Virginia Film Festival

The Looking Glass

After losing her mother, a troubled 13-year-old moves to Indiana to live with her grandmother Karen,…

Teen Press

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

Son of Saul

Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of Auschwitz-Birkenau’s Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from…

Some Beasts

Sal abandons the modern world and leaves his troubled past behind, finding solitude on an isolated…

Projections of America

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

Night of the Living Deb

Preceded by the short film Soccer Moms in Peril After the endearingly awkward Deb wakes up in…

Men Go to Battle

A truly distinctive and sparse period piece, Men Go to Battle imagines the different paths that…

Inspired to Ride

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

Daydreaming

Set in Prato, Tuscany, this episodic film is split into the parallel stories of two men…

Adrenaline Film Project

The 12th annual Adrenaline Film Project has arrived! The AFP is a competition where teams pitch,…

A Light Beneath Their Feet

A Light Beneath Their Feet follows a family coping with the mother’s bipolar disorder. Gloria (Manning,…

Krisha

Following a prolonged battle with addiction and self-destruction, Krisha returns for a holiday celebration with the…

In Transit

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

Harry & Snowman

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

Hallowed Ground

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

Entertainment

Preceded by the short film Usetocould Entertainment follows a broken, aging comedian (Turkington) as he tours the…

Counting

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

Until 20

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

Most Likely to Succeed

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

Last Days in the Desert

Ewan McGregor plays both Jesus and the devil in the reimagination of Christ’s 40 days in…

The Lady in the Van

Preceded by the short film Elemental (11 min.) Academy Award winner Maggie Smith brings to life…

Jackrabbit

Set after a catastrophic event known as The Reset, this film examines humanity’s attempt to rebuild…

Imba Means Sing

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

Grand Street

Camilla’s elegant life as a fast-track film executive has come undone. Just as she is about…

Generation A: Portraits of Autism in the Arts

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

The Forbidden Room

The Forbidden Room is Canadian auteur Guy Maddin’s epic phantasmagoria. Paying homage to the films and…

Coming Through the Rye

Preceded by the short film Incubus Inspired by the filmmaker’s own life story, the story follows 16-year-old…

Actor for Hire

Aspiring actor Jesse thinks he’s not landing parts because he’s bald. After several failed auditions, Jesse…

The Adderall Diaries

Based on the bestselling memoir by Stephen Elliot, this film examines the life of the once-successful…

Late Night Wrap Party

Before the credits roll on the 2015 Festival, meet us at the Late Night Wrap Party…

Opening Night Gala

Join us for the start of the 28th annual Virginia Film Festival at the Opening Night…

The Theory of Everything

Starring Eddie Redmayne (Les Misérables) and Felicity Jones (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), this is the extraordinary…

Sure Thing

screens before the feature film Poison Pen Bill takes the only available seat in a café, which…

The Exhibitor

screens before the feature film Fishing Without Nets Follow Dave Mead, projectionist at the Wellfleet Drive-In, as…

Fifth Street

screens before the feature film 5 to 7 Adèle always wanted to become a famous writer. After…

Optimist, Pessimist, Solipsist

screens before the feature film The Babadook A frustrated receptionist fantasizes about her own funeral.  A pyromanic…

In Confidence

screens before the feature film Karate Tango Based on a short play developed at the world-renowned Actors…

Crooked Candy

screens before the feature film In Country Kinder Surprise eggs are hugely popular all around the world.…

Horse Money

As one of the most respected international filmmakers working today, Pedro Costa has slowly but steadily…

Love at First Fight

Between hanging out with his friends and helping run the family business, Arnaud’s summer promises rest…

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

Caroll Spinney has performed Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for over forty years.…

FRAME IT: The Future of Film, Television, and New Media

Join us for a roundtable discussion with leaders from various parts of the industry including Andy…

ON FILMMAKING: INDUSTRY LEADERS and their approach in the Mid-Atlantic

Please join industry leaders David Baldacci (Wish You Well), Erik Jendresen (Ithaca, Killing Lincoln, Band of…

In Country

preceded by the short film Crooked Candy (6 min.) This immersive meditation on the ghosts of combat…

Park Lanes, Spare

In between screenings in Berlin, at the Whitney, in Vienna, and at Sundance, experimental film artist…

DWELLING: Experimental Short Essay Films

There is a vein of haunted history running through each of these intensely experimental films, allowing…

Short Narrative Films

The craft of acting is front and center in this collection of short narrative work. Ranging…

Short Documentary Films

The Art of the Moving Creature 2014. USA. 17 min. Director: Jessica Burnam “The Art of…

Late Night Wrap Party

As the 2014 Festival draws to a close, let’s have one last hoorah at the Late…

Spent: Looking for Change

A film that follows the stories of everyday Americans who earn, save, and spend money, but…

The Learning Tree

Based on his book of the same name, Gordon Parks’ The Learning Tree follows Newt, a…

From Grain to Growler

Filmmakers Aaron Stanley and Megan Troy travel throughout the Commonwealth to beer festivals, breweries, bars, hop…

Out in the Night

In 2006, four young African-American lesbians in a gay-friendly neighborhood of New York City are violently…

The Outrageous Sophie Tucker

The rags to riches story of the “Last of the Red Hot Mommas” Sophie Tucker, a…

The Natural

An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs (Redford) with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere…

Poison Pen

preceded by the short film Sure Thing (13 min.) When prize-winning author PC Molloy is blackmailed into writing…

Private Violence

It is a simple, and deeply disturbing fact of American life: the most dangerous place for…

Mr. Turner

In the last quarter century of life for the eccentric, vulnerable, and sometimes uncouth British painter,…

Red Army

Fueled by the height of Cold War passions, hockey served as a form of propaganda in…

Ringtone + Fire in Our Hearts

From ancestral clan songs, to 80s hip hop artists and local gospel tunes, ringtones are the…

Run Boy Run

Based on a true story from World War II, Pepe Danquart’s Run Boy Run brings the…

Mommy

A glamorously trashy middle-aged widow finds herself burdened with the full-time custody of her rambunctious 15-year-old…

Skook

In Winter 2011, New York fashion student Amy’s quasi-radical boyfriend ditches her for the Occupy Wall…

Shaft

Richard Roundtree’s iconic, gritty performance as self-reliant private detective John Shaft continues to resonate decades later.…

Mark Twain Tonight!

Featuring Hal Holbrook in a special live theatrical performance The Virginia Film Festival is giving its audiences…

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry

Artfully combining dramatizations, interviews, and archival imagery, the film recounts the stories of women fighting on…

Low Down

Based on Amy-Jo Albany’s memoir, Low Down brings the audience into the life of 1970s jazz…

SlingShot

SlingShot focuses on the extensive efforts by noted inventor Dean Kamen, renowned for the development of…

Light House Studio Short Films

These twelve short films from Light House Studio students include a mixture of narratives, music videos,…

The Sound and the Fury

Set in Mississippi at the turn of the 20th century, The Sound and the Fury portrays…

Level Five

A woman (Laura), a computer, an invisible interlocutor: such is the setup on which Level Five…

Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story

Legendary alto jazz saxophonist Frank Morgan showed promise from an early age, taken under master Charlie…

Led Zeppelin Played Here

Shrouded in a cloud of mystery, the question of an enigmatic concert by Led Zeppelin during…

The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears

From Belgian co-directors/writers Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani (Amer), comes a visually overpowering homage to the…

Stray Dog

Although he now lives a simple life owning an RV park in southern Missouri, Vietnam veteran…

Teacher of the Year

After being awarded the California Teacher of the Year award, English teacher and department chair Mitch…

A Leading Man

Everyone is happy for rising actor GQ Qi—the network, his mother, his best friend—everyone except GQ…

The Last Season

In the wilds of Oregon, a tent-city descends each year, bustling with mushroom hunters searching for…

This Time Next Year

In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy swept along the East Coast. Eighteen miles long and only a…

Walesa: Man of Hope

Famous journalist Oriana Fallaci conducts a daringly brazen interview, with former Polish “Solidarity” movement leader Lech…