Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Christophers,’ Maude Apatow’s ‘Poetic License’ and More Unspool at Sonoma Film Festival

Mar 3, 2026 9:05am PT Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Christophers,’ Maude Apatow’s ‘Poetic License’ and More Unspool at Sonoma Film Festival By Carole Horst Plus Icon Carole Horst Latest ‘Zootopia 2’ Artists on How They Made Gary De’Snake Empathetic by Softening His Eyes and Adding a Brow 7 days ago UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping on Thriller ‘Atlas King,’ Producing and Filming Fight Scenes: ‘It’s Got to Be Believable’ 2 weeks ago Berlinale Opening Ceremony Starts Fest on a Hopeful Note With Sean Baker and Michelle Yeoh’s Moving Speeches, Love for Indie Cinema and Little Mention of Politics 3 weeks ago See All Maude Apatow’s directorial debut, “Poetic License,” kicks off the 29th Sonoma Intl. Film Festival, with Steven Soderbergh’s “The Christophers,” starring Ian McKellen, set for a centerpiece screening. The festival, which runs March 25-29 in the heart of California wine country, will also screen Julian Schnabel’s latest, “In the Hand of Dante.” Schnabel will also be on hand for a special evening and moderated talk about his career, visual art and cinema. The festival’s 104-film lineup spans 37 countries, and closes with “Under the Lights,” which shot in Sonoma, and follows a teen with epilepsy who risks everything to attend prom. Popular on Variety Festival artistic director Carl Spence acknowledges that March is kind of a dead zone for film festivals — post Oscars and pre-Cannes/Venice/Toronto — but that’s a plus. “The beauty of Sonoma is that it’s very freeing; we’re not a festival that requires premieres,” Spence says. “There’s so many films that quite get traction throughout the year — it’s more about finding really great films.” Highlights of the schedule include “I Swear,” “Mile End Kicks,” “The Last One for the Road,” “Winter of the Crow” and a special screening of “Vertigo” in conjunction with the documentary “Kim Novak’s Vertigo.” Spence notes that Schnabel’s “In the Hand of Dante,” which stars Oscar Isaac, was “divisive” in its Venice Film Festival debut. ...