Artistic Director’s Report
by Richard Herskowitz
The 20th annual Virginia Film Festival had what many felt was the strongest line-up of films in its history. This was, in part, because 2007 was such an extraordinary year in world cinema. Thanks to the reputation of the Festival and its well-connected Advisory Board, distributors provided us with exceptional and soon-to-be award-winning films like The Savages, Persepolis, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Starting Out in the Evening, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Another reason for the exceptionally high quality of titles was the richness of the theme, KIN FLICKS. The topic of “family life� has inspired so many classic films, as evidenced by the deluge of strong suggestions sent to my programmer’s blog, that I was at first paralyzed by all the possibilities. So I decided to select a number of extraordinary filmmakers who had consistently placed family issues at the center of their work. The opportunity for audiences to delve into multiple films by our “Focus On� filmmakers (including guests Charles Burnett, Tamara Jenkins, Nick Broomfield, Su Friedrich, Alan Berliner, Macky Alston, and Jane Gillooly) made this a particularly rich experience for viewers.
All told, 95 guest artists and speakers presented 87 films (including 49 features) to 11,000 attendees. Highlights for me included the very appreciative audience reaction to John Turturro’s Romance and Cigarettes (especially the cheers when James Gandolfini first broke out in song), followed by David Edelstein’s lively and probing interview with Turturro, a fellow Brooklynite. Edelstein, in his third year as a Festival interviewer, has become one of our greatest assets. His incredible rapport with Tamara Jenkins, and their rapid-fire, stimulating exchange after The Savages, was unforgettable.
For many people, the Festival’s most emotionally charged event was the screening of Autism: The Musical, presented by producer (and UVA alumnus) Perrin Chiles and director Tricia Regan. The audience cheered through the credits and erupted in applause countless times during the fascinating and moving panel discussion organized by the Virginia Institute of Autism. An unquestionable highlight was the presence of Josh Tucker, the bright and funny autistic son of panelist Elly Tucker.
Most of all, the heart and soul of this festival was Stewart Stern, who delighted the crowd with his memories of Peter Pan and conducted an unforgettable Shot-by-Shot Workshop on Rebel Without a Cause. As my introductory essay in the Festival catalogue attested, these two films, and the surprising synthesis of their visions in the mind of Rebel screenwriter Stern, inspired much of my programming.
Live Music & Film
As always, the festival featured much more than movies, and the live musical performances this year were extraordinary. The astonishing animations by the most impressive new talent I came across last year, Brent Green, were immeasurably enhanced by the live musical improvisations by Howe Gelb (of Giant Sand), Brendan Canty (of Fugazi), and Green himself. The Festival’s traditional live music accompaniment to silent films was given a fresh jolt this year—accompanist Donald Sosin had the inspired idea to invite singer-songwriters Paul Reisler and Terri Allard’s Kid Pan Alley group to work with Charlottesville schoolkids in composing and singing songs with the 1924 classic Peter Pan. That event, the culmination of the Film Festival’s first Family Day on the Downtown Mall, received thunderous applause from the excited children and adults in attendance.
Educational Programs
The Film Festival, in its second year of affiliation with UVA’s growing Media Studies Department, continued to expand its educational offerings. The Festival offered classes for student film makers and appreciators—Jeff Wadlow and Beau Bauman’s Volvo Adrenaline Film Project and Harry Chotiner’s “Behind the Scenes� Symposium. Chotiner continued to build the local cult of college and adult learners who esteem his four-day guided tour through the Festival program and interviews with guest artists. Wadlow and Bauman’s fourth Adrenaline group of 36 local filmmakers produced, once again, twelve exceptionally strong short films written, shot, and edited in 72 hours. While filmmaking blitzes like Adrenaline are proliferating at festivals around the country, what makes the Adrenaline films stand out is the mentoring that the student filmmakers receive every step of the way from pros Wadlow and Bauman.
The classes were supplemented by numerous panels, class visits, and post-film discussions conducted by film faculty. For our twentieth event, we were able to feature the talents of UVA film studies professor Walter Korte, a valued advisor to me and to my predecessors since the Festival’s inception. Professor Korte offered his brilliant insights into the films of Luchino Visconti, and we were able to reward Walter with a screening of a new, pristine print of Visconti’s Sandra. Media Studies chair and Festival Executive Director Andrea Press conducted two programs tailored especially for UVA students: a “Women and Film� panel and a Media Studies and Carter Woodson Institute student forum with actor Sean Patrick Thomas.
Supporting the Festival
One week before the 20th annual VFF began, we received word that we had received a wonderful anniversary gift from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We were one of only two film festivals to receive a large multiyear grant from the Academy. The grant is meant to allow the Festival to build on its educational successes and do more outreach to families, schoolkids, seniors and diverse audiences in the wider community over the next three years.
The Festival’s outreach efforts were enhanced this year by the help of pastor Alvin Edwards, who spread the word through local churches about our opening night screening of Honeydripper, featuring director John Sayles, producer Maggie Renzi, and UVA alumnus actor Sean Patrick Thomas. Sayles and Renzi, who wanted their new film to reach an African-American audience beyond the independent film market they normally tap, were thrilled with the turnout, and the audience’s response to their movie’s celebration of the blues roots of rock n’ roll.
The Festival’s contributions to the economic development of the region was celebrated when the Charlottesville/Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau gave its 2007 Tourism Appreciation Award to yours truly, to my great surprise (I was lured into the awards ceremony unknowingly). The CACVB also gave us their wonderful new Downtown Visitors Center as a site for our opening night party.
The Festival’s fundraising continued to be managed by Janet Matthews, with increasing support from Arts and Sciences Development Officer Jen Newell. Janet, working with the Council of Festival Friends (particularly chairman Richard Bloom and member Alison Dickie), organized a spectacular Oscar Party at the X Lounge. At this night-before-the-Oscars ceremony, film director Hugh Wilson was the delightful MC of an alternative awards program. This event was the first major fundraising event organized by the Council, and the acclaim of attendees augurs well for future events.
The Film Festival Advisory Board was generous and helpful this year, and special thanks are owed to Doro Bachrach, Sarah Eaton, David Koplan and Cara White, who were especially active in the recruitment of our featured guests.
Year-Round Programming
The Virginia Film Society kept the Festival flame burning all year long, and this year’s schedule featured some extraordinary guests. The spring season began with a preview of The Jane Austen Book Club, facilitated by the film’s producer (and Festival board member) Julie Lynn. UVA professors Susan Fraiman, Alison Booth, and Andrea Press bowled over director Robin Swicord (present by conference phone from Los Angeles) with their Austen erudition and insights, as she told Julie the following day. In collaboration with the inaugural Festival of the Photograph, we brought Sally Mann for a discussion following What Remains, a powerful documentary on her recent work. The legendary Albert Maysles stayed for two nights, first presenting a fascinating retrospective program of highlights and outtakes from his career, followed by a screening of Lalee’s Kin, where he was joined by photographer William Christenberry.
The Festival joined with the UVA Art Museum in opening a new venue this year, the Art Museum’s Media Gallery. All year long, the Festival programmed experimental films and short documentaries, often accompanied by a visual art exhibition on the gallery’s outside wall. The programs, including films by Peter Whitehead, William Klein, and Miranda July were free and running all day long, and were cited by Hook art critic Laura Parsons among the year’s best art events.
In June, on the day of its opening in New York and Los Angeles, ATO Pictures and Fox Searchlight’s production of Joshua screened in Charlottesville, followed by a lively reception at the Music Resource Center. The event was facilitated by ATO producer and Festival Board vice chair Temple Fennell. The locally based ATO Pictures took off this year, earning critical acclaim and distribution deals for Joshua, Savage Grace, and Choke, and is likely to be an important Festival partner in the years ahead.
Staff & Volunteers
David Hopper joined the staff as our new Operations Manager, bringing considerable arts administration experience and an English accent to our organization. He received tremendous assistance from Administrative Assistant Patrick Webb and Production Coordinator James Ford who, in their second year with the Festival, were invaluable veterans. Robert Marsh did a tremendous job in creating the Festival’s independent box office, with assistance from returning veteran Logan Byers. Sean McCord did an extraordinary job as Head Writer of the Festival News, and was an invaluable consultant on the exciting upgrade of the Festival’s website. The Festival benefited from the creativity and energy of a great group of student interns, including Christina Tkacik, Laura Parsons, Tory Hanabury, Zander Roberts, Carlyn Kener, Patrick Harrison, and Era Kryzhanovskaya. Thanks to the many other staff members and volunteers who pitched in to make our events run so smoothly and well.
