Virginia Film Festival

Most Likely to Succeed

Director Greg Whiteley examines the history of education in the United States, revealing the growing shortcomings…

Hallowed Ground

Amid the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Hallowed Ground explores Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of the…

Another Way of Living: The Story of Reston, VA

Visionary American urban planner Robert Simon believed that building community is more important than creating buildings.…

Boom and Bust: America’s Journey on the Erie Canal

A meditation on economic cycles and the American Dream, this remarkable film tells the tale of…

Bound: African vs African Americans

The divide between Africans and African Americans is complex and seldom explored. Opening with personal testimonials…

Buskin’ Blues

Preceded by the short film Boardwalk Músico Buskers, more commonly referred to as street performers, come…

Generation A: Portraits of Autism in the Arts

Through eight compelling portraits, Generation A celebrates the talents of youths with autism, and provides them…

Harry & Snowman

Preceded by the short film Mr. Balloon's Wild Ride Snowman was an old Amish plow horse…

Imba Means Sing

In the slums of Kampala, Uganda, education is a luxury most families cannot afford. As the…

In Transit

In Transit takes you on a journey into the hearts and minds of everyday passengers aboard…

Inspired to Ride

Inspired to Ride follows cyclists from around the world as they prepare and race unsupported—no crew,…

Monroe Hill

Monroe Hill offers an unprecedented overview of President James Monroe’s first farm in Albemarle County, the…

Mully

What happens when a six-year-old boy in Kenya is abandoned by his family and left to…

Ocean Frontiers: The Dawn of a New Era in Ocean Stewardship

Ocean Frontiers: The Dawn of a New Era in Ocean Stewardship takes the viewer on an…

Polyfaces

Set amid the stunning Shenandoah Valley, this joyful documentary details the innovative agricultural techniques of Polyface…

Projections of America

Narrated by John Lithgow, the film uncovers the lost “Projections of America”—a series of 26 short…

Radical Grace

In 2011 the Vatican was reprimanding American nuns for “radical feminism”—for focusing on social justice work…

Return to Cuba: In the Footsteps of Walker Evans

Just weeks before the American and Cuban governments reconciled, a group of renowned photographers traveled to…

Rosenwald

Director Aviva Kempner examines the often-overlooked philanthropy and civil rights activism of Julius Rosenwald, the former…

Sembene!

Sembene! documents the life of Ousmane Sembene, a self-taught novelist and filmmaker who fought a 50-year…

Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawings

Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawings focusses is a retrospective of the artist’s wall drawings in North Adams,…

Taxi

Internationally acclaimed director Jafar Panahi drives a yellow cab through the vibrant streets of Tehran in…

Teen Press

Seven years ago, two optimistic Santa Barbara Middle School teachers, David Teton-Landis and John Seigel Boettner,…

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is the first feature-length documentary to explore the Black…

The Redfern Story

The Redfern Story documents the efforts of a small group of untrained, but passionate, activists in…

Theory of Obscurity: a Film about The Residents

Filmmaker Don Hardy investigates the infamously anonymous, avant-garde music collective known as The Residents on their…

Until 20

This touching documentary from Emmy Award–winning producers chronicles young James Ragan’s fight to live after a…

Larry Kramer in Love and Anger

This powerful documentary candidly peers into the life of visionary author and playwright Larry Kramer, the…

Reconquest of the Useless

In Werner Herzog’s 1982 adventure film, Fitzcarraldo, the eccentric explorer Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald has the crazy…

Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot

This is a free, unticketed event. Please arrive 15 to 30 minutes before the listed start…

Future Dreaming

Future Dreaming is the result of a chance meeting between two people on a boat in…

Winds of Chemical Warfare

This probing documentary traces the history of chemical weapons, their international practices, and the catastrophic dangers…

Counting

In 15 linked chapters, Counting merges city symphony, diary film, and personal/political essay to create a…

Southeast 67

Preceded by the short film Amazing Journey (13 min.) This documentary combines raw, never-before-seen footage and…

Rappahannock

This documentary was commissioned by Friends of the Rappahannock, a Fredericksburg, Virginia–based nonprofit that has been…

In the Basement

In the Basement is a revealing documentary that delves into the dark underside of the human…

How to Smell a Rose: A Visit with Ricky Leacock at his Farm in Normandy

How to Smell a Rose: A Visit with Ricky Leacock at his Farm in Normandy documents…

The Pearl Button

In this beautifully visual and resonant film, master documentarian Patricio Guzmán examines Chile’s history of genocide…

Heart of a Dog

Centering on celebrated musician, performance artist, and writer Anderson’s beloved rat terrier Lolabelle, who died in…

Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream

Chronicling the history of the last family-owned matzo bakery in America, Streit’s: Matzo and the American…

Doeville

Gail Rose never imagined she’d be wrangling deer in her sixties in the Shenandoah Valley. After…

Reel In The Closet

Discover the lost news stories, community productions, and home movies that generations of LGBTQ people have…

The Scientist: Are We Missing Something?

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam is a Nobel Prize nominee and an internationally renowned chemist—he also happens to…