Virginia Film Festival

VFF Announces Family Day Offerings and 13th Adrenaline Film Project

by JennyM on September 16, 2016

Virginia Film Festival Announces 2016 Family Day Offerings and Launch of 13th Annual Adrenaline Film Project

 VFF Family Day to be Held on Saturday, November 5 on the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds at the University of Virginia and will Feature Screenings of James and the Giant Peach and Disney Animation Studios Shorts Plus Interactive Arts Workshops

 2016 Adrenaline Film Project to be Led by Charlottesville Native and Acclaimed Filmmaker Jeff Wadlow and Feature Films Made in 72 Hours By Local and Regional Teams

Charlottesville, VA – September 15, 2016 – The Virginia Film Festival will once again present two of its most popular annual offerings with the return of Family Day and the Adrenaline Film Project.

The Virginia Film Festival, set for November 3-6, is presented by the University of Virginia and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts.

This year’s VFF Family Day will take place on Saturday, November 5 at the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds at the University of Virginia. Part of the Festival’s Outreach & Education Program, the VFF’s Family Day is highlighted by family-friendly screenings, interactive arts workshops led by UVA and community-based arts professionals, and screenings of films made by more than 600 local students as part of the VFF’s Young Filmmakers Academy.

All Family Day events are free and open to the public!

This year’s screenings begin at 10:00 AM at the Culbreth Theatre with a program of award-winning shorts from Disney Animation Studios. The screening will be followed by the return of the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia’s Musical Instrument Petting Zoo which gives youngsters an opportunity to see, touch, and try a variety of instruments in the Helms Theatre. Then, at 12:30 PM, the action moves back to the Culbreth Theatre for a special 20^th Anniversary screening of James and the Giant Peach.

Between screenings, families are invited to explore an outdoor arts festival featuring demonstrations, activities performances and more, as well as a series of dynamic themed workshops. The workshops are free and open to the public, but require advance registration. This year’s workshops include:

• Make-Up Effects by Mariah Johnson of Light House Studio
• Lights, Camera, Chain-re-Action! by Earl Mark of UVA School of Architecture
• Mowgli’s Musical Adventures: A Musical Theater Workshop by Melissa Charles of DMR Adventures
• What’s That Sound? How the Tune Sets the Tone! by WTJU’s Dave “Professor Be Bop” Rogers
• What’s The Big IDEA? (Interactive Design Exercises in Architecture) by Louis Nelson of UVA School of Architecture
• Get Animated with the Virginia Discovery Museum by Kaitlin German
• Speak Shakespeare Like a Pro by Kate Burke of the UVA Drama Department
• Creating Art Together by Emma Lewis and Susan Xie, UVA Miller Arts Scholars

Additional free workshops offered during Family Day include the toddler-centric Joey Stories hosted by Lauren Maupin and Fenella Belle, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, and a behind the scenes tour of the School of Architecture. For a complete schedule and registration information for this year’s workshops, visit virginiafilmfestival.org/workshops/.  For more information on Family Day, visit virginiafilmfestival.org/familyday/.

Family Day is part of the Virginia Film Festival’s acclaimed Outreach & Education Program, which also includes annual School Screenings that draw up to 1,000 local and regional students; the ACTION! The VFF’s High School Director Competition; the Adrenaline Film Project; and the Digital Media Gallery, which features experimental works by UVA and local high school students, presented at Charlottesville’s Second Street Gallery.

The VFF’s Outreach and Education Program is generously supported by The Sarah Lahr Educational Fund. Family Day is supported by the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts, Charlottesville Newsplex, and Lite Rock Z95.1. Action! The VFF’s High School Director Competition is presented by the Virginia Film Office.

The 2016 Virginia Film Festival will once again get a jolt of caffeinated creativity courtesy of the 13th Annual Adrenaline Film Project, a 72-hour guerrilla filmmaking adventure in which 10-12 teams of filmmakers shoot, edit, and screen their own 5-7 minute films with a guidance from Adrenaline mentors as well as some of Festival’s special guests. Charlottesville native and acclaimed filmmaker Jeff Wadlow, who co-founded the AFP, will return as mentor and will be joined by noted acting coach Leigh Kilton-Smith and UVA alum and three-time Adrenaline veteran Kevin Hart, a recent graduate of USC’s  Peter Stark Production Program.

The Adrenaline Film Project will culminate in a competitive screening and awards ceremony before a live audience at Culbreth Theatre on Saturday, November 5.

For information about how to apply to be part of the 2016 Adrenaline Film Project, visit http://www.virginiafilmfestival.org/adrenaline/.  Submissions are due by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 14. We will notify selected participants on Friday, October 21.

Actors and composers can also participate in this year’s Adrenaline Film Project. Arvold Casting will manage a database of available actors and host an Actors Meet and Greet on Tuesday, November 1.  Interested composers can sign up to participate by completing the 2016 Composer Form.  For information on both opportunities, visit http://www.virginiafilmfestival.org/adrenaline.

The 2016 Adrenaline Film Project is presented by Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company and supported by UVA Robertson Media Center.

The Virginia Film Festival will announce its full 2016 program on Tuesday, September 27. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, September 30. For more information, visit www.virginiafilmfestival.org.

The 2016 Virginia Film Festival is generously supported by the following Premiere Sponsors: The AV Company, Bank of America, Bold Rock Hard Cider, The Joseph & Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, Harvest Moon Catering, James Madison’s Montpelier, Virginia Film Office, and Violet Crown Charlottesville.