Jody Kielbasa, director of the Virginia Film Festival and Vice Provost for the Arts at the University, released the preliminary lineup of films, guests and events for the 31st Virginia Film Festival alongside Festival Programmer Wesley Harris in an event Tuesday at the Jefferson Theater.
Kielbasa began the event by announcing the film festival’s opening night movie, “Green Book.” The film stars Mahershala Ali, who plays Don Shirley, a real-life jazz musician popular in the 1960s, and Viggo Mortensen as Tony Lip, Shirley’s driver and bodyguard. The story focuses on the pair’s experiences on a tour of the American south in 1962. As is custom of opening night films, “Green Book” will be shown at the Paramount Theater Thursday, Nov. 1, the first day of the four-day film festival.
The featured movie of Friday night is “The Favourite,” a film set during the reign of Queen Anne. The Queen (Olivia Colman) enjoys the attention of her cousins Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and Abigail Masham (Emma Stone), whose battle for the Queen’s affections comprises the plot of “The Favourite.”
As has been previously announced, the documentary “Charlottesville” will premiere at the film festival. The film, which focuses on the white supremacist rallies of Aug. 11 and 12, 2017, will be followed by a discussion between Martin Luther King III and Larry Sabato.
The film festival contains several running series, which Kielbasa mentioned during the lineup. “Race in America,” a series co-hosted by James Madison’s Montpelier at last year’s film festival, is returning with films including “Circles” and “Another Slave Narrative.” The latter film depicts multiracial actors recreating slave narratives gleaned from interviews conducted in the 1930s.
Harris took the stage to highlight other series, such as “Hidden Gems,” which seeks to represent independent and little-known films. The lineup for this series includes “Worlds of Ursula K. LeGuin” and “God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut,” two documentaries which highlight the titular authors. Harris also discussed the featured works for “American Folk Music in Film” and “Spotlight on VA,” which features both a documentary on Charlottesville’s West Main Street and “Seats at the Table,” a documentary that details the “Books Behind Bars” initiative begun by Andrew Kaufman, Slavic Languages and Literatures lecturer.
Harris also revealed the identity of one of the guests slated to appear at the University — Peter Bogdanovich. An esteemed film critic and director of movies such as “The Last Picture Show,” Bogdanovich was also a close friend of Orson Welles, whose films and life will be the focus of Bogdanovich’s appearances at the film festival. “A Tribute to Orson Welles” will feature such films as the previously unreleased “The Other Side of the Wind,” Welles’ last film, and “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead,” a documentary depicting the twilight of Welles’ career which features Bogdanovich. This is Bogdanovich’s second visit to the film festival as an esteemed guest, the first having occurred in 2010.
Kielbasa took the stage again to describe other, not strictly movie-related aspects of this year’s film festival. He said that three new theater venues would be added to the classic locations — Alamo Drafthouse, Common House and the Jefferson African American Heritage Center. Kielbasa also described a new partnership that the film festival has made with National Geographic. In addition to screening two of the network’s documentaries at the film festival, a festival called “On Campus” is scheduled for University students next spring. Taking place over three days in late February and early March, Kielbasa said that this festival is not film-based, but rather a community of “educators and storytellers” interacting with students.
In the last few minutes of the release, Kielbasa revealed the Centerpiece and Closing Night Films — “Roma” and “The Front Runner,” respectively. “Roma,” the latest from director Alfonso Cuarón, is a drama set in 1970s Mexico City. “The Front Runner” is a biopic starring Hugh Jackman as Gary Hart, depicting the national turmoil surrounding the 1988 Democratic presidential candidate’s extramarital affair. Kielbasa stated his excitement for this film, saying that “the timing could not be more perfect.”
Kielbasa also stressed that this is not the final lineup for the film festival. “We might possibly add some more films and some more guests,” he said, adding that the schedule was continually being updated.
Tickets for the 31st Virginia Film Festival go on sale Monday, Oct. 8 at noon.
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