6 Reasons to Attend the 2024 Virginia Film Festival

The Virginia Film Festival's opening night film, Anora, is rocketing to the top of the awards-season discussions this year and you don’t want to miss this chance to find out why. It’s the latest from acclaimed filmmaker Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Tangerine).

Choose from any number of films featuring some of today’s hottest talents, destined to grab headlines and awards. They include Bird, featuring Barry Keoghan; Blitz, from Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave); Centerpiece film Emilia Pérez, winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival; Nightbitch, starring six-time Academy Award-nominee Amy Adams; The Piano Lesson, Executive Producer Denzel Washington’s latest cinematic adaptation of the plays of August Wilson; and The Room Next Door, the first English language feature from legendary director Pedro Almodóvar.

From the all-new After Hours, celebrating the genres of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy; to Black Excellence, Indigenous Cinema of the Americas, Jewish, Korean, Latinidades, LGBTQIA+, the brand-new Voices of the Formerly Incarcerated and more, this year’s VAFF series provides audiences with several frameworks for exploring a wide array of topics and themes.

This year, dozens of guest artists will travel from across the country to take part in compelling conversations about their films, the industry, and the issues of our time. The 2024 VAFF’s guest artists include director Alex Ross Perry with his documentary Pavements, about the 90s indie band Pavement, which has strong ties to Charlottesville; director Dawn Porter with her documentary about the R&B star Luther Vandross, Luther: Never Too Much; and actor Lamorne Morris, best known for his role as Winston on the hit sitcom New Girl, with the film Saturday Night.

The VAFF will once again shine a light on the vibrant Virginia filmmaking scene with a series of homegrown films. Highlights include Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light by Charlottesville’s Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Wagner and his wife Ellen Casey Wagner; The Bitter Pill, a powerful look at the opioid crisis by Charlottesville native and award-winning filmmaker Clay Tweel (Gleason); and Dementia and Living Well, a new film from Virginia Public Media (VPM).

At the VAFF, the films are just the beginning. The discussions have become a hallmark of the experience, combining filmmakers with thought leaders around the many themes that are explored – including many from the University of Virginia. And the series of free panels at the CODE building on Saturday will offer audiences a unique and intimate look inside the film industry. And don’t forget the parties! Don’t miss your chance to mix and mingle with filmmakers and fellow community members – including at the Opening Night Gala on Wednesday at The Jefferson Theater and the Late Night Wrap Party on Saturday at Three Notch’d Craft Kitchen & Brewery!

For more information, head to www.virginiafilmfestival.org. Don't forget to find the perfect place to stay while you're here enjoying the VAFF! Click below to learn more about Charlottesville and Albemarle County's resorts, hotels, inns, B&Bs, and more. We look forward to welcoming you soon!