Over 11 days this month, the 36th Mill Valley Film Festival took movie lovers on a journey that spanned a wide-eyed German book lover during the World War II to the brutality of slavery with a 30th anniversary look back at George Lucas’ Return of the Jedi.

The festival closed Sunday night with a film that took the audience of a journey of its own. Based on the 1946 short story by James Thurber, Ben Stiller directs and stars in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, portraying a guy who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. Mitty takes a wild real-life journey of his own in Stiller’s film, which also features a small-but-memorable cameo by Sean Penn.

Stiller appeared at the CineArts at Sequoia Theatre in downtown Mill Valley to preview the film screening and then at the Rafael Film Center to receive a tribute and sit down with MVFF Founder Mark Fishkin for a Q&A.

The 36th Mill Valley Film Festival was from Oct. 3-13 in theaters throughout Marin. Here is some of Patch’s MVFF36 coverage:

• Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, Geoffrey Rush, Steve McQueen and Chiwetel Ejiofor Headline Star-Studded 36th Mill Valley Film Festival
• ‘Return of the Jedi’ to Screen at MVFF Event in Corte Madera
• Watch the Trailer for the 36th Mill Valley Film Festival
• ‘In the Cobbler’s Shoes’ Doc Takes Intimate Look at Inimitable Misak, Makes Debut at MVFF36
• Thomas Dolby to Unveil ‘Invisible Lighthouse’ Transmedia Show at MVFF36
• ‘The Book Thief,’ ‘Nebraska’ Kick Off 36th Mill Valley Film Festival
• 30 Years After Its Debut, ‘Return of the Jedi’ Wows at MVFF36
• “Effie Gray” and Star Dakota Fanning Bail on Mill Valley Film Festival
• Thomas Dolby, Dan Hicks, Don Was and More Dive Into ‘I Scare Myself’
• Steve McQueen’s Brilliant, Brutal “12 Years a Slave” Leaves Audience Gasping at MVFF36