Napa Valley Film Festival

THOR: RAGNAROK AND WESTWORLD’S TESSA THOMPSON RECEIVED

THE JCB COLLECTION TRAILBLAZER TRIBUTE AT THE

7^th ANNUAL NAPA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

Thompson joined fellow Celebrity Tribute Honorees Nancy Meyers, Will Ferrell,

Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed

The seventh annual Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) awarded actress Tessa Thompson the JCB Collection Trailblazer Tribute at this year’s Celebrity Tributes presentation on November 9. Thompson joined the festival’s line-up of honorees including Charles Krug Legendary Filmmaker Nancy Meyers, Raymond Vineyards Trailblazer Michael Shannon, Charles Krug Spotlight Tribute honoree Michael Stuhlbarg and the Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch Humanitarian Tribute honorees Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder.

Thompson is best known for her roles in Creed and Dear White People, as well as her performance on HBO’s acclaimed drama series Westworld. She is also starring as the female lead in the highly-anticipated third installment of the Thor franchise, Thor: Ragnarok. In 2018, Thompson can also be found co-starring in the sci-fi thriller Annihilation and the fantasy/comedy Sorry to Bother You.

“Tessa is an actress who has demonstrated in her career the ability to take on unique, dynamic roles that demonstrate her remarkable range and ability to bring her humanity to each performance. As a “trailblazer,” she is the embodiment of someone who is undaunted by taking risks and in doing so, achieves great success,” said Marc Lhormer, co-founder of the Napa Valley Film Festival.

The Celebrity Tributes program took place on Thursday, November 9 at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville and will include highlight reels and an intimate on-stage conversation with Access Hollywood’s Natalie Morales.

NVFF moved forward with this year’s programming following the wildfires that affected the region last month. The festival was the first big event to take place since the fires, and was both a celebration of the Valley itself, as well as an opportunity to support the rebuilding efforts of the community. NVFF will be donating 10% of all pass sales revenue from October 16 through the festival to the Napa Valley Disaster Relief Fund and Presenting Sponsor Lexus is generously donating 1,000 free tickets to select movies for those impacted by the fires.

About The Napa Valley Film Festival

The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, the Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) returns this fall, November 8-12. NVFF presents over 120 new independent films and studio sneak previews in nine beautiful venues located throughout the valley. Attendees will interact with over 300 visiting filmmakers at screenings, and enjoy wine tastings, culinary demonstrations, winemaker dinners, Celebrity Tributes, the Awards Ceremony and Festival Gala, Opening and Closing Night parties and much more. The Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization headquartered in Napa, California. Visit www.nvff.org for more information or call 707.226.7500.