Virginia Film Festival

37th Annual VAFF – Now That’s a Wrap!

by John Kelly on November 11, 2024

VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL WRAPS 37th ANNUAL FESTIVAL—HIGHLIGHTED BY 138 FILM LINEUP AND GUESTS INCLUDING ADAM ELLIOT, JACK HUSTON, TRACIE LAYMON, MIKEY MADISON, MATTHEW MODINE, LAMORNE MORRIS, DAWN PORTER, AND ALEX ROSS PERRY

BOB TREVINO LIKES IT WINS AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH WINS BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – NOVEMBER 12, 2024 – The 37th Annual Virginia Film Festival delivered an unforgettable five days through a diverse program of films that offered a testimonial to the unique power of cinema to entertain, engage, enlighten, and bring people together.

This year’s VAFF showcased 138 films and events that kicked off with a sold-out Paramount Theater screening of Sean Baker’s Anora, with its star Mikey Madison, on hand to accept VAFF’s Achievement in Acting Award. The Festival also welcomed Golden Globe-winning actor and filmmaker Matthew Modine for a 40th Anniversary screening of Birdy and a screening of the new documentary I Hope This Helps!, which Modine executive produced.

Audiences were treated to a rich program that delivered memorable discussions with top industry guests throughout the Festival’s five days. These included: Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night Live with actor Lamorne Morris, who received the Virtuoso Award; Pavements with Pavement drummer Steve West and director Alex Ross Perry, who accepted the Directorial Achievement Award; Memoir of a Snail with Academy Award-winning director Adam Elliot, who received the Achievement in Animation Award; Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, with Charlottesville’s own Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Wagner and Ellen Casey Wagner accepted the Governor Gerald L. Baliles Founder’s Award; Luther: Never Too Much, with director Dawn Porter accepting the Chronicler Award; and HBO original TV series The Penguin with production designer Kalina Ivanov receiving the Craft Award. 

The 37th Annual Virginia Film Festival saw 20,891 attendances, including both paid and free events. There were 37 sold-out screenings.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the response to the 37th Annual Virginia Film Festival,” said VAFF Executive Director and UVA Vice Provost for the Arts Jody Kielbasa. “As I traveled between venues throughout the five days, I consistently walked into theatres packed with enthusiastic and engaged audiences who so appreciated the films as well as the fascinating discussions with our guest artists and our wide array of UVA faculty experts. Throughout the course of the five days, I heard from so many people about the extraordinary depth and breadth of our program, and it was an honor to once again bring the community together to celebrate the art of film.”

“The 2024 Virginia Film Festival has been a magical and soul-nourishing experience,” said VAFF Artistic Director Ilya Tovbis. “Guests such as Mikey Madison, Matthew Modine, and Lamorne Morris (a small fraction of our overall guest list) engaged deeply with Charlottesville audiences, expanding their appreciation for some of the best films of the year. Local filmmakers, first-time directors, Hollywood heavy-hitters, and the global film community gathered in Charlottsville for a world-class event. They met with students, held panel discussions, and exchanged ideas with one another, in the process sparking our imaginations, and providing an outlet to meaningfully gather around great art.”

Once again, VAFF audience members had a voice in the proceedings, not only through their participation in post-screening conversations, but also by casting ballots for their favorite films.

The winners of the 2024 VAFF Audience Awards, supported by Ting, are:
Narrative Feature: Bob Trevino Likes It
Documentary Feature: Luther: Never Too Much
Narrative Short: Irma
Documentary Short: Makayla’s Voice

The winners of the 2024 VAFF Programmers Awards are:
Narrative Feature: We Shall Not Be Moved
Documentary Feature: The Bitter Pill
Narrative Short: Evanescence
Documentary Short: Roommates

Additional 2024 VAFF Award Winners included:

Achievement in Acting Award: Mikey Madison (Anora)
Achievement in Animation Award: Adam Elliot (Memoir of a Snail)
Achievement in Screenwriting: Jack Huston (Day of the Fight)
Chronicler Award: Dawn Porter (Luther: Never Too Much)
Craft Award: Kalina Ivanov (The Penguin)
Directorial Achievement Award: Alex Ross Perry (Pavements)
Governor Gerald L. Baliles Founder’s Award: Ellen Casey Wagner & Paul Wagner (Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light)
Impresario Award: NEON (presented to Co-Founder and CEO Tom Quinn)
Virtuoso Award: Lamorne Morris (Saturday Night)

More information: virginiafilmfestival.org/award-winners

Throughout the Festival, VAFF guests took time to interact with UVA students and community members through VAFF’s inaugural Connection Point program, which featured one-on-one meetings in the Festival’s Filmmakers and Sponsors Lounge. Several others participated in visits with UVA classes, including Tom Quinn of NEON, Matthew Modine, Nightbitch producer Anne Carey, and Pavements director Alex Ross Perry.  

The Virginia Film Festival is a program of the University of Virginia.

The 2024 Virginia Film Festival is presented by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

The 2024 Virginia Film Festival is also generously supported by the following Premiere Sponsors: AV Company, Bank of America, The Doyle Hotel, Harvest Moon Catering, Southern Environmental Law Center, UVA Arts & the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts, Violet Crown Cinema, and Virginia Film Office. 

Press materials and images are available at virginiafilmfestival.org/news-press.