Virginia Film Festival

VFF and Violet Crown Charlottesville Announce Return of Year-Round Film Series

by Sarah Cain on February 9, 2017

Series of One-Time-Only Screenings to Kick Off February 21 With
Oscar-Nominated Documentary Fire at Sea

Additional Screenings to Include 18th Annual Animation Show of Shows

 Charlottesville, VA – February 9, 2017 – The Virginia Film Festival has announced the return of the VFF at Violet Crown Series, a collaboration with Violet Crown Charlottesville to present a year-round, co-curated selection of films. The series will kick off on February 21 with the acclaimed immigration-themed documentary Fire at Sea, which was an audience favorite at the 2016 VFF.

The Virginia Film Festival is a program of the University of Virginia, with support from the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts.

In addition to the February 21 screening of Fire at Sea, Festival officials announced that the second screening in the 2017 VFF at Violet Crown Series will be the 18th Annual Animation Show of Shows on March 21. Programming efforts are currently underway for additional screenings planned for April 25, May 23, June 20 and July 18, and titles will be announced as they are confirmed. All screenings in the series will start at 7:30 PM, and tickets will be available one month prior to the screening date at www.violetcrown.com.

“We are very excited to continue this series,” said VFF Programmer Wesley Harris, “and to work with our friends at Violet Crown to celebrate the art of cinema by creating unique film experiences that reflect our shared commitment to the art form.”

“We are honored to continue our partnership with the Virginia Film Festival by continuing this exciting and successful series,” said Violet Crown Marketing Director David Gil. “We are continually impressed with the passion and knowledge of our Charlottesville audiences, and are thrilled to be able to play a part in delivering this series of films that they might not otherwise have a chance to see.”

Fire at Sea tells the story of the hundreds of thousands of African immigrants who travel each year to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa in search of a better life. The film presents the stark contrast between the daily life of a young local boy, Samuele, and the tragic fate of the refugees who make the crossing in boats that are far too small or decrepit. The people of Lampedusa bear witness to tragedy each day as they recover the bodies of the dead from the water, while countless other refugees arrive to find that the island has neither the resources nor infrastructure to support them. Director Gianfranco Rosi’s (El Sicario, Room 164) observations of everyday life bring us closer to this fraught island, and to the emotional world of the inhabitants who live their lives in a permanent state of emergency.

The Animation Show of Shows returns to the VFF for a second year with 17 extraordinary films created by animators from Belgium, Canada, France, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Scotland, the U.K., and the United States. Featuring animation techniques ranging from hand-drawn to stop-motion to the latest computer-generated imagery, the films have garnered many awards from festivals around the world. The collection includes two Oscar-nominated shorts, the family-friendly Piper from Pixar’s Animation Studios and Pearl from creator Patrick Osbourne. Mirror, a collaboration between The New Yorker, This American Life’s Ira Glass, and cartoonist Chris Ware, is also featured. The 18th Annual Animation Show of Shows is unrated. There is a 5-minute intermission after the 13th film, this allows children 13 years and under to leave, as the last four films (Corpus, Blue, Manoman, and All Their Shades) contain mature themes.

The Virginia Film Festival will celebrate its 30th year in November…dates and details coming soon! For more information on the VFF visit www.virginiafilmfestival.org.