More than trick-or-treaters will descend on Charlottesville this Halloween weekend.
The 17th annual Virginia Film Festival, which runs Oct. 28-31, will bring film directors, producers, critics and even a few movie stars, including Sandra Bullock, to the area.
"We wanted her to come because the theme for this year is speed, and she was in the movie 'Speed,' and she's also a Virginia native," said Kevin Wu, a third-year College student and a festival intern.
Festival Director Richard Herskowitz said Bullock is just one highlight of an eventful weekend.
"Getting the celebrity guests, we consider it the icing on the cake," Herskowitz said. "But the cake is very, very rich."
At the festival, Bullock will present a preview of her upcoming film, "Miss Congeniality 2," which she both stars in and produced with her own production company, Fortis Films.
The Arlington, Va., native will receive the Virginia Film Award -- previously awarded to stars such as Anthony Hopkins.
Bullock also will work with a group of University drama students in a workshop closed to the public.
The festival will encompass many other students as well. Last year, 43 percent of festival tickets were sold to University students.
"We really try to push student publicity a lot with events that will appeal to various student groups on campus as well as members of FMS [Filmakers Studio]," Wu said.
Aspiring filmmakers can attend "Storming the Media" panels, where they can participate in a discussion with various members of the film industry. One such panel this year will feature a film stuntman.
For the more musically oriented, the festival will host synaesthesiologists, artists who fuse "sight and sound in an exploration of visual music," according to the festival's Web site.
For students not content with just observing, the Adrenaline Film Project offers a hands-on experience in filmmaking.
"It's a really unique opportunity to get exposed to really influential people in the film industry," second-year College student and project participant Han West said.
Wednesday night, 12 teams of three members each will be given a prop and a line of dialogue as a starting point for producing a three- to five-minute film.
Teams have 72 hours to finish the films. They will receive mentoring and assistance from Jeff Wadlow, winner of the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Competition.
Of the 17 teams, 10 include at least one University student. Many of the teams are made up of a mixture of students and community members.
West said that gaining experience is his main goal for participating in the project.
"But always in the back of your mind you hope that someone who really matters in Hollywood sees your work and is really interested in it," West said.
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