THE VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVALCELEBRATES 25 GLORIOUS YEARS IN CHARLOTTESVILLE
The Highly Anticipated Event Will Take Place November 1 – 4, 2012
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (October 18, 2012) – The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) invites visitors and local residents to take part in the Virginia Film Festival, which will be held November 1 through 4, 2012.
The Festival is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with an exciting program featuring more than 120 remarkable films being presented in numerous venues in Charlottesville and engaging events with top leaders in the film industry. Some of the Festival’s special guests include the legendary journalistic duo of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (who will participate in a post-screening discussion of the classic political thriller All The President’s Men to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Watergate scandal); actors Matthew Lillard, Marc Singer and Keith Carradine; noted documentarian Ross McElwee; acclaimed journalist Nick Clooney; and Dave Matthews Band’s Boyd Tinsley, in his filmmaking debut.
“Anytime you talk about a significant anniversary such as this one, you want to make sure that you strike an important balance,” Kielbasa said. “I am proud to be able to celebrate the great history that has been built here over these years and to honor the outstanding work of my predecessors while at the same time continuing to expand the vision of the Festival as it moves forward.”
This year’s Virginia Film Festival, fresh from three record-breaking years in both sales and attendance, will once again feature a mix of highly-anticipated first-run features, fascinating documentaries, timeless classics, engaging short films, and more. Festival highlights will include advance previews of many films expected to figure prominently in the upcoming awards season, including the Festival’s Centerpiece Film (and recent People’s Choice Award-winner at the Toronto Film Festival) Silver Linings Playbook, Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award-winner The Sessions, A Late Quartet, Rust and Bone, and Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, Quartet.
The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) is a proud sponsor of the Virginia Film Festival this year. “The Virginia Film Festival has become an important part of the cultural landscape of our community, and it remains a source of pride for residents and visitors alike,” says Kurt Burkhart, Executive Director of the CACVB.
The 2011 Festival drew more than 24,000 attendees and featured an all-time record 27 sold-out screenings. The weekend proved to be an Academy Awards® preview, opening with Alexander Payne’s The Descendants and featuring Best Picture winner The Artist, along with a host of other nominated films including Albert Nobbs and A Better Life, among others. Once again, the Festival featured a stellar guest list headed up by legendary director Oliver Stone, actress Sissy Spacek, noted art director Jack Fisk, actresses Mia Wasikowska and Rachael Harris, free speech crusader Larry Flynt, and internationally-acclaimed choreographer Bill T. Jones.
The Virginia Film Festival is presented by the University of Virginia’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. For the complete schedule of screenings and events, please visit www.virginiafilmfestival.org.
Brigitte Bélanger-Warner
Director of Sales & Marketing
Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau
434.970.3632 – warnerb@charlottesville.org
About the CACVB
In addition to providing a wealth of information on the area to individual visitors, the CACVB assists tour operators, meeting planners, reunions and other groups to find attractions, restaurants, hotels, and other visitor related businesses. Its mission is “to enhance the economic prosperity of City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, as a destination, in pursuit of the meetings and tourism markets.”