37th Annual VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL Oct 30-Nov 3, 2024

37th Annual VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL October 30-November 3, 2024

News & Press

Virginia Film Festival Announces Light House Studio to Take Over Adrenaline Film Project

by JennyM on September 7, 2018

VAFF Announces Light House Studio to Take Over Adrenaline Film Project 

After Hiatus this Fall, AFP to Launch Under New Leadership in 2019; Adrenaline Founder Jeff Wadlow to Continue to Support

Charlottesville, VA – September 6, 2018 – The Virginia Film Festival and Light House Studio have announced that Light House Studio will take over the Adrenaline Film Project, the 72-hour guerilla filmmaking project that has long been a favorite of VAFF audiences, effective immediately.

The shift in ownership allows Light House Studio to bring its filmmaking education expertise to Adrenaline, which was co-founded in 2004 by noted director and Charlottesville native Jeff Wadlow. A Festival board member for over fifteen years, Wadlow will continue to support Adrenaline alongside Light House Studio staff and mentors. AFP will take a hiatus in the Fall of 2018 and return in 2019. The Virginia Film Festival will continue to provide a platform for screening the completed Adrenaline Film Project films each year.

The Virginia Film Festival is a program of the University of Virginia and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts. The 2018 Festival will take place from November 1-4 in Charlottesville and will include more than 150 films and over 100 industry guests from around the world.

The Adrenaline Film Project is a 72-hour guerrilla filmmaking adventure in which 10-12 teams of filmmakers compete for cash prizes by pitching, writing, shooting, editing, and screening their own 3-5 minute films with guidance from a team of highly accomplished mentors from across the industry. Mentors assign teams a genre, line of dialogue, and prop that they must incorporate into their short films, which are then programmed for a juried, public screening. Previous winners have found success in their acceptances to film schools, submissions to Sundance, involvement in the creation of popular movies and television shows, starting their own production companies, and even winning an Emmy.

“With their long-proven success in youth mentorship and remarkable track record of educating young filmmakers, Light House Studio is uniquely qualified to carry this program forward and oversee its growth and development for many years to come,” said Jody Kielbasa, Virginia Film Festival Director and Vice Provost for the Arts at the University of Virginia. “With the Film Festival’s focus on exhibiting more than 150 films, hosting over 100 special guests, and deepening our community engagement through targeted programming each year, this shift is an opportunity to give Adrenaline a home that is more in line with its mission. Light House is one of our most reliable community partners, and we are very happy to continue supporting Light House and Adrenaline through public screenings in years to come.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to take on the Adrenaline Film Project, which has long been one of the most dynamic and exciting vehicles for filmmakers in Charlottesville and throughout the Commonwealth,” said Deanna Gould, Executive Director of Light House Studio. “We have greatly enjoyed being a part of the program since year one through our students’ participation. Now, we are very excited to lead it forward as an outstanding and unique educational vehicle, and to work with the Film Festival to share Adrenaline with its many fans each year.”

“I’m thrilled that Light House will be taking over the management of the Adrenaline Film Project in Virginia,” said Wadlow. “This will ensure Adrenaline’s growth in the Commonwealth regardless of whether or not I can personally attend each year, and that AFP’s mission to foster high quality collaborative filmmaking in central Virginia will continue unhindered. Since our very first year in 2004, I’ve admired the outstanding work that Light House has done with young filmmakers. Their Adrenaline teams have consistently taken top honors at our final screening, and I have no doubt that under Deanna Gould’s leadership, they will continue to raise the bar for AFP in Virginia. I’ve personally spoken to all the key Adrenaline players in Charlottesville, everyone from Erica Arvold to Kevin Everson to Stace Carter, who will remain involved and committed to our vision for AFP. I am incredibly grateful for the support that UVA and the Festival have provided these past fourteen years, and I look forward to sharing the Adrenaline Film Project with audiences in Central Virginia for years to come.”

For more information on Light House Studio, visit lighthousestudio.org.

For more information on the Virginia Film Festival, which will unveil its 2018 program on October 2, visit virginiafilmfestival.org.