PRESS RELEASE: The Virginia Film Festival–– The Virginia Film Festival has received a $20,000 grant from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to fund its education and outreach programs.
The Virginia Film Festival is presented by the University of Virginia’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
“I’d like to thank The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its support of our education and outreach efforts,” said Virginia Film Festival Director Jody Kielbasa.
“From the first day I arrived in Charlottesville three years ago, I have made community outreach and education a major priority. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished under the direction of our Community Outreach and Education Coordinator Jane Freeman, and look forward to continuing to expand our programs and to share the magic of film with more people than ever before.”
Other highlights of The Virginia Film Festival’s Community and Education Outreach programming include:
• Middle and High School Film Screening
Each year VFF hosts a free screening of a socially-relevant, curriculum-related film for local students and educators. This past November more than 900 were treated to the powerful documentary The Loving Story –chronicling an interracial couple’s fight to preserve their love in the face of Virginia’s racial purity laws. Past films have also included Freedom Riders, the tale of the brave Civil Rights activists who risked arrest and much more to expose racial inequality by riding buses through the heart of the segregated South.
• Family Day
The VFF’s annual Family Day event, presented on the Saturday of the festival weekend, is highlighted by a special family screening at The Paramount Theater and also includes a variety of family-friendly events ranging from interactive film-related activities to a street fair on the Downtown Mall featuring live performances by various community groups.
• Social Service Partnerships
The Festival regularly works with local organizations to use film to highlight important issues in the community. Past partners have included The ARC of the Piedmont, The Virginia Institute of Autism, The Foothills Child Advocacy Center and others.
• Light House Studio Film Screenings
Each year, the Festival hosts a special screening that showcases the work of the talented teenagers from this acclaimed not-for-profit, independent media education center.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.
For more information on the Virginia Film Festival and its Community and Education Programs, visit www.virginiafilmfestival.org.