VIRGINIA FILM SOCIETY ANNOUNCES SPRING 2006 SCHEDULE: Season begins with sneak previews of two feature films: WINTER PASSING on Saturday, Feb. 25 and DUANE HOPWOOD on Tuesday, March 14
The Virginia Film Society kicks off its 2006 spring season with the Feb. 25 sneak preview of Winter Passing, produced by University of Virginia alumnus David Koplan and directed and written by Adam Rapp, acclaimed as one of the countrys most dynamic playwrights. Rapp and Koplan will be on hand for discussion after the screening. In this Yari Film Group release, Ed Harris stars as a renowned novelist and neglectful father, Will Ferrell plays an odd wannabe musician who takes care of him and Zooey Deschanel is the estranged daughter who returns for a difficult reunion with Harris.
Rapp will also meet with U.Va. drama and creative writing students while he is in Charlottesville. Rapps play Nocturne is the highlight of a special course created at U.Va. to expose drama students to exciting new American playwrights. Students will perform a staged reading of the play and discuss the work with the playwright.
The Winter Passing preview is cosponsored by the Film Society and Cinematheque, and will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. in Newcomb Hall Theater. Admission is $8 public, $5 U.Va. students and free to Film Society members (membership information is at the end of this release). Advance tickets will go on sale on Monday, Feb. 13 at Newcomb Box Office, online at Musictoday.com, by phone at (434) 924-7314 and will also be available at the door.
The second sneak preview is the drama-comedy Duane Hopwood, which stars David Schwimmer, Jeaneane Garafolo and Dick Cavett, on March 14. Director and screenwriter Matt Mulhern will discuss his film, an IFC Films release that was a sensation at last years Sundance Film Festival.
The Virginia Film Society aims to keep the Virginia Film Festivals rich dialogues with film makers, scholars, and audiences going all year long. Were bringing some exciting new directors and critics to town to present and discuss films with our lively audience of film buffs, said Richard Herskowitz, director of the Virginia Film Festival.
In addition to the sneak previews, an eclectic brew of dramatic, experimental and documentary fare is scheduled for the Virginia Film Societys spring season.
In conjunction with the Festival of the Book, the society will screen Sherlock Jr. and The Playhouse on March 22, silent comedy classics directed by and starring the great Buster Keaton. Edward McPherson, author of Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat, will discuss the silent film legend and his films after the screening. The Reel Music Ensemble will provide live music accompaniment.
The Black Maria Film and Video Festival returns on April 5. John Columbus, the festivals director, will present work by cutting-edge independent film and video makers at the annual international juried competition and award tour, which comes to Charlottesville for the 12th year.
Director Adam Watstein and producer Jennifer Lyne will be in Charlottesville for two nights, April 25 and 26, to share their inventive improvisational approach to filmmaking. Off the Hook, portrays two friends struggling to make it as hip-hop musicians in the South Bronx. Loudmouth Soup, which depicts a couples first dinner party in Hollywood, was shot in one night with seven actors, eight cameras and no script.
The spring schedule concludes on May 9 with the documentary Shakespeare Behind Bars, a behind-the-scenes look at a production of The Tempest by convicted felons inside a Kentucky prison. U.Va. drama department assistant professor Betsy Tucker, who has worked on theater with U.Va. students and women at the Fluvanna Womens Correctional Facility, will speak following the screening.
All Virginia Film Society events are co-sponsored by the Virginia Film Festival and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, with the support of the Omni Hotel Charlottesville. Screenings feature special guest speakers and are held at Vinegar Hill Theatre at 7 p.m. (except for Winter Passing). Admission to individual screenings is $8 and free to Film Society members.
Spring membership for the Virginia Film Society is $30 ($25 for students and seniors). Membership benefits include admission to seven spring season screenings, a free pass to Regal Cinemas, $2 off Mondays at Sneak Reviews (non-new releases only) and $6 Tuesday movies at Vinegar Hill. Film Society memberships and individual admission tickets can be purchased 30 minutes before the screening at the venue box office. Memberships can also be purchased by mail using our membership order form available in our Spring Season brochure and online at www.vafilm.com
Director: Richard Herskowitz Development Consultant: Janet Matthews Operations Manager: Jenny Mays Local Publicist: Jane Ford National Publicist: Cara White
Festival Business Manager: David Chennault Asst Festival Bus. Manager: Diana Snead Drama Dept Bus. Manager: Martin Beekman Asst Drama Dept Bus. Manager: James Scales
Volunteer Coordinator: Jennifer Wise Transportation Coordinator: Cindy Orshek Hospitality Coordinator: KK Pearson Festival News Writer: Michael Gillespie
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