The Virginia Film Festival, produced by the University of Virginia’s College of Arts & Sciences, will celebrate its 25th anniversary Thursday through Sunday in Charlottesville with a slate of more than 100 films and a roster of special guests representing the worlds of film, politics and popular culture.

The festival kicks off Thursday with a screening of “Sopranos” creator David Chase’s highly anticipated film, “Not Fade Away.” The film – chosen as the centerpiece film of the New York Film Festival – is produced by Academy Award-winning producer Mark Johnson (a 1971 U.Va. alumnus) and stars James Gandolfini.

Charlottesville native Bill Campbell will join director Matthew Lillard to discuss Lillard’s debut film, “Fat Kid Rules the World,” in which Campbell co-stars.

This year’s centerpiece film is David O. Russell film, “Silver Linings Playbook,” with Bradley Cooper and Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence heading a cast that also includes Robert DeNiro and Julia Stiles.

The closing film is “The Sessions,” starring Academy Award nominee John Hawkes and Academy Award-winner Helen Hunt.

A special screening of the 1976 film “All the President’s Men,” a collaboration with U.Va.’s Miller Center, will feature a discussion with reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who uncovered the Watergate scandal that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The film depicts their investigative reporting as they “follow the money.”

The schedule and tickets are available at the festival website.

For more information:

• Virginia Film Festival Announces Silver Anniversary Program
• Virginia Film Festival Rounds Out 25th-Anniversary Program with Five Major Releases

From the U.Va. Today News Blog:

• Hollywood Alum To Be Honored as Festival Kicks Off
• Check Out This Mural, Before Sandy Gets It
• Film Festival Takes to Small Screen To Tell Its Story