Virginia Film Festival

After several newly uncovered counts of sexual abuse rock a tight-knit, isolated Mennonite community, a group of women in the colony secretly gather in a hayloft to discuss how to move forward. The women narrow their choices down to three: do nothing, stay in the community and fight, or leave. Some women worry that fighting will jeopardize their entry into heaven or warrant expulsion from the community–leaving behind their sons and husbands. Others assert the importance of the truth, arguing the terrors of domestic life are far more dangerous than deciding to leave the community. An adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Miriam Toews, this quiet drama offers a rumination on the power of grief, rage, grace, and triumph.

Tribute to actor Judith Ivey by Joe Fab (VAFF)
Discussion with Judith Ivey, moderated by Jenny Wales (UVA)

Our screening of Women Talking will be preceded by a short presentation with Virginia Film Office director Andy Edmunds honoring the three winners of the 2022 Virginia Screenwriting Competition. Over thirty years ago, the Virginia Screenwriting Competition was created to celebrate the accomplishments of Virginia writers, including past winners Vince Gilligan (Home Fries, Breaking Bad) and Megan Holley (Sunshine Cleaning), and to promote the future of filmmaking in Virginia.

JUDITH IVEY
Veteran stage actor Judith Ivey is a two-time Tony Award winner for Steaming and Hurlyburly, and was also nominated for Park Your Car in Harvard Yard and a revival of The Heiress. Ivey’s film and TV work extends over four decades; she is best known for her performance in Designing Women, The Devil’s Advocate, What the Deaf Man Heard, Will & Grace, Nurse Jackie, and Grey’s Anatomy.

“There’s a deep vein of humor and humanity that Polley and her actors mine from the text, and something quietly mesmerizing in their world-building.”
-Entertainment Weekly, Leah Greenblatt