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

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

News & Press

‘Moonlight Movies’ Film Series Launches

by JennyM on June 16, 2015

VFF to Launch ‘Moonlight Movies’ Free Outdoor Film Series on Friday, June 26 with Xanadu at Champion Brewery Company 

Series To Continue Throughout Summer With Lineup Including
The Sandlot, Back to the Future and The Endless Summer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – June 16, 2015 – The Virginia Film Festival is taking to the great outdoors this summer to present Moonlight Movies, a series of free screenings at locations throughout the Charlottesville area.

The Virginia Film Festival is presented by the University of Virginia.

All VFF Moonlight Movies screenings are free and open to the public, and will begin at sundown (approximately 8:30 p.m.).

The series launches on Friday, June 26 with a screening of Xanadu at Champion Brewing Company. The campy cult classic 1980 musical fantasy stars Olivia Newton John and Gene Kelly and features music by John as well as Electric Light Orchestra. The film is being presented in partnership with the Live Arts production of the musical, which opens on July 17. Xanadu is the story of down-on-his-luck painter Sonny, who decides to change his fortunes by building a roller rink with the help of his mythological muse (John) and an entertainer-turned-construction magnate (Kelly) whom she had inspired decades earlier. Food from Two Brothers Southwestern Grill will be available for purchase before and during the screening. Champion will also have a special, one-night-only cask to pour at the bar, and will be releasing their Biere de Mars in bottles that day.

The next night, Saturday, July 27, the Festival will partner with the Charlottesville Tom Sox to take you out to the ballgame with a screening of the baseball-themed family favorite The Sandlot.  The 1993 coming-of-age story, presented at C-VILLE Weekly Ballpark at Charlottesville High School, will follow that evening’s Tom Sox-Front Royal Cardinals game. Game tickets are available at the door, and you can learn more at www.tomsox.com.

On Saturday, July 11, Marty McFly and Doc will fire up the DeLorean all over again with a special screening of the beloved comedy classic Back to the Future at Old Trail Village Center in Crozet. Grit Cafe Crozet will be expanding their outdoor patio seating for the night, and they will set up an outdoor stand with beer, wine, non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, ice-cream, and more for purchase.

Finally, on Friday, August 7, the series will return to Champion Brewing Company to present the mind-blowing sights and sounds of the 1966 surf film classic The Endless Summer. The Bruce Brown documentary, known for its gorgeous footage and The Sandals’ twangy surf rock soundtrack, follows a pair of surfers who “chase“ summer all over the globe, traveling to the coasts of Australia, New Zealand , South Africa, Tahiti, and Hawaii in a search for the ever-elusive perfect wave.

Announcements regarding possible weather-related cancellations for the series will be made through the Virginia Film Festival’s website and social media channels.

The VFF Moonlight Movies series is sponsored by the AV Company and C-VILLE Weekly.

The Virginia Film Festival returns to Charlottesville for its 28th year from November 5-8, 2015. For complete Festival information, visit www.virginiafilmfestival.org.