Enjoy a community film watching experience unlike any you’ve ever attended. Don’t even second guess it. After all, how often do you get to view richly crafted films in a library, school or luxury resort? This event offers us the opportunity to come together and share our collective love for films within the most beautiful Northern Virginia setting: horse country during autumn. What Sheila Johnson has brought to us can not truly be appreciated, until you have participated. Every year I volunteer to work at the festival because the experience is enchanting, and oddly, this California girl feels in some way like the west is coming to visit as a lot of folks make the trek out. This festival immediately gets placed into my old fashioned, printed, FranklinPlanner the moment my book arrives. (Yes, I’m hopelessly a paper planner!)
Each year promises unique perspectives and conversations with actors, directors, composers, and others with their pulse on visual and emotional creativity, story telling, and expression through film. In 2018, Maggie Gyllenhaal spoke to the audience after the viewing of The Kindergarten Teacher. She shared her insights on the changes taking place with funding, producing, and distributing films made for online streaming. Last year, Dakota Johnson spoke after the showing of Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, in which Johnson stars as a young mother. Johnson also received the festival’s Spotlight Actor Award.
Films screened at past festivals include Green Book, Darkest Hour, Lion, La La Land, Harriet, Nomadland, and Belfast – just to name a few. On the slate for this year are Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery staring Daniel Craig, The Whale staring Brendan Fraser, and Somewhere In Queens staring Ray Romano. Both Fraser and Romano are attending the festival and will participate in film discussions with ticket holders.
The festival will kick off Thursday evening at The Salamander Resort with the viewing of White Noise, which was also the opening night film for both the Venice and New York film festivals. Tickets are now available, but do tend to sell out online quickly. If you missed the online window for the movie you would like to see, check in with the app/box office before the show begins.
The 10th annual Middleburg Film Festival begins Thursday, October 13th. With 45 films to choose from, the average individual film viewing is $18 per ticket. In addition, conversations with film directors and composers as well as a concert are being offered. Individual tickets along with the complete list of films to be shown gets released early in October. Check listings for the dates and times of any additional offerings.
- What: Film Festival
- Who: Adults and teens wanting to experience something different or whom have an appreciation for the arts in film and music
- Where: Middleburg
- When: Begins Thursday, October 13th with the last showing on Sunday, October 16th at 4:45 pm
Cost: Average tickets are $18. Visit their site to view box office locations and for online ticket sales. Download the app for a list of screenings around town.
Location: Various venues within the town of Middleburg include Salamander Resort, The Hill School, National Sporting Library & Museum, and the Middleburg Community Center.
Website: www.MiddleburgFilm.org
*As with any activity or event, confirm all details with the organization before attending and check for up to date public health and safety information.
Christina Chee is a lifestyle and real estate consultant who loves to share insights that help others to live happy and empowered lives in Northern Virginia. Learn more about how you can make your Northern Virginia experience a great adventure — whether you’re new to the region or a life-long resident. Contact her here or visit www.virginialifestyles.com.
