Photo credit
Sculptures at Indian Springs Gallery Photo: Christina Julian
Diversity reigns at the second annual Napa Valley Film Festival, where between flicks you can sip, pour and shop from Napa to Calistoga, Nov. 7-11. Whether you want to feed your celebrity fix, get heady with wine and food, or peruse the shops and galleries—inspiration abounds.
Calistoga’s welcome center and wine pavilion inside the art gallery at Indian Springs Resort presents an eyeful of wicked works. The gritty nature of the space and the art make this one of the funkiest spots at the festival with a look that’s more East Village than mud mecca. Guy Pederson’s figurative sculptures are nearly dizzying.
One of the hottest locations at the film festival is sure to be the Festival Front Porch at Velo Vino in St. Helena. Velo Vino is exactly the cycling and wine enthusiast’s wonderland that you would expect from Clif Bar founder Gary Erickson’s Clif Family Winery: it’s a bicycle and wine shop under one roof. Come by from 3-6 p.m. Friday through Sunday to meet some of the cyclist-filmmakers, or anytime between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to sample some oddly electrifying wine and Clif Bar pairings. Remember not to drink (too much) and ride!
If you are cycling into the NVFF, be sure to check out the Kick-Off Preview Party at Echo Art Gallery, which is a short ride or walk from the Gliderport screening room, Wendesday Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. The preview party celebrates the West Coast premiere of Rising From Ashes and gives film and cycling enthusiasts the chance to welcome Director T.C. Johnstone and Producer Greg Kwedar, along with the stars of the films. Calistoga appellation wines and casual food will be served before the 5:30 p.m. screening.
Erin Martin has converted her dazzling St. Helena showroom into the VIP lounge for the crowd of cinephiles. As always her space is a spectacle tailor made for a design-savvy crowd. Every corner features a different vignette of style that pops in all the right places. There are countless things to feast your eyes on, like the wicker rattan light fixtures from the Philippines and the gigantic gear chains that are strewn about; the latter were finds from an old redwood saw mill.
For a truly frenetic experience hit the festival’s showhouse in Oakville at Cardinale Estate, where 13 different design gurus worked their magic by giving each room a distinct style. I love the guest suite designed by Melanie Coddington, which she describes as “girly-modern” with a vintage 1940s feel. Some of her favorite touches are the pops of pattern like the soft grey-blue zebra wing chair and the swan wing-inspired Icarus lighting by Dutch designer Tord Boontje.
Whether you come for movies, wine, art or shopping, there is sure to be something for you at the 2012 NVFF. There will be specials and free winetasting all over for passholders, so get your passes by clikcing here.