The 37th annual Virginia Film Fest will begin with a comedy called Anora. Artistic Director Ilya Tovbiss says it was the first American film in more than a decade to win the Palm d’Or prize at Cannes.
“It centers on an exotic dancer from Brooklyn who finds her golden ticket to a better life in a sort of hasty but very fun and loving marriage to a young man. Unbeknownst to her, he is the son of a very powerful and angry Russian oligarch who comes to try to break–up the marriage.”
He says leading lady Mikey Madison is already getting Oscar buzz for her performance. The youngest woman to win an Oscar – Saoirse Ronan – stars in another film to be featured at the Paramount – Blitz. It's the story of a mother who sends her child away during World War II, as the Nazis are bombing London.
“She’s torn about the decision, but she decides, for his safety, to send him away to the countryside," he explains. "Her child can’t bear to be without his mother – especially under these circumstances, and much of the film follows his harrowing journey back to her.”
The centerpiece for 2024 is Emila Perez – a French film that the festival’s executive director, Jody Kielbasa, discovered at Telluride.
“It’s a film that blew my mind when I was out there. It’s about a Mexican drug lord who is seeking to have gender affirmation surgery. The drug kingpin is being played by Karla Sofia Gascon, and he’s married to Selena Gomez, and then it’s a musical!”
That might sound strange, but Kielbasa says it really works – and judges at Cannes agreed, awarding Emilia Perez the Jury Prize, and naming the leading lady and three of her cast members as best actresses.
Also screening this year, a number of animations. Again, artistic director Ilya Tovbis.
“Adam Elliot, who is an academy award-winning filmmaker from Australia, is coming in with Memoir of a Snail, which deals with a loner who really finds a connection with snails more so than friends and retreats into her own shell, and it’s all about her learning to reconnect with the world at large.”
Documentaries include The Brightness of Light -- Paul and Ellen Wagner’s profile of Georgia O’Keeffe and the work of a director with roots in Charlottesville and Richmond.
“Clay Tweel, who’s probably best known for his documentary Gleason that followed the New Orleans Saint’s kicker’s struggles with ALS, and he is in with a film – A Bitter Pill – about the opioid crisis.”
People interested in politics and current affairs might also want to see Defenders of Democracy.
“It’s a film that takes a look at the events of January 6th, particularly with regard to the impact it had on the capitol police and deals with issues of mental health as well in the aftermath of that insurrection.”
And those who have loved Saturday Night Live for more than 50 years might like the movie Saturday Night, followed by a talk with one of its cast members.
“Lamorne Morris is coming in. You’ll recognize him as a beloved character – Winston Bishop – from New Girl, and more recently for those who watched Fargo, He just won the Primetime Emmy for his role as a policeman, and he plays Garrett Morris, who was the first ever African American cast member.”
The Charlottesville festival runs through November 3rd, and you’ll find the full schedule at VirginiaFilmFestival.org.
