Ken's Blog from the Sonoma Valley Film Festival
Well, we're in California for the Sonoma Valley Film Festival. What a mix - film, food and wine along with stars, chefs and winemakers.
Let's start at the Gala and all of the talent present to salute John Lasseter, Pixar's award winning director. We were able to talk to some of them about how wine, food and film come together.
Here's video of some of their responses:
- Bonnie Hunt
- Cheech Marin
- John Ratzenberger
- Tony Shaloub
- Robin Williams
- Interview with John Lasseter
Now: Check in and tell us how wine, food and film fit into your life.
Here's more of my blog from Sonoma:
Day 3...A little bit of rain burned off - hey, the vines are happy and none of the screenings were outside. Lots more films - features, shorts, documentaries and more. If you're a film buff, this is the place. Hey, if you're a wine lover or foodie, it's the place, too. So many different wines and foods to try.
Day 2...plenty of screenings going on - both feature and shorts. These are from indi producers. You have to know that every actor, actress, director, producer - everyone connected with each of these films - has put their heart (and often all of their money) into the films we're seeing.
At the lunch reception given by the Sonoma Vintners' Association, we got a chance to speak with the head of the organization, Grant Raeside. Check that out here.
A couple of films later, we managed to grab Greg Hittelman, Marketing Director of the Sonoma Valley Film Festival for a few words. Here's what he had to say.
It was a real treat to get some comments from John Lasseter. John is a two time Academy Award winning director from Pixar and Disney Animation. What does he think about the festival? Check it out.
After a great meal and some more wine, we wound down for the night.
OK - it's day one and we're here. Haven't seen a film yet but met with a few stars, talked with a couple of directors of the films entered, and drank a LOT of great wine.
We got a chance to talk to Mark Lohmer, the festival's director. He gave us his quick take on what's here in Sonoma. You can see him here.
Well, it's now about 8:30 (that's PM, PDT) and we've enjoyed some terrific wines - sparkling and still. This is an event that brings together wine, film and food...elements of the lifestyle that we all would love to live 24/7/365. Well, even if you can't, you can do it sometimes. That's what life's all about, isn't it?
If you've been to this terrific event, let us know.
