The Funny Business of Politics
Whether following the rise of a historic candidate to his landmark presidency, or the ambitions of a student in her run for class president, the 2009 Virginia Film Festival is pleased to show a variety of films that explore the funny business of politics. The films range from documentaries to comedic classics, and go beyond the circus of Capitol Hill. 70 years have passed since audiences first saw James Stewart’s Jefferson Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which earned director Frank Capra a nomination for Best Picture in 1939. We celebrate this anniversary with a special screening and post-show panel discussion. Alexander Payne’s Election is the story of an over-achieving student and the machinations of her Civics teacher to shatter her presidential aspirations. This 10th anniversary screening celebrates the film’s enduring legacy and status as a cult classic. New political films include AJ Schnack’s Convention, a riveting ensemble documentary born out of an unprecedented effort to cover the behind the scenes perspectives of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. By The People is a fascinating case study of the small town electoral process. One of the more shameful and difficult periods in Virginia’s recent history is detailed in Locked Out: The Fall of Massive Resistance. These films and others give audiences the chance to investigate the mischief and excitement of political punditry, without actually having to step foot into the Senate.
Corkscrew Comedies
For those who have ventured the Monticello Wine Trail, viticulture is no light-hearted matter here in Charlottesville. However, this year’s flight of complex-yet-witty winemaking films display maturity and depth as well as delighting the cinematic palette. Mondovino by Jonathan Nossiter, explores the globalization of the world’s different wine regions while arguing that Bordeaux has become the world standard for fine wine. Ross Clenenden and Paul Hawley’s uproarious mockumentary Corked! follows winemakers at four Northern California vineyards as they battle to be the best.
The British are Coming
No “Funny Business” would be complete without the quirky comedy that only the British can do so well. This bird’s eye selection charts the arc of the British comic tradition from the classic Ealing comedies of the post-war years, through the comic anarchy of Monty Python to today’s comedies of modern manners. Watch Alec Guinness die eight ways when a distant relative seeks revenge and the family title in the 1949 black comedy classic Kind Hearts and Coronets. 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail takes a sledgehammer to the Arthurian legend, providing some of the team’s most side-splitting on-screen moments. Finally, with audiences bracing themselves for an all-star US remake, Frank Oz’s 2007 Death at a Funeral is a superb example of modern British screen comedy, balancing moments of breathtakingly bad taste with a poised, deadpan ensemble cast and a beautifully crafted script. A panel discussion will consider the British comic tradition and its onscreen relation to the British film industry and probably poke gentle fun at American attitudes, spelling and pronunciation.
Comedy Classics & Screwball Comedies
Enjoy some of the finest moments in film comedy in our parade of comic classics. Whether it’s the silent clowning of Buster Keaton in Sherlock Jr., the hair-raising perils of Harold Lloyd in Safety Last, the crackling dialogue of Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in Howard Hawks’s screwball classic His Girl Friday, or Carole Lombard and William Powell in Gregory La Cava’s 1936 trans-class comedy My Man Godfrey, there’s an archive full of laughs waiting to tickle your funny bone. Once dubbed the best comedy of all time, no comic collection would be complete without Billy Wilder’s Some Like it Hot, with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe’s unforgettable Sugar Kane. Panel discussions on Gender in Film and the Screwball Comedy provide context and a modern evaluation of these national treasures, while Matt Marshall and the Reel Music Ensemble provide live accompaniment for the silent films. (see also Panels and Discussions)
It’s Not Easy Being Green
In today’s day and age, we all know it’s not easy being green. With the increasing pressure to reduce our environmental footprint, the 2009 Virginia Film Festival is doing its part to help lighten everyone’s mood, if not your SUV emissions, by featuring films on the difficulties and disgruntles of being green. One feature, Chris Schueler’s The First Millimeter: Healing the Earth, examines the process of desertification plaguing acres upon acres of the earth’s ranchlands and croplands, and what we can do to help reverse the cycle. On a lighter note, Lucas Krost’s winning short from the 2009 Richmond 48 Hour Film Project Neighborhood Watch adapts the detective cop genre to explore a deep neighborhood problem of unwanted dog poop. Another green feature, The Garden, directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy, follows the largest community garden in the US from its humble beginnings in LA to its fight against bulldozers poised to destroy it. Hopefully, Krosts’ down and dirty expose, The Garden’s trials, and Schueler’s documentary will help us all be a little greener.
Virginia Filmmakers’ Showcase
Everyone knows that Virginia is for Lovers, and that includes lovers of movies. From the classic feature film Giant, whose opening scenes were filmed in Albemarle County to the Emmy-Award winning HBO min-series John Adams, Virginia has a long history of exceptional filmed entertainment. The Virginia Film Office is responsible for recruiting production, promoting the state’s film industry and has been a partner with the Virginia Film Festival from its inception. This year, the Virginia Film Festival is celebrating Virginia’s contemporary film scene with an eclectic collection of locally produced feature and short films and documentaries. There are numerous Virginia-based films screening at the Festival including Marching Band, Bedford: the Town They Left Behind; Locked Out: The Fall of Massive Resistance, With These Hands and 9500 Liberty. As part of this celebration of Virginia film, a panel of filmmakers with Virginia roots will discuss their experiences and provide a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be part the state’s exciting film scene.
The Virginia Filmmakers’ showcase is sponsored by the Virginia Film Office and supported by Vinegar Hill Theatre – one of the Visulite group of local independent cinemas.
The Virginia Film Office was founded in 1980, and is part of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the state’s tourism agency. The Film Office has a mission to recruit film and video projects to the state, including feature films, television shows, educational videos, commercials and documentaries. The Virginia Film Office has been a partner and supporter of the Virginia Film Festival since its inception and is proud to be a part of this unique and exceptional endeavor.
Digital Media Lounge
106 East Main St. on the Downtown Mall
Friday 11am-9pm
Saturday 10am-9pm
Sunday 11am-5pm
The Virginia Film Festival is proud to provide a space dedicated specifically to the celebration of student and community film.
To enhance this year’s focus on local filmmakers, the Digital Media Lounge will feature works curated by Kevin Everson, James Ford, and Greg Kelly. By bringing local artists together in this diverse and interactive installation, we hope to encourage greater involvement with the community on both sides of the camera, as well as provide festival-goers with a taste of what informs their work.
The Bridge Progressive Arts Institute is presenting a program by artists they have worked with for the past five years, and the UVa Art Department’s advanced cinematography class will be projecting works within the genre of contemporary film/video projection art. The students’ aesthetic is largely informed by experimental film, while their subjects, influences and individual styles vary greatly.
Participating students include:
Benjamin Bartel, Austin Blanton, Danny Breen, Hannah Chipman, Debra Cohen, Julide Etem, Zac Fabien, Kevin Flattery, Vashti Harrison, Kat Jarvis, Alli Kirtley, Zack Ketz, Nicholas Leach, Adrienne Oliver, Jeff Trueblood, Jacquelyn Walters, Yasminca Wilson, Rita Yiran Xia.
The Digital Media Lounge is sponsored and supported by The AV Company
