A&S Faculty Play Their Part in This Week’s Virginia Film Festival
The 37th annual Virginia Film Festival opens today, featuring more than 100 film screenings in five days (Oct. 30–Nov. 3).
In addition to appearances by award-winning filmmakers and actors, including Golden Globe-winning actor, director and producer Matthew Modine, recent Emmy Award winning actor Lamorne Morris and Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, this year’s festival offers 15 film screenings introduced by A&S faculty members or featuring panel discussions moderated by A&S faculty.
Those faculty-related events include Friday afternoon’s screenings of four short films by acclaimed filmmaker and art professor Kevin Everson, including a pair of new films in “Black Fire” series created with longtime collaborator Claudrena Harold (History; Associate Dean for the Social Sciences) and the 2024 film, “Demba” by award-winning filmmaker and A&S faculty member Mamadou Dia (French, Media Studies).
Here is a list of scheduled VFF appearances by Arts & Sciences faculty, with links to ticket availability:
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WEDNESDAY, OCT. 30
Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat
6:45 p.m., Violet Crown 1&2
United Nations, 1960: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup.
Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo’s leader Patrice Lumumba. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate.
Introduction by Penny Von Eschen (History)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/soundtrack-to-a-coup-detat/
The Kingdom
8 p.m., Violet Crown 6&7
Set in 1995 in Corsica, The Kingdom follows Lesia as she enters her first teenage summer at a time when warfare amongst nationalist groups and crime families wreaked havoc on the island. A mysterious man enters her home and demands she come with him to a remote villa via motorbike. There, she finds her father in hiding; he’s trying to protect his position as a clan leader and Lesia’s life.
With clear allusions to classic mobster films such as The Godfather, director Julien Colonna constructs a compelling crime narrative that delves into the complexities of a father-daughter relationship.
Introduction by Jennifer Sessions (History)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/the-kingdom/
THURSDAY, OCT. 31
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found
8:10 p.m., Violet Crown 6&7
Eight years after completing his celebrated profile of James Baldwin (I Am Not Your Negro), master documentarian Raoul Peck returns with another incisive portrait of an artist whose work, existence, and cultural impact is tied up in a gordian knot with global perceptions of race and belonging.
The Golden Eye for Best Documentary Winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the film explores Ernest Cole’s evocative photography and how it exposed the world to the harrowing realities of racial segregation under apartheid, before he fled to the U.S. and turned his lens to Jim Crow America.
Introduction by John Edwin Mason (History).
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/ernest-cole-lost-and-found/
Talk to Her
8:45 p.m., Violet Crown 3
Discover (or fall back in love with) one of Pedro Almodóvar’s greatest contributions to cinema. The Academy Award-winner for Original Screenplay and hailed as one of the Top 100 Films of all time by Time Magazine, this 2003 masterpiece from Pedro Almodóvar tells the story centers on two men who almost meet while watching a dance performance.
They meet later at a private clinic where Benigno is the caregiver for Alicia, a beautiful dance student who lies in a coma. Marco is there to visit his girlfriend, Lydia, a famous matador, also rendered motionless. As the men hold vigil over the women they love, the story unfolds in flashback and flash-forward as their lives become ever more entwined, and their relationships move toward a surprising conclusion.
Introduction by Sam Amago (Spanish, Italian & Portuguese)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/talk-to-her/
FRIDAY, NOV. 1
A Suite of Short Films by Kevin Jerome Everson
3 p.m., Violet Crown 5
Kevin Jerome Everson, Commonwealth and Ruffin Foundation Distinguished Professor of Studio Art and Director of Studio Arts, will be screening a selection of new films, as well as new “Black Fire” films with longtime collaborator Claudrena Harold, the Edward R. Stettinius Professor of History and Associate Dean for the Social Sciences.
When the Sun is Eaten (Chi’bal K’iin) is about one-hundred percent totality in three time zones, Mazatlán Mexico, Carbondale Illinois and Cleveland Ohio. The title is the Mayan translation of the solar eclipse.
The Wood Thrush and the Bobwhite Quail is a film about birdwatchers in Washington D.C. and in Tennessee being summoned by Glenn Goins and George Clinton.
Chelsea Drive (co-directed by Harold) displays three decades of University of Virginia Black students’ style, fashion and dance.
Dooni (co-directed by Harold) is eulogy of the soul-singer Sylvester told by the gospel singer and preacher Edwin Hawkins.
Discussion w/directors Kevin Jerome Everson (Studio Art) and Claudrena Harold (History)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/a-suite-of-short-films-by-kevin-jerome-everson-4/
Demba
7:30 p.m., Violet Crown 3
Demba, a middle-aged man living in northern Senegal, has just lost his job of over 30 years. With newfound free time and the support of his son, whom he had been estranged from, Demba confronts the deep-seated grief over the loss of his wife, who passed away two years prior. The story unfolds through an intoxicating interweaving of present-day experiences, flashbacks, and delusions, providing an intimate portrayal of Demba’s emotional turmoil and his yearning for a sense of normalcy.
The award-winning director, Mamadou Dia, is an assistant professor of French and Media Studies; his film Baamum Nafi represented Senegal at the 2021 Academy Awards. Dia’s homeland sets the stage for the film, shedding light on the stigma surrounding grief and mental health issues within Senegalese society as both the characters and the filmmaker grapple with the search for solace amidst profound loss.
Discussion with producer Maba Ba. Introduction by Maya Boutaghou (French).
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/demba/
Transplant
8:30 p.m., Violet Crown 5
Jonah, a driven and determined Korean American surgical resident, relentlessly pursues a successful career. His path takes an intriguing turn when he is presented with the opportunity to train under highly esteemed heart transplant surgeon Dr. Edward Harmon. Jonah grapples with a profound internal conflict as he navigates the challenges posed by his demanding mentor while striving to uphold his personal values and fulfill his familial responsibilities.
As the tensions between mentor and protégé escalate, Jonah is forced to confront the significant sacrifices that come with the relentless pursuit of perfection.
Discussion with director Jason Park; moderated by Shilpa Davé (Media Studies).
SATURDAY, NOV. 2
Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter
1 p.m., Violet Crown 4
Liz Carpenter’s work as a journalist, political activist, and White House official kept her at the forefront of American history while the country was on the precipice of major change. As an enthusiastic advocate of the ERA and women’s rights, her agenda focused on uplifting and forging a path for the women that followed her.
Co-directed by her daughter Christy Carpenter and seasoned documentary filmmaker Abby Ginzberg, “Shaking It Up” pulls modern-day interviews from Dan Rather, Bill Moyers, Gloria Steinem, Lynda Johnson Robb, Luci Johnson and others, capturing the deeply fascinating and inspirational story of a fiery, passionate and unforgettable activist for women’s rights.
Discussion with co-directors Abby Ginzberg and Christy Carpenter. Introduction by Jennifer Lawless (Politics).
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/shaking-it-up-the-life-and-times-of-liz-carpenter/
Dahomey
2:30 p.m., Violet Crown 1&2
One of the most inventive filmmakers working today, Mati Diop turns her lens to the complicated repatriation of royal treasures to the West African republic of Benin. In 2021, the 26 ancestral statues, which had been plundered by French troops in the 19th century, were transported from a Paris museum to Cotonou, Benin.
The “fantasy documentary” not only follows the journey of the artifacts, but gives voice to them, amplifying themes of loneliness, captivity, and displacement in an examination of ownership and exhibition.
Introduction by Karen E. Milbourne (The Fralin Museum of Art)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/dahomey/
The World According to Allee Willis
2:45 p.m., Violet Crown 6&7
llee Willis, the remarkable songwriter and artist, gained notoriety for her range of exceptional contributions to the music industry. She composed the iconic “Friends” theme song, the Earth Wind & Fire mega-hit “September,” and contributed to the musical The Color Purple. Hailing from Detroit in the 1950s, she began chronicling her life from a young age, a practice she diligently maintained throughout her life.
Despite her public image, Willis privately grappled with the pressures of societal norms on her expressions of gender and sexuality. The World According to Allee Willis delves into the captivating tale of this music icon, chronicling her journey towards finding genuine love, self-acceptance, and unparalleled creative prowess.
Introduction by Jack Hamilton (American Studies, Media Studies)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/the-world-according-to-allee-willis/
All We Imagine as Light
5:30 p.m., Violet Crown 6&7
Grand Prix Winner, Cannes Film Festival
The first Indian film to compete in Cannes’s main competition in 30 years, Payal Kapadia’s lyrical fiction feature debut tells the story of two roommates who work as hospital nurses in Mumbai. Prabha’s life is thrown off course by an unexpected gift from her estranged husband in Germany. The younger Anu is involved in a secret romance with a Muslim man that combines the excitement of clandestine trysts with the pressure of hiding the relationship from her Hindu parents.
Punctuated by moments of quotidian beauty that pierce through urban struggle and daily indignities, Kapadia’s film glows with an inner radiance drawn from the transformative power of female friendship.
Introduction by Samhita Sunya (Middle Eastern & South Asian Languages & Cultures)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/all-we-imagine-as-light/
Vermiglio
7:45 p.m., Violet Crown 1&2
Official Oscar© Selection—Italy
In the final days of World War II, Pietro, Pietro, a young Sicilian soldier returns home to his breathtaking remote Italian village his wounded comrade. Celebrated as a hero, Pietro captures the heart of Lucia, the eldest daughter of a strict village schoolteacher. Their blossoming romance sets off a chain of events that lays bare the deep-seated misogyny and intolerance prevalent in both the village and Pietro’s Sicilian hometown.
Maura Delpero’s exquisitely crafted film — Italy’s official Oscar selection — delves into the challenges faced by women confined to traditional roles and burdened with the repercussions of men’s actions.
Introduction by Sarah Elizabeth Annunziato (Spanish, Italian and Portuguese)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/vermiglio/
Universal Language
8:10 p.m., Violet Crown 6&7
In a reimagined Canada where Persian and French are the two official languages, the lives of multiple characters intersect in this absurdist, cross-cultural comedy, Canada’s official Oscar selection. In Winnipeg, sisters Negin and Nazgol go on an epic quest to discover a sum of money frozen beneath the winter ice, occasionally disturbing a tour group led by the flustered Massoud as he does his best to explain the city’s oddities. Meanwhile, in Montreal, government worker Matthew Rankin quits his meaningless job and catches the first bus back home, only to discover his family is not what he thought it was.
Canadian filmmaker Matthew Rankin pays homage to classic Iranian Cinema while reimagining an ordinary place into something momentarily special where individual differences are celebrated.
Introduction by Samhita Sunya (Middle Eastern & South Asian Languages & Cultures)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/universal-language/
SUNDAY, NOV. 3
Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light
11 a.m., Culbreth Theatre
Academy Award-winning director Paul Wagner trains his lens onto one of the most influential American artists of the 20th-century. Prior to achieving her fame, Georgia O’Keeffe spent every summer from 1912-1916 taking art classes at the University of Virginia, where she rekindled her joy and desire to pursue painting, which she had considered giving up altogether.
Weaving together a fascinating and complicated story of an artistic life lived to the fullest, this essential biography features narration by Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes, and music by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (All of Us Strangers, Living).
Discussion with director/producer Paul Wagner (VAFF Governor Gerald L. Baliles Founder’s Award), and film subjects and O’Keeffe experts Roxana Barry Robinson and Elizabeth Turner. Moderated by Karen E. Milbourne (The Fralin Museum of Art).
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/georgia-okeeffe-the-brightness-of-light/
Nocturnes
3 p.m., Violet Crown 4
This stunning, immersive documentary follows ecologist Mansi Mungee and her assistant Bicki, a member of the local indigenous Bugun community, as they attempt to record and measure the size of hawk moths at various locations in an Eastern Himalayan Forest. Each night, the two suspend a cloth sheet illuminated with intense lights in the middle of the forest, and then they wait.
Soon, hundreds of moths, of all sizes and colors, flock to the sheet, serving up an evolving and visually stunning canvas that unveils a secret universe. The film uncovers how the study speaks to the dangers of global climate change while highlighting the interconnectedness of the natural world.
Introduction by Samhita Sunya (Middle Eastern & South Asian Languages & Cultures)
https://virginiafilmfestival.org/films/nocturnes-2/
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