Contact: Victoria Joyce (804)-361-1259
Virginia Film Society Announces 1998-99 Schedule
Charlottesville, VA: - The Virginia Film Society will begin its new season on September 22 with the area premiere of Tim Kirkman's Dear Jesse, a "filmed letter" to Senator Jesse Helms that was not happily received by its recipient, who attacked the film from the Senate floor. Like the six other films in the Southern Circuit touring series that supplies most of the Film Society programs, Dear Jesse will be accompanied by its filmmaker. The series is co-sponsored locally by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Film Society memberships are $30 ($20 for seniors and UVA students), and can be obtained by calling 804-982-5277, and include access to the six screenings of the Southern Circuit; the Black Maria Film and Video Festival; and a designated screening during the Virginia Film Festival. In addition members may take advantage of special opportunities and discounts, including the opportunity to purchase advance tickets to Roger Ebert's very popular "shot by shot" workshop during the Virginia Film Festival (October 29 through November 1 in Charlottesville.)
Other Southern Circuit films this fall include Griffiti: The Animated Films of George Griffin on October 28th. This screening will be accompanied by the premiere of Thadd McQuade's The Winemaker, a half-hour silent comedy shot in Charlottesville. On November 18th Don Howard will present his Letter From Waco. Scheduled for screening in early 1999 are The Farm: Angola, USA and Girls Like Us, both recent winners of the top documentary prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and works by experimental animator Emily Breer. The final Film Society event will be the Black Maria Film and Video Festival, a collection of new independent short films, which will make its annual visit to Charlottesville this April.
In addition to the free screenings, Film Society members will receive a discount to all screenings sponsored by UVA's Off Screen, a new organization dedicated to bringing a richer variety of foreign, classic and independent films to Charlottesville. These screenings will be held in Newcomb Hall's Cinematheque, and Film Society Members will receive admission at the student-discounted price of $2.50. In addition to the new foreign films Irma Vep, Happy Together, and Who the Hell is Juliette? Off Screen will join the Virginia Film Festival in presenting a special preliminary event tied to this year's festival theme of Cool when actor-musician John Lurie presents Stranger than Paradise and Fishing With John on October 6 (see the accompanying release for more details).
Click here for more info on the Virginia Festival Film Society.
Click here for more info on the Southern Circuit series.
For Immediate Release