Sonoma International Film Festival

The Sonoma International Film Festival takes over the town of Sonoma for several days each March, with screenings at the historic Sebastiani Theatre on the Plaza and at venues around it. The program runs to around a hundred films: independent features, documentaries, world cinema and shorts, with a sidebar devoted to food, wine and culinary film.

Between screenings the festival keeps its other promise, film with food and wine, through receptions, parties and wine and culinary events across town.

What sets this festival apart is its size and its setting. It lives around a small-town Plaza rather than a multiplex, so you move between theater seats, receptions and dinner on foot, and the audience you sit beside at a screening is often the one you see again over a glass of wine that evening.

It is also a festival for discovery: an independent program from around the world, chosen for a curious, wine-country audience. A pass is the way to do it, and festival passes go on sale in the fall.