Cannes has the fashion. Sundance the snow. Cinequest is the maverick.
In 2010, will Napa bring the wine?
When we caught up with Marc Lhormer, producer of Bottle Shock, last month at a wine conference in Sonoma and Napa, he mentioned the possibility of a new film festival hosted in Napa.
And why not?
The beautiful surroundings, the famous wine, and the Mediterranean style weather all make for an ideal setting. Add to that plenty of conference space, world-class restaurants and amenities and you potentially have a new hot spot for film.
It appears plans are underway, a board in place, and early marketing has begun.
Marc broke the news yesterday on Facebook, announcing a fan page here, which you should join to keep up-to-date.
Of course, there is a lot that can happen between now and then. Planning and financing a festival involves a lot of effort, participation from industry and local associations and officials; a dash of good luck and timing are bonuses. I expect this to slot in around Q4 sometime, possibly November (which is what is currently announced on their web site). You can imagine all the thought that needs to go into finding the right date. Not only do planners need to consider other film festivals, but also Napa events and festivals, plus major holidays.
It will be interesting to follow. We are fully in support of a Napa Film Festival… we can cover wine and film at the same time for Stark Insider. How great would that be?
I hope we can get Marc on a podcast when the time is right to talk about the festival, the types of films he’d like to see submitted and what we can all do to support the effort.