NATHAN LANE TO RECEIVE VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL VISIONARY AWARD
39th Annual Virginia Film Festival to Feature Lane in Person in Conversation with Turner Classic Movies Host Ben Mankiewicz Following a Special 30th Anniversary Screening of The Birdcage
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – September 9, 2026 – The Virginia Film Festival (VAFF), a program of the University of Virginia, announced today that legendary actor Nathan Lane will receive its Virginia Film Festival Visionary Award,recognizing an artist whose culture defining body of work and enduring contributions have changed the course of modern cinema. Lane will be honored at the 39th annual Virginia Film Festival, taking place October 21–25, 2026, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
As part of the celebration, the Virginia Film Festival will present a special 30th Anniversary screening of The Birdcage, followed by an in-person conversation with Lane, led by Ben Mankiewicz, the primetime host of Turner Classic Movies.
Directed by film legend Mike Nichols, written by Elaine May, and starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams, The Birdcage is a critically acclaimed, award-winning, groundbreaking film as well as a wildly funny comedy first released in 1996. Based on the 1973 French stage play La Cage aux Folles by Jean Poiret, as well as its acclaimed 1978 French-Italian film adaptation, in The Birdcage, Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane) have built the perfect life for themselves tending to their gaudy Miami nightclub. But their pastel tranquility is shaken when Armand’s son announces that he’s getting married to the daughter of ultra-conservative Senator Keeley (Gene Hackman)… and they’re all getting together for dinner! Can Armand and Albert transform themselves into Mr. and Mrs. Family Values in time? It’ll take the performance of their lives!
“Nathan Lane has that rare and magical ability to make audiences laugh while also touching their hearts,” said VAFF Artistic Director Ilya Tovbis. “The Birdcage is an iconic film of courage, warmth and comic brilliance as well as a watershed moment for LGBTQ+ cinema. We are proud to celebrate this anniversary and recognize his enduring impact with the Virginia Film Festival Visionary Award.”
“Nathan Lane is a true visionary: an artist whose wit, emotional depth and fearless originality have made him one of the defining performers of his generation. Thirty years after The Birdcage, his performance as Albert remains as hilarious, moving and culturally significant as ever.”
Nathan Lane is a Tony, Emmy, and Olivier Award-winning actor whose distinguished career spans Broadway, television, and film. His Broadway credits include Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Producers, Angels in America, The Nance, The Front Page, The Iceman Cometh, and Death of a Salesman, earning numerous Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League honors. His television work includes The People v. O.J. Simpson, The Good Wife, Modern Family, The Gilded Age, and Only Murders in the Building, for which he earned a Primetime Emmy Award. His more than 35 films include The Lion King, The Birdcage, The Producers, Stuart Little, Beau Is Afraid, and Spellbound. He has received numerous distinguished theatre awards, including the Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance, the Hal Prince Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drama Desk Awards, and the Sondheim Award from the Signature Theater. He has also received two Golden Globe nominations, a SAG Award, an American Comedy Award, and a Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2006, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2008 he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
The Virginia Film Festival is a program of the University of Virginia and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts. The 2026 Virginia Film Festival is presented by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.
Press materials and images are available at virginiafilmfestival.org/news-press/media-inquiries.
About The Virginia Film Festival
The Virginia Film Festival, now in its 39th year, is a program of the University of Virginia. Widely recognized as one of the leading regional film festivals in America, the VAFF is known for its commitment to taking audiences beyond the screen to explore some of the most important issues of our time. The five-day festival annually delivers more than 100 films from around the world, combining special previews of some of the hottest titles of the festival season with an array of fascinating documentaries, exciting new voices on the independent film scene, the best of the international film scene and more.
About The Virginia Film Festival
The Virginia Film Festival, now in its 39th year, is a program of the University of Virginia. Widely recognized as one of the leading regional film festivals in America, the VAFF is known for its commitment to taking audiences beyond the screen to explore some of the most important issues of our time. The five-day festival annually delivers more than 100 films from around the world, combining special previews of some of the hottest titles of the festival season with an array of fascinating documentaries, exciting new voices on the independent film scene, the best of the international film scene and more.
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PRESS CONTACTS:
National Publicity:
Virginia Film Festival Team at The Lede Company
virginiafilmfestival@ledecompany.com
Charlottesville Publicity:
John Kelly