The 27th annual Virginia Film Festival begins this Thursday, Nov. 6 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 9. The festival serves as a unique opportunity to engage both students and local residents with the arts community. This year, it will screen more than 100 films at both on- and off-Grounds venues and feature 10 special guests, including University alumna Katie Couric.
Preparation for the four-day event began months ago, as Festival Director Jody Kielbasa, also U.Va. Vice Provost for the Arts, and Programmer and Operations Manager Wesley Harris traveled to various film festivals around the country to select the program lineup. They started as early as January with the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
“Between the two of us, we see as many films as we possibly can in about eight or nine days out there,” Kielbasa said. “Last year, I think I saw 25 films in that eight-day period; Wesley took in 27. ... So we covered a lot of territory in a relatively short period of time.”
Kielbasa and Harris attended other festivals throughout the year, including the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado and the Toronto Film Festival in Canada. During this selection process, the directors accept submissions from filmmakers to ensure a wide variety of programs. The selection ranges from classics to documentaries and international films.
“We’re looking for a very balanced program, so we’re looking for films [which] are [the] very best in any given year of cinema.” Kielbasa said.
In the past, the festival offered early screenings of Academy Award winning films, including “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) and “Nebraska” (2013). This year seems to follow suit — predicted Golden Globe and Oscar films such as “The Imitation Game,” “Wild” and “Foxcatcher” will be screened during the weekend.
What sets the Virginia Film Festival apart from other, larger film festivals is its close relationship with the University. Though the festival screens a wide variety of films, it tailors the program to community interests and issues.
This year, the festival coincides with the Berlin Wall Symposium, a weeklong event marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In conjunction with the event, the festival will screen “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” followed by a discussion with best-selling author Douglas Keeney and University Politics Prof. Allen Lynch.
“These are the things that really distinguish the Virginia Film Festival — the partnership with the University to bring in top academics who are experts in their field to introduce the film or talk about the subject matter,” Kielbasa said.
Couric will also speak at the festival about her new film “Fed Up,” a documentary focusing on childhood obesity. Additionally, actress Ashley Judd will appear at the premiere of “Big Stone Gap,” a new film made and set in Virginia which will screen publicly for the first time at the festival.
Beyond special guests, the event also engages the community through volunteer opportunities and film education.
This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Adrenaline Film Project, a competition that allows aspiring filmmakers to get hands-on experience creating a film. In 72 hours, teams must write, direct, edit and produce an original film. Mentors work with the teams to help with film editing and give advice. Upon completion, the projects are screened and voted on at the festival for prizes.
Hundreds of volunteers staff every screening and event for the festival. From collecting tickets to offering parking directions, more than 300 individuals devote their time to ensuring the festival runs smoothly.
Through film education and volunteer opportunities, students and local residents are able to interact with the arts community beyond simply seeing a film.
“The festival really serves as a bridge from Grounds to the community and from the community to Grounds.” Kielbasa said.
As for the future of the festival, Kielbasa hopes to continue the festival’s growth and maintain its close relationship with the University.
“We’ve had tremendous growth the last five years,” Kielbasa said. “The festival’s almost doubled in size in terms of attendance and really now, it’s about getting better.”
Virginia Film Festival tickets are available for free to students through the U.Va. Arts Box Office.
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