Napa Valley Film Festival 2017: Photos, Highlights And Winners

In the wake of the scorching wildfires that ravaged Napa, Mendocino and Sonoma counties last month, Northern California’s wine country undoubtedly needed a refreshing dose of good news. Thanks to the organizers of the 2017 Napa Valley Film Festival, that's exactly what they delivered during the four-day event, which ran from Nov 8 through Nov 12.

“It has been a tough road getting to this year’s festival, but what a perfect way to celebrate great storytelling in all its forms and to showcase the strength and resilience of our Napa Valley community,” said festival co-founder and director Marc Lhormer.

The 7th edition of the festival (NVFF) dazzled with a memorable celebration of film, food and wine as well as paid tribute to film luminaries including Will Ferrell, Nancy Meyers, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tessa Thompson, Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder.

In all of the 124 films screened, including 18 in the festival’s core competition categories, NVFF awarded “Stuck” as the Best Narrative Feature and “Skid Row Marathon” as Best Documentary Feature. Both winners were presented with a cash prize of $10,000 each by Meadowood Napa Valley.

Check out photos from this year's NVFF along with the full winners list below:

Photo Highlights From The 2017 NVFF

2017 NVFF Winners

• Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature presented by Italics Winegrowers, and with a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of Meadowood Napa Valley went to "Stuck."
• Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature presented by John Anthony Vineyards, and with a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of Meadowood Napa Valley went to "Skid Row Marathon."
• Jury Award for Best Screenplay presented by Darioush went to "The House of Tomorrow."
• Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast presented by Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley went to "The Boy Downstairs."
• Jury Award for Best Narrative Short presented by Rombauer Vineyards went to "The Dam."
• Jury Award for Best Documentary Short presented by Grgich Hills Estate went to "The Tables."
• Jury Award for Best Lounge Feature presented by Duckhorn Portfolio went to "Quest."
• Jury Award for Best Lounge Short presented by Acumen Wines went to "The Arrival."
• Special Jury Award – For Depth and Grace in Documentary Filmmaking presented by Castellucci Napa Valley went to "The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin."
• Special Jury Award – Best Breakout Performance in a Lounge Feature Film presented by Materra Cunat Family Vineyards went to Mackenzie Davis for her work in the film "Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town."
• Audience Award for Favorite Actor presented by Tamber Bey Vineyards went to Gregory Kasyan for his work in the film "Quest."
• Audience Award for Favorite Actress presented by Davis Estates went to Olivia Holt for her work in the film "Class Rank."
• Audience Award for Favorite Documentary Feature presented by The Hess Collection went to "Skid Row Marathon."
• Honorable Mention went to "40 years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie."
• Audience Award for Favorite Documentary Short presented by Reynolds Family Vineyards went to "Make It Work: The Idea."
• Audience Award for Favorite Narrative Feature presented by VGS Chateau Potelle went to "Quest."
• Honorable Mention went to "Stuck."
• Audience Award for Favorite Narrative Short presented by RiverHouse by Bespoke Collection went to "The Final Show"
• Honorable Mentions went to "Life Boat" and "Brothers."
• Audience Award for Favorite Short Feature presented by Eleven Eleven Winery went to "Taming Wild: A Girl and a Mustang."

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• Patch Living: Your November Entertainment Guide
• Behind The Scenes Of 'Lady Bird' With Director Greta Gerwig
• Inside The Making Of 'Wonderstruck' With Director Todd Haynes
• Reviews of 'Murder On The Orient Express,'The Killing Of A Sacred Deer,' 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,' 'Daddy's Home 2'
• What's New On Netflix: November 2017

Top Photo: Will Ferrell attends 2017 Napa Valley Film Festival. (Photo Credit: Jonathan Shensa)