The 36th annual Mill Valley Film Festival is beginning today and will continue over the next 11 days in various theatres and venues in Marin.

Presented by the California Film Institute, the festival is a non-competitive celebration of independent and world cinema, with many distinguished producers, actors, and actresses, including Meryl Streep and Matthew McConaughey.

The festival has a track record for launching new filmmakers and films that become Academy Award winning movies, such as “Slumdog Millionaire,” “The Hurt Locker,” and “Argo.”  Originally, these movies had not been secured for cinema distribution.

The festival usually sells around 40,000 tickets and exhibits around 200 movies each year.

This year, Dakota Fanning and Ben Stiller are a few of the many esteemed actors that will be making an appearance.  Thousands will get a chance to catch a glimpse of these famous artists through Q&A panels and post-film gatherings.