Virginia Film Festival

It Started as a Joke

Preceded by the short film Food Place. When Eugene Mirman first proposed a comedy festival making fun…

The Inn at Little Washington: A Delicious New Documentary

Dubbed “The Pope of American Cuisine,” Chef Patrick O’Connell is a legend. He’s revered as a…

In Fabric

Preceded by the short film Ghostwriter In the months following a painful divorce, Sheila visits a department…

Human Nature

CRISPR has revolutionized the scientific world, allowing us the ability to change the most basic building…

A Hidden Life

This historical drama features the true story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer and devout Catholic…

Harriet

Based on the extraordinary life of Harriet Tubman, this film chronicles the American hero’s escape from…

The Golden Harvest

In this “6,000-year-old love story,” director Alia Yunis explores the complicated relationship between the people of…

General Magic

Before 1990, there was no digital communications industry—no digital cell phones, no world wide web, no…

Gay Chorus Deep South

In response to a wave of discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws and the divisive 2016 presidential election, the San…

Frankie

Françoise Crémont, known to her family as Frankie, is a well-known French art-house movie star. Struggling…

Fishing With Dynamite

Director Paul Wagner examines how the shared obsession with short-term profits between corporations and Wall Street…

Fig Tree

Set in 1989, director Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s feature debut follows 16-year-old Mina as she navigates coming of…

Field of Dreams

While walking through his cornfield one evening, Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice whispering, “if…

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles

A love letter to the celebrated musical Fiddler on the Roof, this documentary is an exhilarating…

The Father

Valentina’s death takes quite a toll on her husband, Vassil. When it’s discovered that a neighbor…

Family Romance, LLC

Preceded by the short film Pilgrim Werner Herzog’s latest narrative focuses on Japan’s bizarre rent-a-family business, a…

Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops

Ernie & Joe introduces two courageous police officers in San Antonio’s mental health unit working to…

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (How I Felt When I Saw That Girl)

Sweety Chaudhary, a young Punjabi woman, is constantly badgered by her overbearing family about her love…

Ed Asner: On Stage and Off

Widely acknowledged as the most honored performer in the history of American television, Ed Asner is…

Best of Film at Mason

Best of Film at Mason is a showcase of recent notable and award-winning films. From heartfelt to heartbreaking…

Driveways

Preceded by the short film Cowboy Joe. Following the death of her estranged sister, aspiring nurse Kathy…

Dolce Fine Giornata

Maria Linde, a renowned poet and Nobel Prize winner, lives in her glorious Tuscan villa surrounded…

Dismantling Democracy

Dismantling Democracy examines new and old democratic structures of government in the United States and around the…

Deerskin

At the start, Georges is seemingly just a middle-aged, bearded loner living in a small-town motel.…

Coming Home

In October of 2014, director Ricardo Preve led a diving expedition on the shore of Barra…

Coapan En Espera

Screens before the feature film The Sower.  An experimental documentary from director Federico Cuatlacuatl, Copan En Espera…

The Client

Based on the John Grisham bestseller, The Client revolves around Mark, a street-smart 11-year-old boy who…

Clemency

Preceded by the short film Slave Cry Prison warden Bernadine Williams has objectively carried out several…

Changing the Game

High school athlete Mack Beggs made national headlines in 2017 when he became the Texas girls…

The Cave

For the past eight years, the war in Syria has brought death and destruction to millions.…

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

In anticipation of the historic film's 100th-anniversary premiere in Berlin, Feb 26th, 1920, this repertory screening…

Burning Cane

Preceded by the short film Easter Snap. God-fearing Helen Wayne’s faith is quietly tested when the relationships…

Breaking Away

Fresh out of high school in Bloomington, Indiana, Dave and his working-class best friends Cyril, Moocher,…

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead with Ethan Hawke

Needing some quick cash, brothers Andy and Hank set up the perfect crime to rob their…

Bacurau

Teresa returns to her village of Bacurau, located in Brazil’s semi-arid sertão, following the death of…

Autonomy

Acclaimed author Malcolm Gladwell leads the first comprehensive documentary look at the human side of the…

Artemio

Preceded by the short film Nichmal Son: Musica Que Florece Artemio was born in the United…

American Heretics: The Politics of the Gospel

Religion, race, and politics in America have been intertwined for as long as the country has…

Always in Season

Preceded by the short film What if Black Boys Were Butterflies? When Claudia Lacy’s 17-year-old son, Lennon,…

Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly

While under house arrest in Beijing at the hands of Chinese authorities, artist and activist Ai…

Afrikana Film Festival

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

Adrenaline Film Project Reprise

In its 15th year and hosted by Light House Studio, the Adrenaline Film Project challenges 12…

9 Pillars Hip Hop Music Video Showcase

Curated by 9 Pillars Hip Hop Cultural Festival Director, Cullen Wade, 9 Pillars Hip Hop Music…

2040

What will our planet look like in the year 2040? And more importantly, can we do…

2019 Late Night Wrap Party

21+ Event Before the credits roll on the 2019 Festival, join us at the Late Night…

2019 Opening Night Gala

21+ Event Join us for the start of the Virginia Film Festival at the Opening Night…

Chef Flynn [Added Screening]

Often called the “Justin Bieber of Food,” budding chef Flynn McGarry quickly emerged as a culinary…

On Certainty 467

Screens before The Image Book English philosopher G.E. Moore reflects on a tree, while fellow philosopher…

A Tribute to Christoph Waltz

Christoph Waltz is best known for his work with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Waltz wowed critics and…

If Beale Street Could Talk

In the film adaptation of the James Baldwin novel, Academy Award winning director Barry Jenkins depicts…

Virginia 12th

Virginia 12th, produced by NowThis, is the story of Chris Hurst, who became the youngest local…

Transit

Screens before the feature film West Main Street  A conversation with University of Virginia alumni about…

Stones for Thunder

Screens before feature film The Forcing As a TV director counts down the clock, paltry images…

Steamboat Willie

Screens before feature film Coco  Mickey Mouse’s playful antics on a river steamboat lead to musical…

Lamb

Screens before the feature film This Changes Everything  Lambexposes the walk, taken by too many talented…

The Home for Wayward Babydolls

Screened before feature film Ingrid A Vietnam veteran turns his house into a home for lost…

Half a Chicken

Screened before feature film The Biggest Little Farm  Bryan struggles to keep to his chicken alive.

Gapu Ga Gunda

Screened before feature film Gurrumul  As cyclone Lam approaches Yirrkala, Nonggirrnga Marawili reflects on her origins.…

Galka

Screens before the feature film Gurrumul Indigenous filmmaker Ishmael Marika brings to life the Yolngu mythological figure…

The Alligator Hunter

Screens before feature film Rodents of Unusual Size  After losing his wife in a traumatic attack, an…

Anna

Screens before the feature film Another Slave Narrative  In November 1815, an enslaved woman, Anna, is…

At Eternity’s Gate

The renowned painter, Vincent van Gogh (Willem Dafoe), spends his prolific period in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise,…

Ocean Cities: Exploring our Connection to the Sea

In this era of climate change and sea level rise, how can coastal cities innovate and…

Ingrid

Preceded by the short film The Home for Wayward Babydolls At seventy-six years old, Ingrid Gipson compares…

Orwell’s Revolution

Orwell's Revolution looks to the experiences in the Spanish Civil War that would inspire Orwell to…

Rich Kids

Matías is a bright teenager whose family struggles with harsh financial troubles. When he discovers “Los…

Ballad of a Righteous Merchant

Chronicling Werner Herzog’s making of the feature film, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done,…

Know Your Neighbor

Highlighting the essence of nine locals who proudly call Charlottesville their home, Know Your Neighbor offers insight…

MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.

Drawn from a cache of personal video recordings from the past 22 years, director Steve Loveridge’s MATANGI…

Widows

In present day Chicago, Veronica finds herself newly widowed. In addition to this misfortune, she must…

The Front Runner

Gary Hart, the charming U.S Senator from Colorado, was considered the frontrunner for the 1988 Democratic…

VR Filmmaking

Mona Kasra, assistant professor of Digital Media Design in the UVA Department of Drama, will host…

Women in Film

A discussion of the opportunities and continuing challenges for women in the industry today hosted by…

Producers Forum

A panel of leading Hollywood producers and members of the Virginia Film Festival Advisory Board. Discussion with VAFF…

In Reality

Ann is an average young woman struggling with a desperate obsession to find true love. When…

Same God

In 2015, Dr. Larycia Hawkins, an African-American political science professor at Wheaton College, wanted to show…

Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin

This feature documentary explores the remarkable life and legacy of the late feminist author Ursula K.…

Gurrumul

Preceded by short films Gapu Ga Gunda and Galka Praised by audiences spanning the globe, indigenous artist…

Still Life

In 2014, a national news-worthy chemical dump threatened to reduce West Virginia’s proud capital to its…

Short Films: Food for Thought

Are You Volleyball?! 2017. Iran. 15 min. Director: Mohammad Bakhshi. Featuring: Mehdi Amiri, Esmaeil Alizadeh, Behnoud…