As the Groundhog Day sameness of the coronavirus pandemic drags on, the Sonoma International Film Festival has been breaking new ground. Festival officials on Oct. 29 announced the selection of a new executive director.
Canadian film producer David Miller will replace longtime director Kevin McNeely, who will transition to become SIFF’s artistic director.
Miller, 46, has a long history with the Sonoma film festival, with producer credits on 10 films screened at past events. All 10 won top juror or audience awards, including “Amal,” “Siddharth,” “Blackbird” and “Kivalina vs. Exxon.”
“The festival has been very good to me over the years,” Miller said.
In addition to producing films that performed well locally, Miller’s movies have won or been nominated for international awards, too. He has received more than a dozen Canadian Screen/Genie nominations, which are the Canadian equivalent of the Academy Awards, including a Best Motion Picture nod for “Amal.” Miller’s “Blackbird” was a finalist for Best First Feature at both the Toronto International Film Festival and the Grand Prix at Cannes, and he earned three Canadian Screen Award nominations for “Siddharth,” which won Best Picture at the Beijing Film Festival.
His path to Sonoma, and directorship of SIFF, was not entirely a straight line. “I was an aspiring writer, then moved on to broadcast development,” Miller said. He started producing films in 2007, and founded a distribution company in 2012. From there, Miller narrowed his focus to international film sales. “We built kind of a beast, my two partners and I,” Miller said.
It’s a diverse resume bound by variations on a theme. The throughline, for Miller, is story.
Even for a gig like running an international film festival, where the main event is mostly technical, Miller looks for the narrative arc. “You bring these filmmakers in and they’re embraced by the town. You get to eat great food and drink some wine and communicate with colleagues. To me, that’s kind of like a story,” Miller said.
It’s a film festival, yes, but the components are human, and where people are, stories follow.
Miller is in the midst of a new story, himself. A lifelong Canadian prone to north country syntax, he presents a homespun, “aw, shucks” demeanor. Reached by phone at his home in Toronto as he was packing to leave for the long trip west, Miller confessed to feeling a bit overwhelmed. He had family farewells complicated by COVID to complete, and a lifetime of Canadian roots to transplant.
“It’s pretty nuts,” Miller said.
But the prospect of a new challenge was pretty fabulous, too.
“I’m really, really excited about it. Gonna have to get my feet wet and get right into it,” Miller said.
Outgoing executive director McNeely will shift focus to direction of the festival’s strategic and creative vision, and was gratefully anticipating Miller’s contributions. “We tapped David to not only continue to grow the festival and our programs, but to assure its sustainability in the future,” McNeely said. “As a film industry veteran, and given his unique qualifications, we look forward to his many contributions.”
McNeely’s own contributions have been significant over the years, and his industry connections delivered a constellation of stars during his tenure. Past festivals have seen Bruce Willis mobbed by eager fans under klieg lights at the Sebastiani, Lauren Hutton ferried between venues on McNeely’s motorbike, Ray Liotta oozed cool in an interview before a packed house, and Robin Williams delivered McNeely a classically manic give and take sit-down.
Miller hopes to follow suit. “One of my goals is to resurrect that,” he said. “Part of what I want to do is put a higher profile on the festival. You can do that strategically, like with monthly screenings to bring actors in, or a big studio movie for a weekend. We’re going to do things to give SIFF a consistent yearly profile.”
He also intends to capitalize on the lessons learned last year when the coronavirus shut down in-person celebrations, forcing SIFF to pivot online. “We had 30,000 views internationally. It was a great opportunity to showcase our films,” Miller said, adding that he intends for the festival to continue expanding its virtual reach.
SIFF officials say the festival generates nearly half a million dollars for the local Bay Area economy, and has granted more than $650,000 to the Sonoma Valley High Media Arts Program since 2002.
SIFF’s 24th edition is scheduled for March 24-28, and Miller is excited for what comes next. “Y’know,” he said, leaning like a true Canuck for a long time on the ‘o’, “change is good.”
Contact Kate at kate.williams@sonomanews.com.
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