The Virginia Film Festival announced a full return to in-person movie viewing for its 34th annual fest, which will be held October 27-31.
Jody Kielbasa, UVA’s vice provost for the arts and director of the festival, says the VAFF will offer more than 85 films and host an extensive lineup of live discussions. Special guests include actress Martha Plimpton, appearing in conjunction with a screening of her new film Mass. Playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris will accept the VAFF’s 2021 American Perspectives Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. (Harris made headlines earlier this week when his Slave Play, nominated for 12 Tonys , including Best Play, did not win a single award.) During the festival, he will be awarded for co-writing the dark comedy Zola, and his extensive work with HBO. On the local front, former Roanoke Times reporter Beth Macy will discuss the Hulu limited series “Dopesick,” based on her book about the opioid crisis in central Appalachia, and produced by Michael Keaton.
Kielbasa says that inclusivity has always been essential to the mission of the festival, and program manager Chandler Ferrebee confirms that at least 50 percent of the VAFF films are directed by women or people of color. Ferrebee points to Flee, an animated documentary produced by Riz Ahmed, and Jane Campion’s western, The Power of the Dog, starring Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch, as two must-see movies. (Another Cumberbatch film, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, will also be screened during the festival.)
New this year are COVID protocols that combine standard practice with community policies: guests will be tested, masks are required for everyone at indoor venues, and proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test will be needed to attend The Paramount Theater events. In addition, the Paramount will feature open captions for screenings and ASL interpreters during stage conversations.
A returning favorite are the drive-in movies at Morven, which include the opening night feature The French Dispatch from Wes Anderson, plus a Halloween night showing of the cult classic, The Addams Family.
The full program will be posted online at 10am September 30, and tickets will be available beginning at noon on Tuesday, October 5, through virginiafilmfestival.org, by calling (434)924-3376, or in person at the UVA Arts box office.
