The 19th annual Virginia Film Festival, which will run Oct. 26 to 29, announced its theme and guest lineup Wednesday. Filmmakers Robert Duvall and Liev Schreiber are among those scheduled to participate this year.
The theme for the festival is "Revelations: Finding God at the Movies," said Richard Herskowitz, director of the Virginia Film Festival.
"We made a deliberate effort this year to really feature films that come from a diversity of religious faiths," Herskowitz said. "We are really trying to show a wide range of religious practices and how they've been depicted in film."
Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism are some of the religions that the festival is featuring, Herskowitz said.
The Festival will be housed predominantly in Newcomb Theater this year, as opposed to years past. Organizers hope the move, which largely occurred because of construction concerns at Culbreth, will increase student participation, Herskowitz said.
According to Herskowitz, the structure of the film festival reflects its purpose: dialogue.
"It's a festival that really emphasizes discussion," he said. "So, most films are followed by conversations with filmmakers and critics."
Duvall, who will be receiving the Virginia Film Award, and Schreiber, of the "Scream" trilogy and "The Omen," will be among the filmmakers involved in the dialogue aspect of the festival, Herskowitz said.
Duvall "is going to be here showing his classic film 'The Apostle,'" he said. Schreiber "is showing the first film he's written and directed ... 'Everything is Illuminated,' with the star Elijah Wood."
Not only will participation occur through dialogue at the Virginia Film Festival, but also through "high-impact" experiences, as shown through the Festival's sponsorship of the Volvo Adrenaline Film Project, said project coordinator Han West, a fourth-year College student.
"Ten teams of three are chosen from around the state and have to create a film within 72 hours," West said.
The time frame does not provide the only challenge. There are also rules that the participants must adhere to in making their films, West said.
These rules include applying an assigned genre and incorporating certain dialogue and props, he said.
The project culminates in the viewing and judging of the films in Newcomb Theater.
Tickets for the Virginia Film Festival go on sale today on the Web site and the festival will open at Newcomb with a premiere of "Tenacious D: In the Pick of Destiny."
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