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Wednesday, October 22
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5:15 PM
Light House Studio Shorts
Wednesday, 5:15 PMViolet Crown 5Some of the year’s best student work from Light House’s Summer Film Academy, the Adrenaline Film Project, and more.
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6:00 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2A dreamy and visually audacious valentine to cinema in all its past, present, and future iterations.
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7:00 PM
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Wednesday, 7:00 PMThe Paramount TheaterBruce Springsteen’s journey crafting his 1982 album Nebraska, which emerged as he recorded Born in the USA.
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8:00 PM
Deathgasm II: Goremageddon
Wednesday, 8:00 PMViolet Crown 6 & 7The cult-classic heavy metal gory splatterfest is back!
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8:15 PM
Violet Crown 5Matthias can become anyone you want for the right price, but what does inhabiting others’ lives cost him?
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9:30 PM
Opening Night Gala (2025)
Wednesday, 9:30 PMThe BradburyJoin us to celebrate of the magic and beauty of film with visiting guests and Festival patrons.
Thursday, October 23
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5:00 PM
Violet Crown 5An exploration of Andy Kaufman’s surreal life and comedy.
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5:15 PM
Violet Crown 6 & 7Four girls spend their youth on the same farm in northern Germany over the course of a century.
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5:15 PM
Culbreth TheatreIn Winchester, VA, one superintendent is demonstrating the immense power of career-based learning.
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5:30 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2A Transylvanian bailiff is racked by guilt after evicting a homeless man in Radu Jude’s biting sociopolitical satire.
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5:40 PM
Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire
Thursday, 5:40 PMViolet Crown 3Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s life journey, from his family’s deportation to his legacy as a writer and human rights advocate.
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6:00 PM
Short Films: Lightkeepers
Thursday, 6:00 PMViolet Crown 4Everyday heroes. Unseen artists. Quiet forces of change. A celebration of the people who illuminate the world.
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7:00 PM
Christy
Thursday, 7:00 PMThe Paramount TheaterChristy Martin’s trailblazing boxing career and harrowing life story, brought to screen by Sydney Sweeney.
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8:00 PM
Culbreth TheatreAn unemployed man devises a unique plan to secure a new job: eliminating his competition.
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8:10 PM
Violet Crown 3When Su-hwan carries a drunk Yeong-gyeong home on his back, a chance encounter blossoms into a transformative bond.
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8:15 PM
Violet Crown 5Ghanaian cameraman Chris Hesse, now in his 90s, passes his legacy onto filmmaker Anita Afonu.
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8:30 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2An aging Marcel Pagnol is visited by a vision his younger self, offering him an opportunity to reignite his love for writing.
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8:45 PM
Deepfaking Sam Altman
Thursday, 8:45 PMViolet Crown 4Denied access to OpenAI’s Sam Altman, filmmaker Adam Bhala Lough creates a digital “Sam Bot.”
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8:45 PM
Urchin
Thursday, 8:45 PMViolet Crown 6 & 7A man experiencing homelessness in London struggles to rebuild his life in Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut.
Friday, October 24
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2:45 PM
Violet Crown 6 & 7Charlie Chaplin’s family investigate the Romani heritage that inspired his infamous and beloved character The Tramp.
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5:00 PM
Short Films: Where We Carry Home
Friday, 5:00 PMViolet Crown 3A series celebrating the resilience, creativity, and inner compass of those forging new lives in unfamiliar places.
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5:00 PM
Culbreth TheatreTwo sisters reunite with their father, a once-renowned director whose absence has figured prominently in their lives.
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5:15 PM
Violet Crown 6 & 7A father and his young son search for his missing daughter, amid desert raves in southern Morocco. Nearby, hell is breaking loose.
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5:30 PM
Violet Crown 5Planning a wedding leads to an identity crisis as Bird reunites with her mom in this darkly comic exploration of family divides.
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5:45 PM
Winter Light
Friday, 5:45 PMViolet Crown 4A teen’s dream of escape is tested by family duty and financial hardship in this quietly powerful Korean drama.
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6:00 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2A conversation between Peter Hujar and Linda Rosenkrantz from 1974 sheds light on New York’s vibrant art scene.
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6:30 PM
The Paramount TheaterA movie star (George Clooney) embarks on a whirlwind journey through Europe with his manager (Adam Sandler).
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8:00 PM
Violet Crown 3Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, a university professor seeks out vengeance.
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8:15 PM
Violet Crown 4A dark comedy about Raffi trying to set his life straight after being kicked out of rehab.
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8:15 PM
Violet Crown 6 & 7Kainoa, confined by his parole to the island of Oahu, struggles to reintegrate and reconnect with his native Hawaiian roots.
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8:20 PM
Culbreth TheatreNia DaCosta (Candy Man) offers up a daring and stylish update to Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler.
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8:20 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2At the height of Stalin’s Great Terror, a young prosecutor fights for justice on behalf of a falsely accused prisoner.
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8:30 PM
The Plague
Friday, 8:30 PMViolet Crown 5A socially awkward tween endures the ruthless hierarchy of a water polo camp.
Saturday, October 25
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10:00 AM
Irving Theater, CODE Building -
10:30 AM
Violet Crown 4A film program that brings the “magic” of Hollywood to underserved communities.
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10:45 AM
Violet Crown 5Laurie Olin shares his philosophy and approach to urban design, and its ties to community, equity, and sustainability.
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11:00 AM
Culbreth TheatreWerner Herzog follows one man’s search for a legendary herd of giant elephants.
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11:00 AM
Violet Crown 6 & 7Tenderly captures a year in the life of a family as the parents navigate their separation.
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11:45 AM
Violet Crown 3An exploration of Black farmers in the American South reveals the fragility of legacy and the significance of owning land.
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11:50 AM
It’s Dorothy!
Saturday, 11:50 AMViolet Crown 1 & 2A dazzling documentary tracing Dorothy Gale’s evolution across literature, film, and stage.
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12:00 PM
Frankenstein
Saturday, 12:00 PMThe Paramount TheaterGuillermo del Toro’s sweeping adaptation of the legendary Gothic novel, starring Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster.
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12:00 PM
Irving Theater, CODE Building -
1:30 PM
Violet Crown 4The story of Sonia Manzano, the trailblazing actress known to millions Maria from Sesame Street.
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1:45 PM
Culbreth TheatreA minor road accident turns into a man’s pursuit for revenge against his former torturer.
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1:45 PM
Violet Crown 5A sparkling comedy about a man’s romantic misadventures among NYC’s debutante society.
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2:00 PM
Violet Crown 6 & 7Unearthed family secrets and Taipei’s night market test the fragile dynamic of a single mother and her two daughters.
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2:00 PM
Irving Theater, CODE Building -
2:30 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2An aging poet finds purpose mentoring a talented teen, but exposing her to the literary scene might be unwise.
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2:45 PM
Violet Crown 3The close-knit Christian community of Tangier Island face an uncertain future as rising waters threaten their way of life.
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4:00 PM
The Paramount TheaterOne of biggest hits of the year returns, with actor and musician Miles Caton in person for a Q&A and performance.
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4:00 PM
Irving Theater, CODE Building -
4:30 PM
Violet Crown 4A paraplegic man enlists two aides to accompany him on a wild journey to Panama City.
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4:30 PM
Culbreth TheatreIn 1977, a technology expert flees from a mysterious past and returns to his hometown of Recife, Brazil in search of peace.
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4:50 PM
Violet Crown 5As a storm nears, two upper-class families begin cracking at the seams during Thanksgiving break.
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5:00 PM
Arco
Saturday, 5:00 PMViolet Crown 6 & 7An animated adventure about a childhood friendship that spans eras.
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5:30 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2This magnetic and celebratory documentary explores the history, importance, and ongoing tradition of powwow practice.
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5:45 PM
Violet Crown 3An aspiring director moves himself and his nine-months-pregnant wife from Iowa to LA to shoot a low-budget indie movie.
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6:00 PM
Irving Theater, CODE Building -
7:30 PM
Violet Crown 4A shorts series with a serious edge—tales of late-night sparks, high-octane ambition, and emotional whiplash.
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8:00 PM
Violet Crown 6 & 7Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) tracks the final days of a fictional Italian President.
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8:15 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynsey Addario reflects on her career and personal sacrifices as she photographs the war in Ukraine.
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8:20 PM
Violet Crown 5Poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley face an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit and an unshakable partnership.
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8:30 PM
Culbreth TheatreA psychiatrist (Jodie Foster) launches an investigation after her patient mysteriously dies.
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8:30 PM
The Paramount TheaterA laborer leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century.
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8:45 PM
Songs Inside
Saturday, 8:45 PMViolet Crown 3Inside Adelaide Women’s Prison, a group of incarcerated women discover the healing power of music.
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9:30 PM
Late Night Wrap Party (2025)
Saturday, 9:30 PMThree Notch'd Craft Kitchen & BreweryJoin us for an unforgettable evening before the credits roll on the 38th annual Festival.
Sunday, October 26
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10:45 AM
Violet Crown 5A selection of new films from Kevin Everson.
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11:00 AM
Violet Crown 1 & 2After a car crash kills her boyfriend, a piano student is taken in by a witness to the accident.
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11:15 AM
Violet Crown 6 & 7A nurse navigates the relentless pace of a surgical ward with unwavering dedication.
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11:30 AM
Burt
Sunday, 11:30 AMViolet Crown 3A musician with Parkinson’s discovers he has a son in this auto-fictional mix of comedy and drama.
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11:30 AM
Culbreth TheatreA journey into the heart of Shenandoah National Park, its animals, landscapes, and rich history.
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12:00 PM
Violet Crown 4Outlines the decades-long efforts to free Leonard Peltier, the wrongly imprisoned American Indian Movement activist.
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12:00 PM
Hamnet
Sunday, 12:00 PMThe Paramount TheaterA shattering drama about the creation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as seen through the eyes of his wife Agnes.
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1:15 PM
Violet Crown 5Robert Redford and Paul Newman play a pair of cunning con men in this classic 1973 caper film.
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1:30 PM
Speak.
Sunday, 1:30 PMViolet Crown 1 & 2Five gifted high school students chase national oratory glory, transforming personal struggles into electrifying performances.
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1:45 PM
Violet Crown 6 & 79-year-old Lamia must bake a cake for Saddam Hussein’s birthday cake, facing untold punishment if she fails.
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2:00 PM
Violet Crown 3Witness the history of nuclear research organization CERN, as it grapples with nuclear ethics, black holes, and particle physics.
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2:00 PM
Culbreth TheatreRichard Linklater recreates the making of Godard’s Breathless, in a spirited love letter to the French New Wave.
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3:30 PM
The Choral
Sunday, 3:30 PMThe Paramount TheaterA soaring period drama centering on an exacting British choirmaster (Ralph Fiennes) making unforgettable music during WWI.
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3:30 PM
Violet Crown 4Short films by and about incarceration survivors, presented with the Inthrive Film Festival.
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4:15 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2Spanish master Carla Simón’s semi-autobiographical tale of an 18-year old sorting through the memory of lost parents.
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4:30 PM
Zodiac Killer Project
Sunday, 4:30 PMViolet Crown 6 & 7A filmmaker explores his abandoned Zodiac Killer documentary, delving into the true crime genre’s inner workings.
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4:45 PM
Culbreth TheatreThe story of the beloved and irreverent UVA Pep Band, from its humble beginnings to its unceremonious dismissal.
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4:50 PM
Violet Crown 5An immersive exploration of Russia’s aggression on Ukrainian soil and its natural effects.
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5:00 PM
Violet Crown 3Torn between rigid custom and rekindled love, a grieving son confronts his hidden identity in the Indian countryside.
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6:10 PM
Violet Crown 4Two unlikely allies work to bring curiosity, connection, and compassion to an ailing healthcare system.
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7:00 PM
NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE
Sunday, 7:00 PMViolet Crown 6 & 7From Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s cult comedy series comes an adventure 17 years in the making.
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7:00 PM
The Paramount TheaterAn struggling American actor (Brendan Fraser) books a life-changing gig at a Japanese rental family agency.
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7:15 PM
Violet Crown 1 & 2A North Macedonian folktale comes to life when a wounded white stork is rescued by an unlikely savior.
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7:45 PM
Dust Bunny
Sunday, 7:45 PMCulbreth TheatreA ten-year-old girl seeks her hitman neighbor’s help to kill the monster under her bed.
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7:50 PM
Violet Crown 5A collection of films by outstanding Virginia-based creators and those with significant ties to the region.
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8:00 PM
Violet Crown 3A cinematic voyage beneath the surface of the earth, based on Robert Macfarlane’s bestseller.