2000 Wrapup Report

The 13th Annual Virginia Film Festival, Animal Attractions, was a smash hit. A total of 10,015 viewers attended Festival programs, and ticket revenues exceeded last year's figures by over 40%. News of this year's festival blanketed the community and country like never before, thanks to the wide distribution of wire stories on Anthony Hopkins' award and enthusiastic and extensive regional media coverage. The Festival's idiosyncratic exploration of the theme of animals in cinema (focusing on human-animal hybrids, with a special emphasis on "cartoon critters") inspired many rich discussions. These prompted critic Peter Brunette, in his Film.Com coverage, to marvel "that the audiences for (Virginia Film Festival) films are the most intelligent I've seen at any festival, bar none, and the post-screening Q&A sessions often last longer than the films they're about."

Three Memorable Nights
The Festival was highlighted by three extraordinary screenings at Culbreth Theatre that were among the most memorable in Festival history. The opening night presentation was a double feature of Nosferatu and Shadow of the Vampire, with Silent Orchestra performing its majestic score for Nosferatu. Both the night's standing ovation and the acclaim registered in audience surveys expressed great appreciation for the revelatory effect of juxtaposing the two films and adding a contemporary score. The following night, the excitement at Culbreth continued with the premiere presentation of Barry Levinson's An Everlasting Piece. Producer Mark Johnson and screenwriter/lead actor Barry McEvoy drew two standing ovations. McEvoy, whose refreshing account of his good fortune in getting the film made delighted the crowd, was taken aback by the response and snapped a picture of the ovation as a souvenir. Finally, Culbreth's closing night event provided the greatest epiphany of all with a fascinating interview between Roger Ebert and Anthony Hopkins preceding the screening of Titus. Hopkins, who had addressed Drama students earlier that day in a Helms Theater dialogue with Drama chair Bob Chapel, was inspiring and mesmerizing as he jumped to his feet to answer audience questions and re-enact his Hannibal Lecter and Nixon roles.

Indie Premieres
The Festival's independent film premieres at Regal and Vinegar Hill also met with a strong response, particularly the sell-out screenings of Mark Lewis' The Natural History of the Chicken and Dorjkhandyn Turmunkh's State of Dogs. The Mongolian-born New Yorker Turmunkh was gratified by the quality of the post-screening discussion and by the reaction of local critics to his work. The audience's delight with Mark Lewis' films, both at Regal and at his special presentation of Rat in Scottsville's Victory Hall Theater (the Festival's first journey to this neighboring town), was reported to have prompted him to start searching for local real estate. Kathy High's Animal Attraction, completed just moments before this festival of the nearly same name began, thrilled its audience, who were then treated to an unforgettable post-film encounter with the film's subject, animal communicator Dawn Hayman. John Hancock's A Piece of Eden also drew an appreciative response and a moving discussion with Hancock and star Rebecca Harrell.

Alumni Participants
The Festival was privileged again to have the support of U.Va. alumni who return yearly and contribute great energy and imagination to the Festival's organization. Mark Johnson not only provided An Everlasting Piece; he convinced Shanghai Noon director Tom Dey to join him and deliver a memorable directing workshop for film students. Stan Winston returned for the second year, this time to pass the baton as 1999 Virginia Film Award recipient to 2000 awardee Anthony Hopkins and to participate in two other Festival programs. Catherine Olim, the PMK publicist who accompanied Sigourney Weaver last year, returned again to her alma mater, this time as a new Festival board member, with her client Anthony Hopkins. Johnson, Olim and Winston were joined by a U.Va. alumnus who was a first-time Festival guest, screenwriter Sam Hamm. Hamm got enormous media coverage and everything but the key to the city from local residents, many of whom were either former classmates or professors who turned out to greet him or, in one case, a grade school teacher who actually handed him one of his third-grade compositions.

Art Events
One extraordinary aspect of this year's Film Festival was its visual art emphasis. William Wegman not only presented his pioneering video art to a sell-out crowd at Regal; he also remained in Charlottesville an extra day to deliver the Gladys Blizzard Lecture on his photography. The lecture was sponsored by the Bayly Art Museum, which had three large Wegman photos prominently displayed in a gallery devoted to animal art. Also at the Bayly was a display of Carolee Schneemann's Infinity Kisses II, Schneemann's memorial to her late cat and artistic collaborator, Vesper. Schneemann's memorial to her other cat, Kitch, the dual projector performance Kitch's Last Meal, was marked by technical and emotional difficulties; sadly and eerily, Schneemann lost her third cat collaborator, Treasure, in an accident the night before her arrival in Charlottesville. Finally, artist Sam Easterson complemented his video presentation at Vinegar Hill with a striking installation, Animal, Vegetable, Video: Arachnida, in the Frank Ix Building. His installation was joined by scores of other artworks by students and faculty in the U.Va. Art Department and by Charlottesville artist Beatrix Ost. The enormous exhibition at the Ix Building was an astonishing display of talent and a sensory delight for all who were lucky enough to witness it.

Kids' Attractions
Another unique and much-appreciated dimension of this year's Festival was its emphasis on children's programs. Highlights among these included the Wild Life program of student videos presented by Monticello High School students, along with hands-on video demonstrations for kids, in the Virginia Discovery Museum. The popular screening of Chaplin's The Circus was supplemented by a wonderful show by animal handler Doug Sloan, who demonstrated his training methods with his dog Tex and horses Diablo and Stormy. Finally, reaching an audience of both children and adults was the Festival's retrospective of "Cartoon Critters," curated by Regent University Professor Terry Lindvall. Lindvall, an ever-popular Festival speaker, was joined by archivist David Shepard and Leslie Iwerks in a discussion after Iwerks' new documentary on her grandfather, animation pioneer Ub Iwerks.

Contributors
The rise in visibility and ticket sales was due in part to the launch of a remarkable new Festival website offering, for the first time, online ticket sales. The design and maintenance of the site was provided by the Charlottesville firm Category 4 Design, joining a growing list of companies who provide pro bono services and help the Festival reach a broader audience. The Martin Agency in Richmond designed the Festival poster featuring an unforgettable polar bear. Woody Sherman of Henninger Media Services edited the stunning Festival commercial, which the Virginia Cable Television Association then distributed to cable stations throughout Virginia. These companies were joined by many other in-kind donors, including Brown Automotive Group, Under the Roof, and more.

The Film Festival's development efforts enjoyed remarkable success this year, as loyal primary and major sponsors TNT, Sprint, Bravo/IFC, and Regal Cinemas were joined by Banana Republic. Regal made a valuable gift of projection and sound equipment to fully outfit the Festival's main theater, a donation that will provide great savings in years ahead. Government contributions from the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County were renewed, while the Virginia Film Office expanded its contributions and involvement. The VFO sponsored this year's closing night party. Its director, Rita McClenny, was instrumental in attracting Anthony Hopkins to this year's Festival, and Gayle Vail, head of the Virginia Tourism Corporation (the VFO's sponsor) traveled from Richmond to present Hopkins with the Virginia Film Award.

The most significant development of all was the emergence of a new Friends group of individual contributors. Denny King and Stan Ragle were among the Development Committee members who worked year round in preparing the group's launch at Trixie Ost's Estouteville estate in September. The outpouring of new contributors and the announcement of several upcoming Friends' premieres promise to considerably strengthen the Festival's financial condition.

Staff
This year's event was one of the smoothest ever, thanks to an extraordinary staff. Director of Operations Tori Talbot rose from student intern in 1999 and proved to be a great manager. She earned the respect of the Festival's veteran theater managers, who were collectively awed by her performance. Tori's deliberate style was well-complemented by the dynamic, thriving-in-crisis energy of Production Coordinator Amanda McRaven, who was equally invaluable. Also worthy of note this year was the dynamic duo from the Payne, Ross publicity firm, Anne Hooff and Rebecca Gibson who, along with national publicist Cara White, finally delivered a first-class press office, a long-desired goal, along with great coverage for the 2000 Film Festival. These staff members were joined by many other wonderful staff members, interns, and volunteers. They made this Festival a great experience for everyone.

Guests and Programs
Filmmakers Mark Johnson Mark Lewis David Shepard Abina Manning Leslie Iwerks Akira Mizuta Lippit Sam Easterson John Hancock Richard Bott Jim Fetterly Carolee Schneemann Stan Winston	(Filmmakers cont.) Don Bernier Kathy High William Wegman Dorjkhandyn Turmunkh Kelly Greene Tom Dey Leah Gilliam Actors Rebecca Harrell Anthony Hopkins Dawn Hayman Writers and Critics Barry McEvoy Sam Hamm Roger Ebert Musical Groups The Silent Orchestra	Visiting Scholars Terry Lindvall (Regent University) Eric du Plessis (Radford) Randall Stith (Virginia Tech) Ted McKosky (Radford) James Ruff (JMU) Other Speakers Judith Kahn (writer) Peter Dans (writer) John Casey (writer) Alexandria Searls (Vinegar Hill Film Fest) Fred Levy (psychotherapist) Jenny Dennis (Library of Congress) Larry Garretson (writer and Foolery actor) Programs Animal Charm Doug Sloan: Animal Handler Screenwriter's Panel Animated Animals with Stan Winston