Martin Luther King III Speaks at Virginia Film Festival
By Brianna Hamblin
Original Publication: CBS 19 News

“Martin Luther King III spoke at the Virginia Film Festival Saturday following the film “Charlottesville,” which reflects on the rallies of August 11 and 12, 2017.

Before speaking at the festival, King III visited Old Cabell Hall at the University of Virginia where his father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood and spoke in 1963…”

The Students Who Help Make the Virginia Film Festival Happen
By: Mark Felice
Original Publication: The Cavalier Daily

“Entering its 31st year, the Virginia Film Festival has long been a staple in the Charlottesville community. This year’s festival promises a wide variety of film screenings, discussion panels and family events covering an impressive array of topics…

Pulling off a festival of this size requires a tremendous amount of work, and volunteers do large part of that work. Volunteers hail from all over Charlottesville, but the festival offers a series of opportunities to students in particular. Students who are particularly devoted can apply to become interns or Festival Scholars…”

Chris Farina Builds a Community, Showcases the Good
By: Kate Granruth
Original Publication: The Cavalier Daily

“University alumnus and director Chris Farina has reached critical acclaim with his documentary films for decades…

Farina’s most recent undertaking is the film “Seats at the Table,” a portrait of University Lecturer Andrew Kaufman’s class “Books Behind Bars” in which students venture into a juvenile detention facility and study Russian literature alongside the residents. Both “Seats at the Table” and “West Main Street” are being shown at the Virginia Film Festival this year, and Arts and Entertainment had the opportunity to chat over the phone with Chris Farina about his goals, his films and his identity as a filmmaker…”

Virginia Film Festival’s ‘16 Bars’ Displays Creative Abilities of Inmates
By: Dan Goff
Original Publication: The Cavalier Daily

“Sam Bathrick’s documentary “16 Bars” opens with a shot of one of Richmond’s most famous and controversial monuments — a statue of Robert E. Lee on horseback, perched on a pedestal looming over Monument Avenue. Then the camera pans over top of the monument, moving into the city itself, and a rap song bursts to life in the background. It’s an angry track, and rightfully so, describing the experiences of underprivileged black people and their myriad struggles…”

VFF’s ‘The Front Runner’ Is a Wake-Up Call
By: Mark Felice
Original Publication: The Cavalier Daily

“Academy Award-nominated director and screenwriter Jason Reitman’s new film, “The Front Runner,” was shown as the closing night film for the Virginia Film Festival at 7:30 p.m. last Sunday at the Paramount Theater. The movie challenges, outrages and brings into question America’s current political system. Although the characters and story took place in 1988, this true story is politically relevant now more then ever, regardless of political affiliation…”

TCM Host, Bogdanovich Discuss the Finishing of Welles Film
By: Tyler Hammel
Original Publication: The Daily Progress

“After remaining unfinished for decades, legendary director Orson Welles’ final film, “The Other Side of the Wind,” was screened for hundreds Sunday as part of the Virginia Film Festival.

Following the screening, Peter Bogdanovich, one of the flick’s stars and a close friend of Welles’ who completed the film after Welles’ death, answered questions via Skype from Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz about the movie’s production and its famed director…”

Photo: ANDREW SHURTLEFF/THE DAILY PROGRESS

‘West Main Street’ Brings Local History to Film Festival
By: Josh Mandell
Original Publication: Charlottesville Together

“Twenty-three years since it was first released, a documentary about Charlottesville’s West Main Street sold out a screening at the 2018 Virginia Film Festival.

‘West Main Street,’ directed by local filmmakers Chris Farina and Reid Oechslin, portrays the businesses, institutions and people on the historic thoroughfare between downtown Charlottesville and the University of Virginia during the late 1980s and early 1990s…”

Image courtesy of Rosalia Films

Documentary Highlights Charlottesville Civil Rights Leader at Virginia Film Festival
Edited By: Chris Markham
Original Publication: NBC29 News

“It was a sold out show on Sunday night at the Virginia Film Festival for a film honoring a pivotal figure in the fight against racial oppression and division in Charlottesville. The hour-long documentary tells the story of Drewary Brown, focusing on various issues that he and other civil rights leaders of the community fought for during their lifetimes. Community members remember Brown for his efforts to break down walls and build relationships across different communities…”