37th Annual VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL Oct 30-Nov 3, 2024

37th Annual VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL October 30-November 3, 2024

News & Press

VFF to Welcome Critic Leonard Maltin as Part of the Library of Congress Series

by JennyM on August 19, 2015

VFF to Welcome Critic Leonard Maltin as Part of the Library of Congress Series Highlighting National Film Registry 

Festival Announces Partnership with Violet Crown Charlottesville That Will Offer VFF Audiences First Look at New Downtown Cinema and Restaurant and Serve as 2015 VFF Headquarters

2015 Virginia Film Festival Set for November 5-8 in Charlottesville

Legendary Film Critic Leonard Maltin
Legendary Film Critic Leonard Maltin

Charlottesville, VA – August 18, 2015 – The Virginia Film Festival made two major announcements at its annual “Stakeholders” event, held this evening at The Local in Charlottesville.

The Virginia Film Festival is presented by the University of Virginia and the Office of Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts.

Festival officials announced that legendary film historian and critic Leonard Maltin will be a special guest at this year’s Festival. Maltin, a member of the National Film Preservation Group, which serves as a public advisory group to the Librarian of Congress, will act as a guest programmer for the VFF’s popular Library of Congress Series, which celebrates films found on the National Film Registry. He will also host of a number of screenings and discussions during the Festival and work with Festival staff to bring in special guests related to those programs. f .

Leonard Maltin is known to millions for his regular segment on the syndicated television show Entertainment Tonight. He is also featured regularly on the Starz cable network and hosts his own syndicated radio program Leonard Maltin on Video. As an author, he is best known for Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, which has been published every year since 1969 and features constantly updated film synopses and trivia. Maltin has also penned several other highly-acclaimed works including Behind the Camera, a study of the art of cinematography; The Whole Film Sourcebook, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia, and Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Mr. Maltin, who is perhaps the preeminent critic in the film industry today,” said Virginia Film Festival Director Jody Kielbasa. “His involvement serves to further expand what is an outstanding partnership with The Library of Congress and dovetails perfectly with our mission of offering new perspectives on classic films.”

Kielbasa also announced a new partnership between the Festival and the new Violet Crown Cinema on the Downtown Mall. Violet Crown Charlottesville will open to VFF audiences on November 5, 2015 and will serve as the primary host venue for the 2015 Virginia Film Festival, and the site of this year’s Festival Headquarters and Box Office, which opens on Wednesday, October  28.

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Violet Crown Charlottesville to Open to VFF Audiences on November 5, 2015.

“We are pleased to partner with the Virginia Film Festival and to offer the Festival audiences the very first experience of all that Violet Crown Cinemas has to offer the Charlottesville community,” said Bill Banowsky, principal owner of Violet Crown Cinemas.  “The Festival is an ideal representation of the wide range of programming options that we will bring to Charlottesville, and we look forward to working with Jody Kielbasa and his team to explore opportunities to work together both during and beyond the Festival for many years to come.”

Violet Crown Charlottesville is the third Violet Crown Cinema location, joining Violet Crown Austin, which opened in April of 2011, and Violet Crown Santa Fe, which opened in May of this year. Featuring a 10-screen, state-of-the-art cinema presenting quality independent, foreign, documentary, and blockbuster films, Violet Crown Charlottesville is designed to raise the bar for what customers should expect from a night at the movies by combining best-in-industry viewing experiences with a quality food and beverage experience. Violet Crown Charlottesville’s food and beverage offerings are presented alongside traditional concessions and highlighted by chef prepared, locally sourced entrees and a full bar with 36 rotating taps offering the very best local beer, wine, and cider, plus signature cocktails. All food and drinks can be enjoyed comfortably in Violet Crown Charlottesville’s full service sit down restaurant, in its upstairs lounge overlooking the Downtown Mall, or in any of its comfortable, state-of-the-art auditoriums, where each cinema seat includes a custom-built retractable tray to accommodate in-cinema dining.

The 2015 Virginia Film Festival is scheduled for November 5-8 in Charlottesville. The complete program announcement is scheduled for September 29. For more information, visit www.virginiafilmfestival.org.

The 2015 Virginia Film Festival is generously supported by the following Premiere Sponsors: The AV Company, The Joseph & Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, Virginia Film Office, Violet Crown, and Wells Fargo.