.
2 February, 2018
PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN
What a special evening, the kickoff for our Mind The Gap Honors, which celebrates our gender parity initiative. A special screening of PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN with director Angela Robinson receiving the very first ever Mind the Gap award.
Video: the understory
13 December, 2017
I, TONYA
RED CARPET ARRIVALS
Fantastic night at the Rafael – Neon’s upcoming release I, TONYA with screenwriter, Steven Rogers, director, Craig Gillespie, and the amazing stars Margot Robbie and Allison B Janney.
2 December, 2017
IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE
Filmmakers Patrick Shen and Brandon Vedder share their experiences making IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE. This fascinating and meditative film is an exploration of silence and the impact of noise on our lives. Filmed in eight countries, it immerses us in a cinematic journey around the globe—from a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto, to the streets of Mumbai, the loudest city on the planet—and inspires us to both experience silence and celebrate the wonders of our world.
16 October, 2017
DOLORES
Q&A Dolores Huerta, Juana Chavez and Producer Brian Benson – Dolores Huerta is an activist and organizer without peer, but when asked by an audience member what her biggest challenge was, she answered, “Confidence.” We often know what needs to be done, she explained, but we don’t always know that we are able to do it. Thousands of farm workers past and present can thank Dolores for finding her confidence every day. But as her daughter pointed out, we have Dolores’ strength inside us, too. “I am Dolores. You are Dolores. We are all Dolores!”
10 September, 2017
PEACE IS EVERY STEP
Filmmaker Gaetano Kazuo Maida presents and discusses a 20th anniversary screening of his own film portrait of Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen teacher nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. during the thick of the Vietnam War. Maida began filming him in 1990, when he was little known outside of Buddhist circles, following him from his Plum Village community to public demonstrations against the then-impending “Desert Storm” conflict with Iraq. Maida is the director of the Buddhist Film Foundation and has collaborated with the Rafael on several programs.
10 August, 2017
WALK WITH ME
Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh has said that movie theaters can be meditation centers. With their new film, WALK WITH ME, directors Max Pugh and Marc J Francis have created an experience so complete in its depth and simplicity that it approximates a meditation even as it educates. Sister Dang Nghiem attended this US theatrical premiere, traveling from Plum Village Monastery, where Thích Nhất Hạnh resides and teaches. Moderator: Richard Fernandez.
8 August, 2017
THE GLASS CASTLE
CFI Members were treated to an amazing screening of THE GLASS CASTLE followed by an emotional and candid conversation with author Jeanette Walls, who connected with engaged and passionate audience members on and off stage. Thank you to Lionsgate for providing this wonderful film for our wonderful members!
30 July, 2017
DAN KAMIN PRESENTS FUNNY BONES
Comedian and mime Dan Kamin, who taught Robert Downey, Jr. how to be Charlie Chaplin and showed Johnny Depp how to clown, stopped by the Smith Rafael Film Center with his show FUNNY BONES. He presented and deconstructed Charlie Chaplin’s short ‘The Pawn Shop,’ all the while keeping the audience thinking and laughing.
20 July, 2017
THE LAST DALAI LAMA?
On July 6, 2017, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama turned 82. With Mickey Lemle’s new film THE LAST DALAI LAMA? premiering theatrically on July 7, we decided to begin our run one day early with a screening and birthday tribute. Filmmaker Lemle was in attendance with musician/actor Tsering Dorjee Bawa.
6 July, 2017
THE LAST DALAI LAMA?
On July 6, 2017, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama turned 82. Musician/actor Tsering Dorjee Bawa and students perform in his honor at the Smith Rafael Film Center.
6 July, 2017
Q&A WITH ZOE LISTER-JONES – BAND AID
Writer/actor/director Zoe Lister-Jones sat down with Rafael Film Center Director of Programming Richard Peterson to discuss the process of making her feature film debut BAND AID, a charming independent comedy (helmed by an all-female crew) about commitment and “fighting through music”.
6 June, 2017
Q&A WITH PHIL KAUFMAN – THE WANDERERS
Veteran filmmaker Philip Kaufman visited the Smith Rafael Film Center to present and discuss a special screening of his 1979 cult-classic, in a new digital restoration.
13 November, 2016
AN EVENING WITH PETER COYOTE
Peter Coyote returned to the Rafael stage to celebrate his new book, The Rainman’s Third Cure: An Irregular Education. Showing scenes from some of his films, he discussed his life and work as well as this new volume, a spiritual sequel to his 1998 memoir Sleeping Where I Fall: A Chronicle.
27 May, 2015
RICHARD LINKLATER
Director Richard Linklater and Smith Rafael Film Center Director of Programming Richard Peterson discuss BOYHOOD.
17 July, 2014
SWEET DREAMS
Mickey Hart joins Ingoma Nshya on the Smith Rafael stage.
9 December, 2013
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Oscar Isaac & TBone Burnett chat with Mark Fishkin following a screening of Inside Llewyn Davis.
17 November, 2013
PROMISED LAND
Mark Fishkin, California Film Institute Founder and Executive Director, chats with John Krasinski after a screening of his film Promised Land at Smith Rafael Film Center.
15 December, 2012
BRAD BIRD DISCUSSES DR. STRANGELOVE
Brad Bird, Academy Award winning director and writer (Ratatouille, The Incredibles) presented Dr. Strangelove as part of the Films of My Live series.
19 August, 2009