The 49th Mill Valley Film Festival opened in California on Thursday, October 1, with the west coast premiere of Martin McDonagh’s political thriller and dark comedy Wild Horse Nine.
The film stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA agents sent from Santiago to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 military coup in Chile. Steve Buscemi, Mariana di Girolamo, Ailín Salas, Tom Waits and Parker Posey also feature.
McDonagh, Rockwell and di Girolamo were expected to attend the opening-night event, which marked the start of 11 days of screenings and celebrations across Marin County and the wider Bay Area.
Set against Easter Island’s striking landscape, Wild Horse Nine follows the agents as they confront political conspiracies, their own troubled pasts and an increasingly unpredictable mission. The film has been described by the California Film Institute, which organises the festival, as a darkly comic thriller blending tension with absurdity.
The opening screening was followed by a festival party at Marin Country Mart in Larkspur. Rockwell, who is from nearby Daly City and won an Oscar for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, is also due to receive a tribute during the festival.
This year’s programme includes 96 feature films and 80 short films, with screenings taking place at venues including the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, Sequoia Cinema in Mill Valley and the Lark Theater in Larkspur.
Wild Horse Nine, written and directed by McDonagh, is due to open in cinemas nationwide on November 6.
