The Virginia Film Festival

Special Guests To Include Actors Matthew Broderick and Cherry Jones; Academy Award-Winning Director Norman Jewison, Legendary Cult Filmmaker and Author John Waters, Academy Award and Emmy Award-Winning Writer and Director Alan Ball, Noted CNN Political Commentator Candy Crowley and Others

Film lovers have known for some time that the early November forecast in Charlottesville was calling for some serious Funny Business. Today, at a press conference at the University of Virginia Art Museum, new Virginia Film Festival Director Jody Kielbasa explained why.

The 22nd Annual Virginia Film Festival, set for November 5-8 at venues throughout Charlottesville, will offer up some 80 films and more than 100 guests to shed light on an array of topics ranging from the funny business of comedy, business, politics, wine and more.

The Virginia Film Festival is presented by University of Virginia’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

This year’s guest list will include:

•    Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress Cherry Jones joining director Rodrigo Garcia and producer, U.Va. alum Julie Lynn, to present a sneak preview of their acclaimed new film Mother and Child
•    Cult film pioneer John Waters – Presenting his acclaimed one-man multimedia lecture “This Filthy World” on Friday at 4:30PM in Culbreth Theatre in the second annual U.Va. Arts Assembly; and Pink Flamingos and Hairspray on that evening  — at 7 and 10PM at Newcomb Theater.
•    Academy Award-winning Director Norman Jewison — Presenting a 30th Anniversary screening of …And Justice for All, and The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming
•    Matthew Broderick –Premiering his new film Wonderful World as the festival’s closing night film, along with the famed dark comedy Election
•    Writer/Director Alan Ball (writer, American Beauty and creator, Six Feet Under and True Blood) – Presenting a 10th Anniversary screening of American Beauty and a special discussion of his runaway HBO hit True Blood

While the theme will certainly include plenty of new and classic comedies, Kielbasa, who arrived in Charlottesville in June following a successful 10-year run as Founding Executive Director of the Sarasota Film Festival, points out that punch lines are just one aspect of a multi-layered look at the world in which we live.  “When I sat down to really look at this theme I started with comedy.  But the more I thought about it the more I realized there is an awful lot of funny business surrounding us in so many aspects of our lives today. You’ve got the funny business of business, the funny business of politics…there is funny business everywhere we turn.”

As a leader in the funny business of festival programming, Kielbasa continues his long track record of attracting high profile guests with a roster of some of the industry’s most notable actors, directors, writers and more.   This year’s roster represents his vision that the festival always has a contemporary focus by combining exciting new works with classic films that can be seen through a contemporary lens.

“I think it is really important that the people of this community be exposed to new works they may not be able to see anywhere else,” he said. “That is true of the extraordinary Rodrigo Garcia film Mother and Child, which features a remarkable cast including the incredible three-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening and the Tony and Emmy Award winning Cherry Jones.  And it’s also true of Matthew Broderick’s new film Wonderful World.  At the same time, I always want to choose classic films that still inform us about our own lives and the lives of others around the world.  Few people do this in more consistently creative and signature ways than John Waters, and few have done it as masterfully as Norman Jewison.”  “I’ve always been fascinated with Alan Ball’s American Beauty, and you can’t get more contemporary than his smash-hit HBO series True Blood, (which Ball will discuss at a special presentation on Sunday, November 8 at Culbreth Theatre at 10:30AM).   And I think today’s political climate, fortunately or unfortunately, makes Matthew Broderick’s Election as relevant as ever.”

It was the 2008 election, in fact, that served as an important cultural landmark for Kielbasa’s programming this year.  “I looked around at what was out there and said ‘OK, we have one of the most historic elections in the history of our country, and a number of films that chronicle that and the events leading up to it.’”

Opening Night
One of the most interesting, and regionally relevant of these films is the opening night presentation, Marching Band.  The documentary, made by French filmmaker Claude Miller and filmed in Virginia, looks at that election through the eyes of the marching bands of the University of Virginia and Virginia State University. The film will literally provide the festival with its own fanfare thanks to an opening night appearance by the U.Va. Marching Band outside Culbreth Theatre.

Showcase Films
•    The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.  Directed by Rebecca Miller and starring Robin Wright and Alan Arkin, this heartwarming comedy showcases a unique May-December relationship between a promiscuous young woman and an aging publisher who saves her from her dangerous lifestyle until health problems shatter their new life together.  (Friday, 10PM, Culbreth)
•    Tenure, directed by 1993 U.Va. graduate Mike Million, stars Luke Wilson as a professor whose tenure track is anything but a straight line thanks to an elderly father with a penchant for escaping nursing homes, a long line of publishing rejections, a friend who needs him to help find Bigfoot, tempting students and an increasingly acclaimed colleague.(Thursday, 10PM, Culbreth and Friday 5PM at Newcomb)
•    …And Justice For All, one of the film world’s most famed courtroom dramas, is the story of idealist Baltimore defense attorney Arthur Kirkland, memorably played by Al Pacino.  When things begin to unravel on nearly every front, Arthur finds himself torn between the quest for justice and a nemesis he must now defend in the same setting that held their greatest battles.  The screening will be followed by a discussion moderated by noted film critic David Edelstein. (Saturday, 4PM, Paramount)

Closing Night
For the first time, the festival will host a special closing night event featuring one of its major guests when director Josh Goldin and producer Glenn Williamson present their new film Wonderful World at Culbreth Theatre on Sunday evening at 5:30PM – joined by its star Matthew Broderick.  The film tells the story of Ben Singer, a failed children’s folk singer and halfhearted weekend dad with a serious pessimism problem.  His only happiness comes in regular chess games and game theory debates with his Senegalese roommate, whose sudden illness and visit from his sister change Ben’s life forever.  The film will be preceded by a screening and discussion of Broderick’s Election at 3PM, also at Culbreth Theatre.

Virginia Filmmakers
This year’s film lineup will also feature a strong Virginia flavor, Kielbasa said.  “When I looked into this opportunity, I heard a lot about the vibrant filmmaking community here.  When I arrived and began to delve into it further I was amazed by the level of talent and commitment and knew that I wanted to make this work an important part of our festival.”

One of the most important of these films is Locked Out: The Fall of Massive Resistance, a riveting documentary produced by WHTJ/PBS along with the University of Virginia Department of Politics, to mark the 50th Anniversary of the shameful decision to close Charlottesville schools rather than accept integration.  “This is a remarkable film that serves as a perfect bookend to films like Marching Band,” Kielbasa said, “which celebrate the history we made as a nation last year.  There’s no way to truly capture that historic moment without looking at where we came from, and this film does this in a powerful way.”  The Saturday evening screening will be followed by a panel discussion led by Professor Larry Sabato, director of the University’s Center for Politics and featuring former Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder, among others. (Saturday, 5PM, Culbreth)

The Virginia films in this year’s festival include:

•    9500 Liberty – A powerful look at Prince William County as the epicenter of America’s immigration policy when a law is passed requiring police officers to question anyone they have “probable cause” to suspect may be here illegally. (Friday, 5PM, Vinegar Hill)
•    With These Hands – A timely and devastating look at the aftermath of the March 2007 closing of a Martinsville furniture factory. (Saturday, 5PM, Regal 3)
•    Bedford: The Town They Left Behind – A small town’s disproportionate and heroic sacrifices in W.W. II are recalled when a new generation of young men face enemy fire in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Sunday, 12:30p.m.  Regal 3)

Anniversaries
This year’s festival will also take a look back at several films celebrating milestone anniversaries and that have a particular relevance to this year’s Funny Business theme as well as relevance to the world we live in today.  These include one of Hollywood’s most famous look at the political world, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which is now celebrating its 70th Anniversary.

“First of all, Jimmy Stewart has always been my favorite actor,” Kielbasa said.  “But on top of that, when you look at the political landscape today, it is all about insiders and outsiders.  The question becomes ‘Who are the heirs to the Jefferson Smith legacy?’  Ronald Reagan?  Barack Obama?  Sarah Palin?’  We’ll combine the movie with an in-depth discussion moderated by Washington Post writer Liza Mundy, whose original article on this topic launched this idea for me.” The panel will also feature CNN political correspondent Candy Crowley and others. (Friday, 10AM and 1:30PM, Culbreth).

Joining American Beauty and Election on the anniversary roster will be films including:

•    Buster Keaton’s Sherlock, Jr. (85th Anniversary)
•    Some Like it Hot (50th Anniversary)
•    Police Academy (25th Anniversary)
•    Sex, Lies and Videotape (20th Anniversary)
•    Do the Right Thing (20th Anniversary)
•    Pulp Fiction (15th Anniversary)

The Funny Business of…Comedy
As you might suspect, this year’s festival is chock full of giggles and guffaws courtesy of everything from classic screwball to brand new this fall.  Comic highlights include:

•    Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times (1936)
•    The Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup (1933)
•    Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
•    Police Academy- with special guest Hugh Wilson (1984)
•    Pulp Fiction (1994)

The Funny Business of…Politics
Politics will be front and center throughout the festival, including student and public screenings of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which will feature a post-film discussion featuring noted CNN political analyst Candy Crowley and Washington Post writer Liza Mundy, among others.   “When you look at the political landscape today, it is really all about insiders and outsiders,” Kielbasa said.  “Last June I happened to read a wonderful Washington Post piece by Liza Mundy (who I then learned is a U.Va. graduate) that was celebrating the film’s anniversary and looking at its relevance to the modern political landscape.  It covered a number of candidates, including Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, and, of course, Barack Obama.  It was this article that launched the idea for this panel, and I am so happy that we will be welcoming its writer, Liza Mundy, along with one of the true ‘go-to’ political analysts today, Candy Crowley, who will appear at a special student screening and panel discussion as well as a second panel discussion for the general public that will also include Dr. Larry Sabato of the U.Va. Center for Politics.”

Other politically-themed films include:

•    By the People – A documentary on the 2008 election produced by Edward Norton
•    Convention – Documentary filmmaker A.J. Schnack’s look at the interconnected stories of  convention characters as they produce, participate in, protect and report on the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver

The Funny Business of…Wine
One of Virginia’s hottest commodities and signature calling cards gets its close-up in this year’s festival thanks to a screening of new and recent vintage films.  One is Mondovino (2004), a documentary on globalization in the industry focusing on writer Robert Parker, consultant Michel Rolland and the money of the Mondavi family brand.  The other, Corked (2009), is a dry, wry and sly mockumentary that skewers that pretentiousness of the northern California wine scene.

Around the World
Once again this year, the Virginia Film Festival spotlights leading films and filmmakers from throughout the globe.  The films include the Academy Award winning Japanese film Departures, about a cellist who learns his premiere symphony has been disbanded and returns to his hometown to take a job preparing dead bodies for the ceremonial “encoffination” prior to cremation.  Other international highlights include:

•    Gigante (Uruguay) – Winner of prestigious “Silver Bear” at Berlin Film Festival
•    For My Father; A Matter of Size (Israel)
•    Rashomon (Japan) – Screening to include newly restored 35 mm print of Kurosawa’s iconic mystery
•    The Joy of Singing (France)
•    Mid-August Lunch (Italy)
•    Pachamama (Bolivia)
•    Patrik, Age 1, 5 (Sweden)
•    Shameless (Czech Republic)

Community Matters: Family Day
This year’s festival will include, and has already included, extensive outreach to the community.  “I am a firm believer that one of our most important missions is to engage this community, and we will be doing that this year in a variety of ways,” Kielbasa said.

One major example is the Virginia Film Festival Family Day, scheduled for Saturday, November 7 at the Paramount Theatre and on the Downtown Mall.  The day is a come-one, come-all cornucopia of family fun that will include a trio of screenings in the Paramount (featuring a $1 admission price), along with an array of interactive events for all ages. The screenings will include:

•    Pixar Shorts – A collection of short animations from the revolutionary studio, including Luxo, Jr., For the Birds, Tin Toy and others. (10AM)
•    A 20th Anniversary presentation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid – A rare chance to see Ariel, Sebastian, Ursula, King Triton and the rest of the undersea favorites come to life on the big screen. (11:30AM)
•    More Than a Game – This inspirational tale documentary follows NBA megastar LeBron James and his Ohio friends from the start of their athletic careers through their highly-publicized high school careers and his ascension to his current status as international icon.  It’s a moving tale about friendship, determination, loyalty and a coach who made it his job not just to win games, but to build men.(1:30PM)

Meanwhile, on the mall, kids will be treated like true stars with events like their own “Red Carpet Walk “ (complete with clamoring paparazzi); green screen technology that puts kids in the middle of the action; debuts of films by members of the Young Filmmakers Academy and Lighthouse; special exhibits (and free admission from 1-3PM with VFF ticket stub) at the Virginia Discovery Museum; a sneak peek at this year’s Sprout Film Festival (hosted by PREP/Parent Resource Center) and musical guests form the Music Resource Center.

The Virginia Film Festival Family Day is supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Whole Foods, the Charlottesville Newsplex and Charlottesville Radio Group.

Lectures, Panels and Classes
•    Adrenaline Film Project – This wildly popular and highly-caffeinated 72-hour filmmaking blitz is back under the guidance of Charlottesville’s own Jeff Wadlow and his producing partner Beau Baumann.  The duo will once again put a team of aspiring filmmakers through their hyper-speed paces as the teams set out to concept, write, film, edit and deliver their short films in just three days. It’s a wild ride to Saturday night, when it’s time to show them off  in competitions decided by a juried panel of experts and a frenzied packed house of audience members. (Saturday, November 7 at 10PM).
•    Independent Film Panel – Three of the leading forces on the American independent film scene will come together to discuss the state of independent film today and where it is heading in the future.  They include Ron Yerxa, a Virginia Film Festival Advisory Board Member with an award-packed resume including films such as Little Miss Sunshine, Cold Mountain, Election, Little Children and others; Peter Biskind, noted journalist and author known for books chronicling various aspects of life in Hollywood, including Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film; and Bingham Ray, highly-acclaimed producer and co-founder of independent film powerhouse October Films. The panel will be moderated by New York University film professor and former V.P. of 20th Century Fox, Harry Chotiner.  (following the screening of Do The Right Thing, which begins at 7PM on Friday evening at Culbreth Theatre).
•    Festival Fellow Lecture – Noted Princeton film scholar and author of the book Fast Talking Dames Maria DiBattista will deliver a special lecture on the screwball comedy genre on Thursday, November 5 at 4PM at Monroe Hall, Room 134.

Special Events/Parties
There will be plenty of chances for community members to celebrate “Funny Business” this year.  “I always want people here to be able to participate in this festival as many ways as possible, and one great way to do that is by celebrating it with the filmmakers and actors themselves,” Kielbasa said.   These opportunities will include:

•    The Opening Night Gala – November 5
The Sandridge Lobby at the John Paul Jones Arena will be the site of the weekend’s kickoff celebration this year, following the opening night presentation of Marching Band.  The event will include drinks, light buffet refreshments and musical entertainment, plus a great opportunity to take in the opening night excitement and mingle with VFF guests.  Tickets for the event are $75 per person.
•    It’s a Wrap…Party! — November 7
The closing night Wrap Party on Saturday evening will be open to the public for the first time. This year’s event will be held at X-Lounge and will include a free light bar and snacks as well as specially-price signature festival cocktails.  Come along and relive your favorite festival moments with friends and with the festival guests and filmmakers who made them happen!  Tickets for the Wrap Party are $45.

Additional premieres and special guests will be announced in the weeks between now and the Festival.

The Festival is made possible through generous leading sponsorships from the Acura, Regal, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), the Virginia Film Office, the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle.