The Virginia Film Festival

Annual Event Hailed Nationally For Unique Mix of First-Rate Entertainment And Educational Focus

Charlottesville, VA – January 29, 2009 – The University of Virginia’s College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  has announced that a formal search has begun to identify the person who will write the next chapters of an educational and entertainment success story that has spanned more than 20 years.

The Virginia Film Festival has earned national recognition and extensive media attention for its unique dedication to the art of film and, at the same time, to its rigorous educational mission.  The four-day event, held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain setting of Charlottesville, Virginia, is known for celebrating films as well as for inviting the public to explore a variety of cultural themes through them.

The event was most recently led by Richard Herskowitz, who recently left the University after a widely-hailed 16-year tenure to take a position at the University of Oregon. There Herskowitz joins his wife Jill Hartz, who was recently hired to run the university’s acclaimed art museum. In addition, Herskowitz will be serving as Curator of the Media and Arts Festival for the Houston Cinema Arts Society.

“The Virginia Film Festival remains one of the most unique and surprising festivals in the country,” said Academy-Award-winning producer Mark Johnson (Rain Man, The Chronicles of Narnia series,  Diner, Good Morning, Vietnam), chair of the Virginia Film Festival board.  “It continually attracts not only from the student body but also filmmakers and filmgoers from throughout the U.S.  It is clearly at the front row of the ‘smaller,’ non-competitive events of the year.”

Johnson said the search committee is interested in identifying a candidate whose abilities and background go beyond a simple list of criteria.  “Our search for a new director seeks an academician, an historian, or merely a film-lover who is up to the challenge of programming disparate and challenging films and complementing them with events that take full advantage of not only the movies themselves but the Festival’s audience.”

Fellow producer and board member Ron Yerxa, whose credits include Little Miss Sunshine, Cold Mountain, The Ice Harvest, and Little Children, notes the Festival’s unique position at the crossroads of the worlds of entertainment and academia. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for someone who is inspired not only by the art of film but by the power of ideas,” he said.  “It is really the only festival I know of that consciously puts together the excitement of a film festival and the intellectual stimulation of a world-renowned university. On top of this, Charlottesville is a fantastic progressive town and a tailor made destination for an event like this.”

The University’s search committee invites applicants with a strong knowledge of current and classical film as well as a proven ability to effectively manage staff.  Experience in fundraising and an interest in teaching and interacting with students is also preferred.

Applicants are encouraged to complete a Candidate Profile online and attach a cover letter, CV and contact information for three (3) references through Jobs@UVA (https://jobs.virginia.edu. Search on Posting Number 0603028.  Review of applicants begins on February 1 and will continue on a rolling basis until the position in filled.

Over the past several years alone, the Virginia Film Festival has compiled an impressive guest list of actors, directors, producers and other industry experts, including Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, Vanessa Redgrave, John Turturro, Guillermo Arriaga and others.  At the same time, it has offered rare opportunities for the community to engage with its events, including a special festival-long seminar featuring former 20th Century Fox head Harry Chotiner; the Adrenaline Film Project, a 72-hour filmmaking blitz headed by directors Jeff Wadlow and Beau Bauman; and the annual “Shot by Shot Workshop”, which features directors and film experts taking audiences through a live commentary of a film by one of the Festival’s highlighted artists.