Popular Sonoma Historical Documentary To Be Screened In LA, Local

Call of the Valley:The Enduring Lure of Sonoma, the popular documentary film on the history of Sonoma Valley, has been accepted for screening at the La Femme International Film Festival presented in Los Angeles for four days beginning Oct. 17.

Call of the Valley which premiered at the 2019 Sonoma International Film Festival and was shown independently at the Sebastiani Theatre numerous times, is written and directed by Sonoma’s Julie Morrison.

It depicts Sonoma’s colorful and struggling growth beginning with First Nation Native Americans; through the arrival of Europeans, then Spanish and Mexican rule; and the effects of the Gold Rush and influx of settlers. It describes how Sonoma, the birthplace of California and the Bear Flag Revolt, grew from a sleepy valley growing fruit and dairy farming to become an international arena of premium wine.

The La Femme festival, now in its 15 th year, champions films made by women, but for everyone. “I am thrilled to have the film selected,” said Morrison. “I look forward to meeting other filmmakers, and the event promises to be a great way to get Sonoma’s story out into the world.”

In addition to appearing at the Los Angeles debut Morrison has been invited to screen the film at the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival in May 2020 at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa. She will join literary luminaries including world-renowned novelist Isabel Allende and authors Billy Collins, Michael Pollan and Jeffrey Rosen, among others.

Due to popular demand, Call of the Valley will again show at the Sebastiani Theatre on Sunday Nov. 3, at 3:30 p.m. and Saturday Nov. 30, at 3:30 p.m. Tickets ($11) can be purchased online at www.sebastianitheatre.com, and are also available at Readers’ Books in Sonoma.

For more information, visit www.callofthevalley.net.