The Festival has smashed ticket sales records for each of the past five years, and this year’s all-time high was a whopping 45% increase over the previous mark set in 2013. Meanwhile, attendance numbers are rising on the same trajectory, and the four-day Festival has taken a place among the region’s leading arts events, as well as established itself as a significant presence on the national film festival scene.

But what happened in Charlottesville in November during the Festival’s 27th year can’t really be captured by numbers, according to VFF Director and U.Va. Vice Provost for the Arts, Jody Kielbasa, who said he saw what he calls a “seismic shift” in the perception of the Festival.

“Our Opening Night event at The Paramount Theater was truly extraordinary and indeed even historic for the Festival,” Kielbasa said. “We had the World Premiere of Big Stone Gap, a film made in Virginia, about Virginia, by a Virginian. We had the film’s writer and director Adriana Trigiani, here along with cast members Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson, Jenna Elfman and Jasmine Guy. Our sold-out house included four Virginia governors in attendance, including Terry McAuliffe, who introduced the film, Linwood Holton, who was in the film, Gerald Baliles, who co-founded the Virginia Film Festival 27 years ago, and former Governor and now U.S. Senator, Tim Kaine. It was one of those moments, and one of those events that people in Charlottesville will remember for a long time to come.”

The memory making continued throughout the weekend. “The very next night, we presented our first-ever live theatrical performance when the legendary Hal Holbrook performed his famed one-man show Mark Twain Tonight! The next day, we screened the documentary Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey, with Mr. Holbrook and director Scott Teems, making us the only film festival in the country to feature both the live performance of, and the documentary about the show.”

Other special guests drawing crowds to the Festival included legendary director Barry Levinson and acting great, Frank Langella, Richard Roundtree, and U.Va.’s very own Katie Couric. 

Couric was one of many alums highlighted over the course of the Festival. Famed film and television producer Paul Junger Witt (College ‘63) returned to Grounds to present a special screening of Dead Poets Society and shared stories of his work with the late Robin Williams. Witt’s celebrated career has also included the films Three Kings and Insomnia TV classics such as The Golden Girls, Soap, Benson, and Brian’s Song. Double Hoo, Julie Lynn (College ‘98; Law ‘92) returned to the Festival to share her latest film,5 to 7. Lynn, a member of the Festival’s Advisory Board, has been a fall Festival Fixture in Charlottesville for many years, sharing films including The Face of Love, Albert Nobbs, Mother and Child, Passengers, 10 Items or Less, and Nine Lives with VFF audiences in past years. Bestselling author David Baldacci (Law ‘86) was also on hand this year, presenting the film Wish You Well, based on his novel and for which he wrote the screenplay.

Other former Hoos in this year’s Festival mix included classmates Thom Canalichio and Giorgio Litt (College ‘03), whose short film Waking Marshall Walker stars U.Va. grad Sarah Drew (College ’03) of Grey’s Anatomy fame, and U.Va. Drama Professor Richard Warner.

The University was well represented off screen as well at the Festival thanks to a number of U.Va. faculty and former faculty members who led fascinating post-film discussions. These included Pulitzer Prize-winners Doug Blackmon of The Miller Center and Rita Dove, former Poet Laureate of the United States, as well as legendary Civil Rights activist and leader, Julian Bond.

The 2014 Festival boasted a deep and broad program of more than 120 films spanning genres and eras that truly offered something for everyone from the dedicated cinephile to the casual moviegoer.

It was highlighted by the continuation of a growing tradition of sharing sneak previews of some of the hottest titles on the Fall release calendar. Last October, The New York Times heralded the coming crop of can’t-miss hits by highlighting five films – Wild, The Imitation Game, Mr. Turner, The Theory of Everything and Foxcatcher. VFF audiences had a chance to see all of them.

These “tentpole” attractions proved the perfect way to showcase an overall program that had as much depth and breadth as any in the Festival’s history. “Our programmer Wesley Harris (College '08) did a truly remarkable job this year,” Kielbasa said. “I continue to hear from patrons and filmmakers who rave about both the quality and the range of the films we presented.”

Adding to this year’s guest list was the record-breaking number of filmmakers brought in for the Festival. “We have made a concerted effort over the past couple of years to bring in filmmakers at all stages of their careers,” Kielbasa said. “This year we had more than 150 filmmakers, actors, and other industry guests here.”

This influx works in a couple of important ways, Kielbasa said. “First, it gives us a great opportunity to share new voices and new talents with our audience, which is always one of our primary goals. But it also helps to showcase the Festival for those guests, sharing all we have to offer, from the quality and professionalism to the networking opportunities, to all that U.Va., Charlottesville and Central Virginia have to offer as a destination, and beyond. We had such positive responses across the board and are in fact still hearing from filmmakers about how wonderful their experience was here, and asking them to keep them in mind in future years as they may have future projects to share.”

Once again, the Virginia Film Festival made a big impact on the Charlottesville community, including its annual Family Day festivities, which were held for the second straight year on the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds. The day, highlighted by a special 75th Anniversary screening of The Wizard of Oz, brought over to 2,000 visitors to Arts Grounds to take part in free student screenings, a musical instrument petting zoo, an interactive arts fair, as well as special workshops led by U.Va. faculty and local arts organizations. “This is a tradition we look forward to continuing, as it is a great opportunity to showcase the talents of our departments here and to share the many arts offerings the public can experience here throughout the year.”