Newswise — Let there be "¦projector light.Following its record-breaking 2005 program on the theme of "In/Justice," theVirginia Film Festival has chosen another illuminating theme for its nineteenth annual event: REVELATIONS: Finding God at the Movies.
Hosted by the University of Virginia, the Virginia Film Festival will take place October 26-29, 2006, at venues throughout Charlottesville. Designed as a four-day course on a cultural theme in which the public is invited to enroll, the Festival brings major talents to Charlottesville each year (such as recent featured guests Vanessa Redgrave, Sandra Bullock, and Paul Schrader). Over 70 films will be screened and more than 80 guest artists and speakers are expected to participate.
For the first time, Festival director Richard Herskowitz will open the process of festival programming to the public through a new online blog called REVELATIONS OF A PROGRAMMER at http://www.vafilm.blogspot.com. He is soliciting recommendations for film titles and guest artists and speakers, and will respond to suggestions and share behind-the-scenes stories as the program comes together.
REVELATIONS: Finding God at the Movies will explore the growing role of religion in the public sphere. Herskowitz predicts, "The films we present will be reverent and irreverent. We intend to feature works by filmmakers who are addressing the growing tension between secular and religious cultures worldwide. Discussions will explore the growing popularity of religious themes in popular culture, following the success of Passion of the Christ and The Chronicles of Narnia. Finally, we plan to give special attention to the rich tradition of spiritual cinema—films by Scorsese,Tarkovsky, Bresson and others that do not necessarily address religion, but aim to provoke a spiritual experience in the viewer."
The Festival will bring back, for the third year, the highly successful ADRENALINE FILM PROJECT. Thirty student and community filmmakers will be launched on a three-day filmmaking blitz, culminating in a public screening at the Festival. The Festival will also feature over a dozen new feature film PREMIERE SELECTIONS screening in advance of their national release. And, as always, filmgoers can expect an extensive catalog of art exhibits, musical performances, and gala parties related to the Festival theme.
Early confirmations include two new documentary premieres by accomplishedCharlottesville filmmakers. Paul Wagner's The God of a Second Chance explores the role of faith in the lives of people confronting problems of poverty in the inner city, and Kent and Brad Williamson's The Rebellion of Thought examines the role of the church in a post-modern world.
For more information and for year-round announcements about the Virginia Film Festival and Virginia Film Society, visit the website at http://www.vafilm.com.
RSS