We spoke with Director Kielbasa about the 2016 Virginia Film Festival

The Virginia Film Festival kicks off next Thursday, Nov. 3 and will run through Sunday, Nov. 6. The VFF features over 120 films focusing on a variety of topics and type of film.

Director of the VFF Jody Kielbasa also serves as the UVA Vice Provost for the Arts. He became director of the VFF in 2009 after serving ten years as the founding executive director of the Sarasota Film Festival in Florida.

Kielbasa speaking at a prior year’s VFF

Kielbasa and his team have to whittle thousands of films down to ultimately arrive at the approximately 120 films that will be shown at the festival. “I travel to film festival[s] with the VFF programmer, Wesley Harris, and we try to see as many films as we possibly can while there,” Kielbasa explained. “We start every January at the Sundance Film Festival where we will see between 50-60 different films. We also travel to South by Southwest, Full Frame, River Run, AFI/Docs and Telluride.”

They also also accept submissions through a Call for Entries process in which they receive 700-1000 films from all over the world.

“Finally, we have an Advisory Board of experienced film professionals who live in L.A. and N.Y.C.” Kielbasa said. “They have forged significant careers in the film industry and help out a great deal to make sure that we are able to get some of the best films each year.”

What film is Kielbasa most excited about for this year’s VFF? “That is always a tough call,” he admits. “I think that La La Land and Lost in Paris are both really fun, but there are so many great films in this year’s program that I almost don’t know where to begin. I can say that every year I am excited to present films that look at the issue of Civil Rights. This year is no exception because this is such an important issue and we have a particularly strong slate of films that look at this topic.”

The range of different films that will be shown at the VFF can be seen from opening film to closing film. The VFF’s opening film, “Loving,” is about a Virginia interracial couple who was jailed for getting married and the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court Case. The closing film is “La La Land,” a musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as an aspiring actor and musician, respectively, struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles.

Classics such as “Beauty and the Beast” will also be featured at the festival. The VFF will show the work-in-progress version of the film that is 80% final, with the rest displayed through pencil tests, storyboards and sketches.

Discussion panel from the 2015 VFF

Under Kielbasa’s direction, The VFF Outreach and Educational Programs have expanded. “I believe that the VFF and the arts are one of the University’s most important bridges to the community,” Kielbasa said. “I think that a really good film festival serves the community best by engaging everyone and creating a dialogue. We have to build our audience for the future while expanding and growing our audience. We embrace diversity and inclusivity and one of the best ways to accomplish this is through education and outreach.”

Outreach and Educational Programs include the Young Filmmakers Academy, which introduces young students to the filmmaking process, and a Family Day with free film screenings and interactive activities. The VFF also runs the Adrenaline Film Project, a 72-hour filmmaking competition where teams write, cast, shoot, edit and screen a three to five minute film during the festival.

What makes the VFF unique? “I have found that the UVA and Charlottesville community are truly interested in the films, the filmmakers and the broad range of subjects and themes that we cover through the film program,” Kielbasa said. “We are fortunate that we have such a smart and savvy film audience here in Charlottesville and they have responded to the interesting mix of a very diverse film program that brings in independent filmmakers, features a strong documentary and narrative lineup, and celebrates the role and impact that our legendary film artists…have had on the film industry and our world.”

The VFF brings many prominent members of the film community to Charlottesville each year. This year’s festival includes a salute to Oscar-winning actress (among many other accomplishments) Shirley MacLaine. Danny McBride will also be speaking after a showing of Vice Principals, of which he is both a creator and actor.

Year after year, the VFF audience has grown in size and scope. “We have continued to expand our audience through a diverse program and we continue to work hard to make the festival inclusive,” Kielbasa said. “In [my] time I have seen our audience and our film program more than double. We have also worked hard to make sure that more students are aware of the Festival and that they can get tickets for free.”

The full guide of films and events of the 2016 Virginia Film Festival can be found here. Tickets can be purchased here, and there are a limited number of free tickets for UVA students.