Mill Valley Film Festival and Apple's QuickTime Streaming Server Send Fest Highlights on the Web

Business Wire, Oct 5, 2000

Entertainment Editors/Computer Technology Writers

MILL VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 2000

In the year 2000, The Mill Valley Film Festival is going global!

Thanks to Apple Computer's QuickTime(TM) Streaming Server, which delivers broadcast quality video, highlights, tributes, trailers and more will be streamed to a global audience throughout the 11-day festival, Oct. 5-15. Teams of producers will be on site at the various venues to keep the sight fresh, interesting and current, catching the celebrities and events that make film festivals a magnet for people and excitement. There will be a film festival link through www.apple.com/quicktime and an Apple QuickTime link through www.mvff.com

"We're very proud to join the ranks of the festivals in London, Sundance and Cannes that partner with Apple Computer in this groundbreaking technology, bringing our celebrities and events to a global audience," said Mark Fishkin, Executive Director of the Film Institute of Northern California and founder of the Film Festival. "We've already pushed the envelope, embracing new technology that has enhanced the way in which we present film to the public. This is a perfect opportunity for us to share these international stars with the world!"

The sprite was designed by DeepEnd, considered one of the most creative, cutting edge web design firms in the world. When visitors click on and see the heralded "kissie face" poster, an original photograph and poster design by John Casado, they can choose any of six buttons revolving on the sprite -- clips, trailers, shorts, events, people and music. Each button offers a selection of choices to go deeper into personality profiles, special events and more.

For example, the festival will stream its current 2000 trailer, a faux dogme production and past trailers, including the 1985 trailer which won the Golden Lion for the Best Commercial in the World, and its 1988 offering, featuring Robin Williams in which the comedian assumed the identities of a number of "visiting" foreign directors.

Interviews from the tributes to Dick Cavett, Joan Allen, Rob Nilsson and Carroll Baker will be streamed, in addition to clips from films that are being premiered at the festival. For example, clips from the World Premiere of GRATEFUL DAWG, a touching story of the personal and professional relationship between mandolinist David Grisman and Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia. This segment will include portions of Grisman's live post-film concert from the Rafael Film Center.

Quick Time Streaming Server is the world's first open-source, standards-based streaming server, providing the highest quality streaming video on the Internet. More than 50 million copies of the QuickTime 4 player, which is available as a free download from www.apple.com/quicktime, have been distributed to Macintosh(R) and Windows users worldwide.

The presenting sponsor of the 2000 Mill Valley Film Festival is Bay View Bank. Major sponsors of the Festival are American Airlines, Marin Community Foundation, Firemen's Fund, U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray, Entertainment Weekly and Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Major Media Sponsors include KGO Newstalk AM810, San Francisco Examiner, Nickelodeon Movies, AT&T Broadband, KPIX-TV and Quicktime TV. This year's tribute sponsors include Telli Marin and Christopher B. Smith.

Film, video and special event tickets are available at the Rafael Film Center Box Office and the Mill Valley Box Office trailer, located at the corner of East Blithedale Avenue and Throckmorton. These tickets can also be purchased through the Film Festival by mail or phone 415/455-8005.

Film and video tickets only (not special events) are available through BASS ticket outlets including online at www.basstickets.com. Call the Film Festival Information Line at 415/383-5346 for updated ticket and sell-out information.