It’s been 30 years since three of Hollywood’s leading men starred in The Birdcage. Robin Williams and Gene Hackman are gone now, but Nathan Lane lives on and is planning to be on hand for an anniversary showing of the film.
Also returning to her old hometown, Jessica Lange. Festival director Jody Kielbasa says both will receive awards for changing the course of modern cinema, and artistic director Ilya Tovbis says it’s an honor to host them.
“Jessica Lange is coming in with a new film – Long Day’s Journey into Night, and American Horror Story is going into its 13th season.”
“They both have extraordinary film careers,” Kielbasa adds, “and Nathan Lane just starring on Broadway in Death of a Salesman.”
Celebrated writer and producer Aaron Sorkin will also be here to discuss his new film, The Social Reckoning, a follow-up to The Social Network, which debuted in 2010.
No stars will be on hand for another featured film, but Kielbasa and Tovbis say there’s a lot of buzz around a movie called The Debut.
“It’s a fun film, kind of a dark comedy. This woman who seems to not have much of an identity decides one day to audition for a community theater production which is quite the thing in this community and has a legendary long-time director in Paul Giamatti,” Kielbasa says.
“Julianne Moore’s character completely comes out of her shell and becomes a different person,”Tovbis concludes. "Central to that is her engaging with a piece of art and a community that is performing art together.”
He says the centerpiece of the festival is a film called The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd.
“The film is about a man on death row. He’s played by an incredible Scoot McNairy in one of his top roles ever, and then Amanda Seifried enters the death row where he’s being kept as a teacher of literature, and they connect once again over art and over the possibility of freeing your soul.”
It was written, directed and produced by Tim Blake Nelson who will be in Charlottesville to discuss The Leader – a movie about the Heaven’s Gate cult – and to accept the festival’s Virtuoso award for innovation in many aspects of film.
“This is his sixth time behind the camera. He’s had more than 100 onscreen roles -- of course Beloved and Oh Brother Where Art Thou, the Ballad of Buster Scruggs and so many other films and TV as well.”
And if you’re looking for an all-star cast, Kielbasa says, look no further than Wild Horse Nine.
“It’s just a wild ride with John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi, and it’s gotten a lot of festival buzz out there. It captures a time in the 70’s and the period in our history with the CIA meddling in South American countries. It puts an entirely unique spin on it.”
A documentary will close the five-day festival. 1 15 41 tells the story of UVA football from the tragic murder of three players in 2022.
“Their season was canceled that year, and the next season wasn’t the most successful – a lot of those team members still suffering grief, and the film culminates in the sentencing -- galvanizing of the team members to have a season that remembers their fallen teammates.”
Those who love sports will also get a preview of the new biopic Madden with producer Todd Black and Director David O. Russell showing clips and discussing legendary NFL coach and commentator John Madden.
And for film lovers with movie-making ambitions, there will be a behind-the-scenes program offering advice and encouragement.
“It’s free and it gives great insight into aspects of the film industry – topics such as production design, or the pitching process, how to make it in the film industry as an early or mid-career filmmaker, and it’s from all angles. We have a writer from Marvel who has a very different career from a pair of documentarians who are making their second effort after years of fundraising to do it as well as somebody who used to work at Vice and comes at it through investigative journalism.”
The festival runs October 21st through 25th – promising excitement on Charlottesville’s downtown mall and on campus where football fans will already be gathered for the Duke game on Friday and UVA Family Weekend.
