Virginia Film Festival

Ask the Sexpert

In a country where sex is taboo, a 93-year-old experienced sex advice columnist writes for a…

Charlottesville: Our Streets

A stark look at the devastating events that transpired in Charlottesville in August of this year,…

1945

In August 1945, a rural town in Hungary is preparing for the wedding of the town…

The Wound

Every year, young men of South Africa’s Xhosa culture venture into the mountains of the country’s…

Word is Bond

Director Sacha Jenkins (Fresh Dressed, Burn Motherf*cker, Burn!) and Mass Appeal explore the transformative power of…

Wild Honey

Gabby has a job as an unsuccessful phone-sex operator. She’s unhappy, aimless, and living at home…

Tom of Finland

After heroically serving his country in World War II, a decorated officer, Touko Laakonsen, returns home…

Tehran Taboo

In Tehran, prostitution, drugs, and corruption exist underneath the intense religious and social persecution. Pari, a…

Sollers Point

After a year of incarceration for dealing drugs, Keith is on probation, living under house arrest…

Shelter

Mona, a Lebanese woman (Golshifteh Farahani), and Naomi, an Israeli Mossad agent (Neta Riskin) are sent…

Shadowman

Preceded by the short film Walkalong (8 min.) A biographical documentary about the life of artist…

Scenes with Ivan

Preceded by the short film Woody's Order (16 min.) Local filmmakers Doug and Judy Bari chronicled…

Porto

Jake and Mati are two outsiders in the Portuguese city of Porto. He’s an American loner…

Oh Lucy!

Middle-aged office worker Setsuko is living a bleak life with few friends and even fewer opportunities. …

My Art

Ellie Shine lives a good life in New York City as a single artist with a…

Magnum Opus

Preceded by the short film Still. (7 min.) Actions produce consequences. Behind our decisions often lie complex…

The Lavender Scare

The longest witch-hunt in American History began in 1953 when President Eisenhower deemed homosexuals to be…

Jane

Hours of previously unseen National Geographic footage provide an intimate glimpse into the groundbreaking work of…

The Confession Tapes

The VFF will present an episode from Netflix’s true crime documentary series called “8th and H”…

Bobbi Jene

Preceded by the short film Educated Feet (16 min.) Bobbi Jene Smith makes the transformative decision…

Beuys

Joseph Beuys was a revolutionary German painter, famous for his felt hat and unique performance pieces,…

Beauty and the Dogs

During a night out with friends, young Tunisian student Mariam is brutally raped by policemen. Forced…

American Veteran

At 21 years old, Army Sergeant Nick Mendes was paralyzed from the neck down after getting…

Afrikana Film Festival Showcase

The Afrikana Independent Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing the cinematic works of people of color…

’63 Boycott + Lonnie Holley: The Truth of the Dirt

On October 22, 1963, more than 200,000 students boycotted Chicago Public Schools in a demonstration to…

What Lies Upstream

This investigative political thriller watches Cullen Hoback unearth the causes of the largest chemical contamination of…

Voices Beyond the Wall: Twelve Love Poems from the Murder Capital of the World

Rescued from the streets of Pedro Sula, Honduras, seventy orphaned girls have found refuge at Our…

The Vietnam War

Featuring a glimpse at the ten-part, 18-hour documentary film series, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick recount…

The Twinning Reaction

Exploring the long-term effects of a tragically failed human research experiment from the 1960s, the Twinning…

Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities

Preceded by the short film Black Girlhood: Access & Assets (10 min.) Co-directors Stanley Nelson and Marco Williams…

Summer 1993

Frida (Laia Artigas) has lost both of her parents to AIDS and is sent to live…

An Outrage

Preceded by the short film An Act of Terror (16 min.) A documentary film about lynching…

Starfish

Tom Ray has all of the parts of a fulfilling life—the house of his dreams, the…

O.J.: Made in America Part 5

After months of testimony, the jury for the O.J. Simpson trial returned with a verdict in…

Song of Granite

The resilient life story of one of the greatest traditional singers of all time, Joe Heaney,…

O.J.: Made in America Part 3 & 4

The trial of O.J Simpson captivated a nation, and called into question racial politics, legal system,…

O.J.: Made in America Part 1 & 2

The 1994 murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman not only put the spotlight on…

Serenade for Haiti

Capturing a rare look at a country scored by poverty and political strife, Serenade for Haiti…

November

Preceded by the short films Girl Becomes Snow (7 min.) and The Light That Bends (4 min.)…

My Kid is Not Crazy

More than 30 years ago, Susan Swedo, a doctor with the National Institutes of Health (NIH),…

Mood & Memory

A series of films from young artists and media specialists at various institutions across Austria and…

The Samaritans

A snarky, scripted series centered on the absurdities of a dysfunctional, fictitious non-governmental organization (NGO) called…

Loveless

Preceded by the short film Left Undone (17 min.) Zhenya and Boris are in the midst…

Green White Green

Three friends–Uzoma, Segun, and Baba–are biding their time in their hometown of Lagos, Nigeria, before heading…

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World

From folk songstress Buffy Sainte-Marie to rock artist Link Wray, whose 1958 song Rumble influenced the…

The Graduate

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has just graduated from college and now lives at his parents’ house,…

The Lodger

Directed by “Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock, this silent film follows a London serial killer, known…

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

Divulging the vibrant affair between Peter Turner (Jamie Bell) and the legendary Academy Award-winning actress Gloria…

The Rookie

Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) let go of his dreams for a career in professional baseball after…

A Fantastic Woman

Young waitress and aspiring singer Marina is a trans woman who is planning for the future…

Light House Studio Shorts

A nonprofit filmmaking center dedicated to teaching students self-expression through filmmaking, Light House Studio’s work has…

The Leisure Seeker

Embracing the iconic Americana of road trips and campgrounds, a runaway couple goes on an unforgettable…

Downsizing

A technological advance promises to reduce a person’s environmental impact and allow them to live a…

The Road Movie

Preceded by the short film Solstice (3 min.) Consisting entirely of footage from dashboard cameras in…

The Lears

World-renowned architect Davenport Lear (Bruce Dern) summons his dysfunctional children to a weekend family retreat to…

Double Dummy

When players of the card game bridge play as if they know how the entire hand…

Last Flag Flying

Former Navy corpsman Larry “Doc” Shepard reunites with old military friends, Marine Sal Nealson and Reverend…

Django

In 1940s Paris, Django Reinhardt electrified audiences with his distinctive style of “hot jazz”. Serving as…

Requiem for a Running Back

The director’s father, Lewis Carpenter, was a World Championship running back for the Detroit Lions and…

The Challenge

Amid dune bashing contests, Lamborghinis, and private jets, director Yuri Ancarani treks across the Persian Gulf…

Krystal

Tyler Ogburn lives a sheltered life due to a heart condition that prevents him from going…

The Candidate

Political operative Marvin Lucas persuades a young lawyer and son of a former governor, Bill McKay,…

Kills on Wheels

Zoli and Barba are roommates at an assisted care facility. Zoli relies on a wheelchair because…

Call Me by Your Name

In 1983, gifted 17-year-old Elio Perlman spends his days in the north of Italy transcribing classical…

Broadcast News

Revealing foresight about the fate of news media, this romantic comedy follows the interconnected lives of…

Ismael’s Ghosts

Just as the disheveled and alcoholic filmmaker Ismael (Mathieu Almaric) embarks on a difficult new film…

Breath

This directorial debut from Simon Baker (The Mentalist, The Devil Wears Prada) is based on the…

Blade of the Immortal

Manji is a legendary samurai who has battled dozens of men throughout his life. After his…

In Syria

The reality of life as a civilian in modern-day Damascus is explored in gripping and visceral…

Birth of a Movement

Preceded by the short film Legacies of Slavery (10 min.) When D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a…

In Between

Nur moves into an apartment in the vibrant heart of Tel Aviv with Lalia and Salma,…

Rebels on Pointe

In this cinéma vérité documentary celebrating the 40th anniversary of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo,…

Best of Film at Mason

Best of Film at Mason, formerly known as the Best of Favs Program at GMU, returns…

The Immigrant

A special 100th Anniversary screening of Charlie Chaplin’s The Immigrant, which features Chaplin in one of…

Pop Aye

After Thana, a successful architect in Bangkok, reaches a mid-life crisis he encounters Pop Aye, the…

Hostiles

In 1892, Army Captain Joseph J. Blocker (Christian Bale) is ordered to escort an ailing long-time…

Bernard and Huey

Long-time friends Bernard and Huey reunite after 25 years without contact. Bernard, now a successful New…

Please Stand By

When Wendy, an autistic girl with a strong independence, a keen intelligence, and a playful sense…

Homeland

Former CIA agent Carrie Mathison is living in New York, working for a foundation that offers…

Bending the Arc

An extraordinary team of doctors and activists work to save lives in a rural Haitian village.…