The Circuit

Mill Valley topper Mark Fishkin said last night's closing party was a surreal experience.  Set on the Hornblower Yacht, Alfre Woodard (pictured with "Body of Lies" thesp Ali Suliman) and helmer Tim Disney celebrated the unspooling of their "American Violet" under the Golden Gate Bridge.  Yet in the near distance, Angel Island was ablaze.  "It looked like a volcano erupting," said Fishkin.  There were no reported injuries on the island, which is a state park. 

"American Violet" picked up the Audience Favorite award for narrative.  "Archeology of Memory: Villa Girmaldi" won for docs while "Skymaster, A Flying Family Tale" got favorite family film.  Photo by Jonathan Pearl.


"Happy-Go-Lucky" director Mike Leigh attended in place of his star, Sally Hawkins who received an award at the fest. Hawkins injured her collarbone during filming of another movie and was undergoing surgery at the time. 

New York film festers saw her briefly at the Gotham screening and afterparty, but Hawkins' painful injury kept her out of the spotlight.  Photo by Tommy Lau.


Other tributes went to scribe Eric Roth, who attended with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" director David Fincher.  Like in Telluride, Mill Valley screened about 30 minutes in clips from the pic.  Afterwards, Fishkin held a Q&A with Fincher, Roth, and Taraji P. Henson who co-stars in the pic with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.  Photo by Tommy Lau.


Another honoree, Harriet Andersson, attended the unspooling of a new print for the Bergman classic "Through a Glass Darkly."  Next to her, Barbro Osher of the Bernard Osher Foundation.  Photo by Tommy Lau.


Fishkin steered the Master Class with Joe Wright, after a screening of his new pic "The Soloist."  Photo by Tommy Lau.