BY KAREN BOSSICK

Stand-up comic and activist Chelsea Handler will take part in the upcoming Sun Valley Film Festival’s Coffee Talks.

The eighth annual Sun Valley Film Festival will run March 13 through 17.

Handler, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by “Time” in 2012, will headline the festival’s Coffee Talk on Thursday, March 14.

Alex Ross Perry, who will receive the Festival’s Rising Star Award for Directing, will take part in the Coffee Talk on Saturday, March 16.

They will join previously announced Coffee Talk guests Aaron Paul on Friday, March 15, and Meg Ryan on Sunday, March 17.

The Coffee Talks, considered the crown jewel of the festival, are moderated one-hour conversations offered free to audiences, during which top industry talent share stories about their journey and craft.

Handler, who can be seen on Netflix’s documentary series “Chelsea Does,” decided to become a stand-up comic after telling her story about driving under the influence to a class of other offenders who found it funny.

She will release her sixth book, “Life Will Be the Death of Me,” on April 9. Her other best-selling books include, “My Horizontal Life,” “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea,” “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang,” “Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me” and “Uganda Be Kidding Me.”

She served as host of E!’s “Chelsea Lately,” for seven years, following that with the Netflix talk show “Chelsea.” And she was part of the cast of Oxygen’s hidden camera reality TV series “Girls Behaving Badly.”

She is currently working on a feature-length documentary focusing on the notion of white privilege.

Her film credits include “This Means War,” “Fun Size,” “Cattle Call,” “Call Me Crazy” and “Uganda Be Kidding Me: Live.”

Perry has directed “The Color Wheel,” a screwball comedy influenced by the work of Philip Roth. It was named the best undistributed film of 2011 by Indiewire.

His other films include “Listen Up Philip,” “Queen of Earth” and “Golden Exits.” His latest effort is “Her Smell,” a drama about a ‘90s punk rock superstar trying to recapture her creative inspiration after tanking. It will be shown during the 2019 Sun Valley Film Festival.

Perry also wrote a live-action adaptation of the Winnie the Pooh franchise for Disney, which translated into “Christopher Robin,” which was released in August 2018.

The Festival has added seven feature films to the lineup already announced. They include the U.S. premiere of “C’est ca L’amour” (“Real Love”) and the Festival Premiere of Disneynature’s “Penguins,” a coming-of-age story about a penguin named Steve.

It also includes Clint Eastwood’s new film “Indian Horse,” which sheds light on the dark history of Canada’s boarding schools for its aboriginal people.

Organizers say the short film slate will be one of the most diverse and exciting to date. It features 26 films with nine Made in Idaho films and eight World Premieres.

FILM ADDITIONS:

NARRATIVE FILMS

C'est ça L'amour (Real Love)- US premiere - Since his wife walked out on the family, Mario has raised their two daughters on his own. Frida, 14, blames him for her mother leaving. Niki, 17, dreams of independence. Meanwhile, Mario waits for his wife to come home.

Director/Writer: Claire Burger

Producer: Isabelle Madelaine

Cast: Bouli Lanners, Justine Lacroix, Sarah Henochsberg

Disneynature's Penguins - Festival Premiere - Narrated by Ed Helms, and from the filmmaking team behind Bears and Chimpanzee, Disneynature's all-new feature film Penguins is a coming-of-age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family. None of it comes easily for him, especially considering he's targeted by everything from killer whales to leopard seals, who unapologetically threaten his happily ever after.

Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Jeff Wilson

Producers: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield, Keith Scholey, Roy Conli

Narrator: Ed Helms

Indian Horse- An adaptation of Ojibway writer Richard Wagamese's award-winning novel, this moving and important drama sheds light on the dark history of Canada's boarding schools or Indigenous Residential Schools and the indomitable spirit of aboriginal people.

Director: Stephen Campanelli

Writers: Paula Devonshire, Dennis Foon

Executive Producer: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Sladen Peltier, Forrest Goodluck, Ajuawak Kapashesit

Lemonade - Based on a true story, this feature debut follows Mara, a young mother from Romania who is awaiting a green card. As she begins to navigate the labyrinth of modern U.S. immigration, she soon realizes that the American Dream is much darker than it seems. Corruption and abuse lie in wait for Mara and, as she fights to build a better life for her young son, we are left to wonder, at what cost?

Director: Ioana Uricaru

Writers: Ioana Uricaru, Tatiana Ionascu

Producers: Cristian Mungiu, Yanick Létourneau, Eike Goreczka, Christoph Kukula, Sean Wheelan

Cast: Mălina Manovici, Steve Bacic, Dylan Scott Smith, Milan Hurduc, Ruxandra Maniu

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love - Special Sneak Preview - Marianne and Leonard is a beautiful  love story between Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen. Their love began on the idyllic Greek island of Hydra in 1960 as part of a bohemian community of foreign artists, writers and musicians. The film follows their love from the early days on Hydra, a humble time of 'free love' and open marriage, to how their love evolved when Leonard became a successful musician.

Director: Nick Broomfield

Producers: Nick Broomfield, Marc Hoeferlin, Shani Hinton, Kyle Gibbon

Editor: Marc Hoeferlin

Original Score: Nick Laird-Clowes

Ghost Fleet- Ghost Fleet follows a small group of activists who risk their lives on remote Indonesian islands to find justice and freedom for the enslaved fishermen who feed the world's insatiable appetite for seafood. Bangkok-based Patima Tungpuchayakul, a Thai abolitionist, has committed her life to helping these "lost" men return home. Facing illness, death threats, corruption, and complacency, Patima's fearless determination for justice inspires her nation and the world.

Directors: Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron

Producer: Jon Bowermaster

Executive Producers: Paul G. Allen, Jannat Gargi, Rocky Collins, Shari Saint Plummer, Shannon O'Leary Joy, Geralyn Dreyfous, Julia Ormond

Sea of Shadows - In Mexico's Sea of Cortez, a group of brilliant scientists, high-tech activists, investigative journalists and courageous undercover agents attempt to rescue the most endangered and elusive whale on Earth while battling the vicious Mexican drug cartels and Chinese traffickers whose destructive poaching methods are threatening the region's marine life.

Director: Richard Ladkani

Producers: Walter Köhler, Wolfgang Knöpfler Executive Producers: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson, Philip Watson, Dinah Czezik-Müller, Michael Frenschkowski, Rebecca Cammisa, Laura Nix

For ticket information, visit www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.

See also Eye on Sun Valley’s story “Meg Ryan, Aaron Paul Coming to Sun Valley Film Festival,” which was published Feb. 21, for more information about guest stars and films.