Virginia Film Festival

Sara Risher

Founder, Chick Flick Productions

Sara Risher, one of the original Board Members of the Virginia Film Festival, was previously President of Production at New Line Cinema. She established and independent production company CHICKFLICKS, which focuses on female-driven projects.  Her most recent production is the film 55 STEPS starring Hilary Swank and Helena Bonham Carter and directed by Academy Award winner Bille August.  It premiered in competition at The Toronto Film Festival, is being distributed by Sony, and selected to play at the 36th Annual Virginia Film Festival. Sara is presently in pre-production of a remake of the 1958 classic BELL, BOOK & CANDLE for Paramount which is expected to shoot at the beginning of 2024.

Previously she produced the 2015 film LILA & EVE starring Jennifer Lopez and Viola Davis which premiered at SUNDANCE and was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn. Other productions were RAISE YOUR VOICE, which starred Jason Ritter and Hilary Duff and was released by New Line Cinema; Lee Harris’s CHRISTINE BENNETT MYSTERY SERIES with Patty Duke for The Hallmark Channel, and BROKEN BRIDGES starring Toby Keith, Burt Reynolds and Kelly Preston, for MTV/ Paramount.  She was the Executive Producer of THE LAST MIMZY, also distributed by New Line. Ms. Risher also produced the well-received horror/thriller THE DEMENTED for Starz and Anchor Bay.

While President of Production for over 15 years at New Line Cinema, Ms. Risher supervised the development and production of over 50 films, including the HOUSE PARTY, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series, John Water’s HAIRSPRAY and POLYESTER, MENACE II SOCIETY, PUMP UP THE VOLUME, THE RAPTURE, WIDE SARGASSO SEA, POISON IVY, and Michael Apted’s BLINK.  She was Executive Producer of IN LOVE AND WAR, starring Sandra Bullock and Chris O’Donnell, directed by Lord Richard Attenborough and Walter Hill’s LAST MAN STANDING starring Bruce Willis. As Chairman of Production from 1995 – 2002, Ms. Risher was in charge of the corporate overview for the production department during its exciting growth under Time Warner, culminating in the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.