Virginia Film Festival

ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE

A fairy-tale documentary, set in a hand-built castle, exploring grief and the creative power of love.

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT

Two nurses in Mumbai navigate societal expectations in this exquisitely crafted and lyrical Cannes Gran Prix winner.

AMADEUS — 40th Anniversary Screening

Rival composer Antonio Salieri becomes obsessed with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

ANORA

A exotic dancer gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she marries the son of an oligarch.

BAD SHABBOS

An interfaith couple’s boisterous Shabbat dinner is rudely interrupted by an uninvited dead body.

BIRD

12-year-old Bailey and her single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan) invent ways to get by in North Kent.

BIRDY – 40th Anniversary Screening

An emotionally fragile Vietnam veteran believes he is a bird and is confined to a military hospital. His best friend and fellow war vet visits him every day, determined to bring him back to reality.

THE BITTER PILL

A West Virginian attorney fights back against the opioid epidemic, sparking a national movement.

THE BLACK SEA

After falling for a catfishing scam, Khalid finds himself stranded in coastal Bulgaria.

BLITZ

A young boy undertakes a perilous journey to reunite with his mother (Saoirse Ronan) during the WWII bombing of London.

CATCH A KILLER

A forensic specialist and horror film buff—and his pregnant girlfriend—set out to catch a serial killer.

CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING

A blood-drenched musical extravaganza about two lovers split up by a chainsaw.

DAHOMEY

Mati Diop (Atlantics) interrogates the repatriation of 26 royal treasures to the Republic of Benin.

DEFENDERS OF DEMOCRACY: The Thin Blue Line

Police officers from the front lines of the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack share first-hand accounts.

DEMENTIA AND LIVING WELL

Individuals living with Dementia showcase that living a fulfilling life with the condition is more than possible.

EMILIA PÉREZ

Four remarkable women from Mexico pursue happiness in this audacious musical fever dream.

ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND

Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) profiles the first South African photographer to expose the horrors of Apartheid.

EVERY LITTLE THING

A Hollywood woman cares for injured hummingbirds, drawing spiritual strength from their fragility and resilience.

FAQ

Young Dong-chun gets an unexpected escape when she finds a talking bottle of rice wine on a school retreat.

THE FIRE INSIDE

Claressa Shields’s inspirational journey to becoming the first American boxer to win multiple Olympic golds.

FLOW

In the wake of great flood, a courageous cat embarks on a wondrous journey through realms natural and mystical.

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT

A fascinating account of the rich life and artistry of “The Mother of Modernism.”

GET AWAY

A family vacation on a remote Swedish island turns into a fight for survival.

THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE

A pregnant factory worker in post-WWI Copenhagen looks for help from a mysterious adoption agency.

THE GLASSWORKER

A gifted glassblower forms a friendship with a violin prodigy during a time of war.

I’M STILL HERE

Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) tracks Eunice Paiva during Brazil’s 1970s military dictatorship.

INTHRIVE: Incarceration Survivors’ Voices

Short films by and about incarceration survivors, presented with the Inthrive Film Festival.

JAZZY

Jazzy navigates the space between childhood and young adulthood against the backdrop of her Oglala Lakota community.

JUVENILE: FIVE STORIES

Five young people from across the country face their traumas and seek healing after their justice system experiences.

LA COCINA

In a Times Square kitchen, dreams and desperation collide as the staff chase the elusive American dream.

THE LAST SHOWGIRL

Pamela Anderson shines as a Las Vegas showgirl facing the closure of her long-running revue.

LIGHT HOUSE STUDIO SHORTS

Some of the year’s best student work from Light House’s Summer Film Academy, the Adrenaline Film Project, and more.

A LITTLE PRINCESS – Repertory Screening

Young Sara is stripped of her privileged life and forced into servitude at a New York boarding school.

LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH

Celebrates the journey of musical performer Luther Vandross, from childhood talent to worldwide fame.

SNEAK PREVIEW: MAYFAIR WITCHES

Rowan faces escalating challenges as she confronts the dark entity Lasher.

MEMOIR OF A SNAIL

A snail-collecting, melancholic misfit learns how to find confidence within herself.

MS. APOCALYPSE

Bookkeeper Young-mi secretly falls in love with her coworker and faces a life-altering proposition from his wife.

Next Generation Storytellers’ High School Short Films

An innovative, one-of-a-kind film program that brings the “magic” of Hollywood to underserved communities.

NIGHTBITCH

A woman (Amy Adams) slowly embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood.

NOCTURNES

Deep in the forests of the Eastern Himalayas, two ecologists study hawk moths.

OMAR AND CEDRIC: IF THIS EVER GETS WEIRD

A personal chronicle of the lifelong friendship of two artists.

PAVEMENTS

This highly innovative docudrama follows 90s indie band Pavement.

THE PIANO LESSON

A battle over a prized heirloom piano unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived.

PLASTIC PEOPLE

This thought-provoking documentary explores the hidden dangers of microplastics in our environment and bodies.

PRESENCE

A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.

PRODIGAL DAUGHTER

Filmmaker and former punk artist Mabel Valdiviezo reunites with her family in Peru after 16 years of silence.

A REAL PAIN

Two cousins (Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour across Poland to confront their family history.

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR

After years of being out of touch, two friends meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.

ROOTED

In this food justice documentary, a local activist and mother fights to own the land she farms.

SABBATH QUEEN

This documentary follows a queer rabbi’s epic 20-year-journey as the heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis.

SATURDAY NIGHT – Special Award Screening

A re-imagination of the 90 minutes leading up of the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. 

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

Mohammad Rasoulof’s thriller about a judge grappling with paranoia amid political unrest in Tehran.

THE SHEPHERD AND THE BEAR

In the French Pyrenees, the reintroduction of wild bears in a traditional shepherding community provokes deep conflict.

Short Films: DISSOLVING DREAMS

A compelling examination of disillusionment and the search for meaning in an indifferent world. 

Short Films: IN THE KALEIDOSCOPE

A visually-captivating trip through many facets of the human experience.

Short Films: OUR WEALTH IN COMMON

This series highlights works by Virginia-based creators and those with significant ties to the region.

Short Films: THE SPACE BETWEEN

A series of diverse narrative that poignantly explore the tumultuous journey of finding oneself. 

SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT

A lively examination of Cold War Congo, and the use of U.S. “Jazz Ambassadors.”

A SUITE OF SHORT FILMS BY KEVIN JEROME EVERSON

A selection of new films from Everson, including a collaboration with Claudrena Harold.

THE SUMMER BOOK

Off the cost of Finland, a young girl, her father, and her grandmother deal with the loss of her mother.

TALK TO HER – Repertory Screening

Pedro Almodóvar’s 2003 Academy-Award winner explores the lives of two men tending to their comatose lovers.

TAUTUKTAVUK (What We See)

Two Inuit sisters embark on a healing journey during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A TRAVELER’S NEEDS

A drifting expat in Seoul becomes a language tutor despite lacking qualifications.

UNDER THE VOLCANO

A Ukrainian family on vacation in Spain becomes refugees overnight.

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

In a reimagined Canada, an absurdist comedy intertwines the lives of an array of characters.

UNLIKELY ALLIES

Weldon Angelos’s music career is ended when prosecutors turn a cannabis case into 20 felony charges.

UNSTOPPABLE

The inspiring story of wrestler Anthony Robles, who, born without a leg, still became a champion.

VERMIGLIO

During the final days of World War II, a young soldier’s romance sparks a chain of events.

WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED

Socorro sets out to find the soldier who killed her brother during the Tlatelolco massacre.

WILFRED BUCK

A Cree Elder’s journey to becoming a renowned keeper of Indigenous astronomy.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALLEE WILLIS

The vibrant life of the legendary songwriter behind “September” and the “Friends” theme.