The 35th Mill Valley Film Festival is almost upon us and, as always, with it comes a wealth of potential Oscar nominees, thought-provoking documentaries and breathtakingly original foreign films.

Opening Night will feature David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and On the Road, the long-awaited adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s masterpiece starring Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart and Garret Hedlund and directed by Walter Salles.

Closing Night brings us Ang Lee’s much anticipated adaptation of Life of Pi.

In between you will find the usual high level of films you’ve come to expect from the MVFF, including Tabu from Portugal, The Slut from Israel, A Royal Affair from Denmark and Holy Motors from France. The rich selection of international films at MVFF make it one of the most varied festivals of its size and this year is full of films not to miss.

This year also features tributes and spotlights to John Hawkes (The Sessions), Billy Bob Thornton (Jayne Mansfield’s Car), Dustin Hoffman (Quartet, his directorial debut), Dreamworks Animation (Rise of the Guardians) and Mira Nair.

Also enriching this fest will be the Children’s Workshops and Filmfest, a Master Class Conversation with Ken Burns, Valley of the Docs and the 5@5 series of short films.

Tickets are currently available at the MVFF website, including packages and best bets for the festival.