Yountville hosts 7th annual international short film festival showcasing global talent
By Lisa Adams Walter
YOUNTVILLE, Calif. — Screening more than 100 world-class films on two screens over the span of fewer than four full days seems impossible. Yet that monumental feat will again be accomplished at the 7th Annual Yountville International Short Film Festival, which returns to the Napa Valley Feb. 1 to 4.
Festival co-producers and co-founders Bill Hargreaves and Sinohui Hinojosa kicked off the YISFF in 2018 with the goal of sharing world-class short films after having developed a similar festival in Silicon Valley that has been running for 15 consecutive years. The local festival has steadily grown in popularity, and in partnership with the Yountville Chamber, it now attracts locals and visitors alike who come for bite-size tastes of film, food and wine.
Hargreaves, who also serves as the festival director, says that Napa was selected for this second festival specifically because of the wine and food culture and because Yountville is such a welcoming and walkable town.
“It is a perfect location for a four-day film festival, a fantastic backdrop for these films with everything that the Napa Valley, and Yountville in particular, have to offer,” he said. “The atmosphere allows us to deliver a true entertainment experience. The Yountville International Short Film Festival is so much more than just films.”
The films are shown at two venues this year, the Heritage Room at the Yountville Community Center and the Barrel Room at V Estate. Beginning with a VIP opening night event on Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Heritage Room, the balance of the festival is screened in “blocks” of films, organized by genre, from Friday through Sunday.
The YISFF survived the COVID-19 pandemic by offering a streaming experience in 2021. At the time I lived in Yountville and enjoyed the films in my own home. It was such a treat while living through more than a year of social distancing.
The following year, to honor continued distancing protocol, the founders created cabaret-style seating so that film buffs could enjoy films with their human bubble. The cabaret-style seating at intimate round tables was such a hit that it remains at the Heritage Room venue for the third consecutive year.
While full-length feature films can range from an hour to several hours, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including credits.
According to Hargreaves, the 2024 YISFF screens films no longer than 30 minutes, and with some shorts at a length of two to eight minutes, attendees will see several films of varying lengths within each of the 20 film blocks.
“An attendee could see a short film block that includes four to five films with a total run time of about 90 minutes,” Hargreaves said.
The two founders accept submissions from filmmakers and then set out to study more than 1,000 potential short films, settling upon just 10% of the entries. The film genres that will be featured in Yountville this year will include animation, comedy, dark comedy, documentary, drama, family-friendly, fantasy, foodie-inspired, foreign, horror, intense drama, music-inspired, science fiction, supernatural, suspense and world cinema.
“The films in our festival are really focused on the story, as we want to make sure that the focus is on the story first,” Hargreaves said, adding that the production value is no different from full-length feature films one would enjoy at a commercial theater or from a streaming platform.
“These films offer the same production value,” he said. “They are just great stories told within the span of a very short film.”
Following the traditions of film festivals around the globe, many Q&A sessions with filmmakers and oftentimes starring actors will provide behind-the-scenes stories of the filmmaking process following many of the film blocks.
In the past, the YISFF has featured Oscar-nominated and -winning films. This year is no different: “Ninety-Five Senses” has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Animated Short Film category.
John Beach (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) directed and stars in “They Grow Up So Fast” and is anticipated to attend the festival this year. Keep an eye out for him at VIP events and potentially also following the “Make ‘Em Laugh” comedy shorts block on Friday, Feb. 2.
Other Hollywood connections include “Last Call,” starring Tom Holland, who has played Spider-Man in six Marvel films directed by his brother, Harry Holland. “Neo-Dome” stars Anna Camp, a YISFF attending actor alumni, who is known for her recurring role in the “Pitch Perfect” films.
The short film “Hitman: Secrets of Lies” boasts an experienced and recognizable cast that includes Richard Kind (“Mad About You,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Spin City” and many Pixar films such as “It’s a Bug’s Life” and “Cars”) and Karen Allen (“Animal House,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Scrooged,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”).
Several film blocks feature a VIP early entry option: Opening Night, Cuvée Cinema, Cabernet Cinema, The Art of Cinema featuring the wines of winemaker Rob Lloyd, and Sunday’s Champagne Cinema. Some of the wineries that have partnered and will pour this year include Goosecross Cellars, Handwritten Wines, Jessup Cellars, La Cave Wines, Lloyd Cellars, Prescription Vineyards and Silver Trident Winery.
“We are thrilled to welcome patrons back to the seventh year of the Yountville International Short Film Festival,” said Yountville Chamber President and CEO Whitney Diver McEvoy. “This beloved festival brings together the best of art, food and wine.”
Hargreaves says that he believes that a first-time attendee would be pleasantly surprised with the festival.
“Yountville is a fantastic location. For a first-time patron, it would be a magical experience,” he said. “This is what we hear from past attendees. Then they get hooked and return to this event each year.”
YISFF tickets range in price per person from $5 for the Saturday, Feb. 3, child-appropriate Family Selections film block to $15 for individual film blocks, $99 for the All-Access Pass and $199 for the fully immersive All-Access VIP Pass that includes special events and tastings. For the complete schedule of films, tickets and festival passes to the 7th Annual Yountville International Short Film Festival visit YISFF.com.
If today's story captured your interest, explore these related articles:
Lisa Adams Walter is a writer, storyteller, editor and publicist who has been published in media outlets locally and nationally. A California wine country native, she brings intimate insight to an array of wine, food, arts, entertainment, lifestyle and travel stories.