Suppose there were a recipe for a world-class film festival. In that case, it would include exclusive premieres, a bit of Oscar buzz, a generous helping of fabulous filmmakers at different stages of their careers, some audience star-gazing, and, of course, some amazing beverages. And beginning this year, the Sun Valley Film Festival, which already serves up some luscious dishes, will be adding a lovely new ingredient before it pops its mouth-watering schedule into the oven: a bit of gingerbread (after all, it is the holiday season).
Indeed, 2025 will be the first year that the Sun Valley Film Festival moves, full-time, to December.
“It is a really great fit from an industry standpoint … award season is heating up, and academy members always visit Sun Valley and some of them have second homes here," said Sun Valley Film Festival Director Candice Pate. “And then it will start to snow and you'll be together with family and friends around a hearth. You'll be watching movies and then you'll be talking about movies... all in this cozy space which will be turning into a winter wonderland.”
And what distinguishes SVFF from other world-class film festivals is audience access. Fans are kept at a great distance from actors, directors, screenwriters and other artists who fly in and out of Cannes, Venice, Telluride and many other film festivals. But in Sun Valley, it's the exact opposite. Simply put, don't be terribly surprised if you’re in front of an Oscar-winner in a Ketchum coffee shop.
“There’s this magical combination here that inspires creatives,” said Pate. “Especially during the award season craziness, we hear from artists all the time that when they spend time with us, they’re reminded of why they got into the business of making films in the first place.”
SVFF has already begun to reveal some of its 2025 honorees.
“We’re really excited to welcome Gus,” said SVFF Executive Director Teddy Grennan.
That would be Gus Van Sant, Oscar-nominated director of "My Own Private Idaho," "To Die For," " Good Will Hunting," "Milk" and his latest, "Dead Man’s Wire," starring Al Pacino, Colman Domingo, and Bill Skarsgard, which will screen at SVFF.
And one of the most hyphenated superstars in the world - bodybuilder-, award-winning actor,- environmentalist-, California governor-, businessman ... Arnold Schwarzenegger will be honored during this year’s SVFF. As a bonus, his wildly popular actor son, Patrick ("The White Lotus"), will be at the festival too.
But the banquet is just beginning. Make plenty of room on your plate for a bounty of films (full-length, short subjects, narrative and non-fiction), plus workshops, coffee talks (featuring yours truly) and plenty of opportunities to tip a mug of freshly ground coffee or a glass of bubbly (or two).
Grennan and Pate visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview this year’s festival.
Find reporter George Prentice @georgepren
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