Press Release

October 4, 1996

Public Invited to Film Festival Galas Oct. 31 and Nov. 2

"Wild Spaces, Endangered Places" Sets Theme For Edible Art Contest

Charlottesville, VA: The Virginia Film Festival is pleased to announce this year's two evening galas, on Thursday, October 31, 5:00-6:30 p.m. at the Bayly Art Museum, and Saturday, November 2, 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. at the McGuffey Arts Center. Tickets to the events are available on a first-come-first-served basis for $30 each and may be purchased by mail or at the Festival Box Office in Culbreth Hall after October 14.

The Festival's opening gala will be held at the Bayly Art Museum, on Rugby Road. Ticket holders will enjoy light refreshments and a performance by the Rivanna Quartet. Special guests, including Eva Marie Saint, will be present. Black tie is optional, and parking is available adjacent to the Culbreth Theatre. Following the gala, at 7:00 p.m., Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller North by Northwest, starring Ms. Saint, will be shown in the Culbreth Theatre. Tickets to the gala screening may be reserved for $6 each.

Saturday night's party at the McGuffey Art Center in downtown Charlottesville offers a wealth of activities. Area chefs will compete for prizes in the Edible Art Contest, inspired by the Festival's theme "Wild Spaces, Endangered Places," and the public will have an opportunity to vote for the audience prize. At 10:00 p.m., the celebrity judges will announce the winners and the entries will be served. Tickets holders are also invited to tour the exhibitions in the Second Street Gallery and the McGuffey Art Center and to visit artists' studios in the building. A piano bar, upstairs, will feature performances by Art Wheeler, John Carden, and Diane Nelson. A band led by James Leva and Carol Elizabeth Jones will perform on the main level . A cash bar will be available.

Chefs interested in creating culinary artworks for the Edible Art Contest are asked to call Rhonda Scovill at 293-9455. Further information regarding tickets and events is available in the Virginia Film Festival Preview Guide which is available throughout Charlottesville, or by calling the Festival at (804) 982-5277. The Festival box office will open in Culbreth Theatre on October 14, and will operate from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. , Monday through Friday.