University of Virginia president Jim Ryan speaks during the 2022 Virginia Film Festival.
One of the oft-cited reasons to love Charlottesville, Virginia is its incredible offerings of live music, theater, film and art. This weekend kicks off Virginia Film Festival’s 35th year, presenting more than 100 films, including dramas, comedies and documentaries. Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Clarke often cites it as one of her favorite annual UVA/Charlottesville events!
Learn more about this annual event, a program of the University of Virginia.
A great perk for UVA students: All full-time enrolled, degree-seeking UVA students can reserve one free ticket for most films screened during the five day annual Festival (yes, this includes Darden students!).
UVA Today reported, “Several special events will include directors, actors and screenwriters who worked on many of the featured films. They cover issues including African American experiences, the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, drug addiction, sexual harassment and mental health.”
Other events with local connections include:
- A collection of the short films of UVA professor Kevin Everson, arguably one of the most prolific experimental filmmakers working today who records everyday Black experience.
- “The Levys of Monticello,” exploring the little-known story of the family that owned and preserved Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello plantation for nearly a century.
- “Refuge,” co-directed by UVA alumna Erin Bernhardt. She returns to the film festival with co-director Din Blankenship to share this story of an unlikely alliance between a successful Kurdish doctor and a Muslim-hating white supremacist in the small town of Clarkston, Georgia.
- “Black Fiddlers,” from Charlottesville-based filmmaker Eduardo Montes-Bradley. The documentary traces the personal stories of violin players of African descent living in Virginia to as far away as Oregon.
- “From Sudan to Argentina,” from Charlottesville director Ricardo Preve. This documentary tells the story of the Argentine Egyptologist Dr. Abramam Rosenvasser, who led a mission to recover ancient artifacts before they were lost to flooding from a dam.
View the full schedule of events on the Virginia Film Festival’s web page.
