In support of the Napa Valley Film Fest, Studio System News puts the spotlight on festival board member J. Todd Harris:
The hot premiers and yacht parties of Cannes are long over, and the fall festivals have given us sneak peaks of awards season contenders like 12 Years a Slave,Gravity, and Philomena. If you weren’t able to walk the Croisette or jet to Toronto, you can check out unreleased films like Saving Mr. Banks and undiscovered gems by new filmmakers at the Napa Valley Film Festival this weekend.
The combo of wine tasting and movie watching is a winning one, and the festival, now in its third year, boasts “125 films. 300 filmmakers. 50 chefs. 150 wines.” The program includes films like August: Osage County and Philomena, alongside indie docs and narrative features, short films, and an artist-in-residence program. Joe Carnahan is this year’s jury president.
SSN spoke with festival board member J. Todd Harris about how the festival is growing, what he’s excited about this year, and the importance of studio support and corporate sponsors for any emerging film fest.