Homegrown Hit, ‘Loving,’ to Open Virginia Film Festival, Governor Announces

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Thursday night that “Loving” – a film shot entirely in the commonwealth and already generating Oscar buzz – will open the 2016 Virginia Film Festival on Nov. 3, just prior to its nationwide release Nov. 4.

A Focused Features film, “Loving” is based on the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a Virginia couple whose 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia, overturned laws prohibiting interracial marriage. The case, brought after the Lovings were arrested just five weeks into their marriage, was one of the landmark rulings of the Civil Rights Movement. Many also argue that it set a precedent for the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling on gay marriage.  

“It is fitting that this year’s festival features a film about a very important moment in our commonwealth’s history,” McAullife said. “I am proud that Virginia played a significant role in the creation of this work, which was filmed in 11 different counties throughout the commonwealth.”

The film, written and directed by Jeff Nichols, stars Joel Edgerton as Richard Loving and Ruth Negga as Mildred. Nichols and Negga will be in Charlottesville for the screening at the Paramount Theater and take the stage for a post-screening discussion moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Douglas Blackmon, director of public programs at UVA’s Miller Center and executive producer and host of “American Forum.”

“We are thrilled to present this important and remarkable film as our opening night screening,” said Jody Kielbasa, director of the Virginia Film Festival and vice provost for the arts at UVA. “The film serves as a testament to the vibrancy and importance of the Virginia film scene, while its story speaks to the mission of our festival in every possible way. We look forward to an extraordinary evening at the Paramount Theater.”

“Loving” is one of several major motion pictures recently filmed in Virginia, where the film industry generates more than $420 million in annual economic impact. Others include Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” which was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won two; “Argo,” which won an Academy Award for Best Picture; and “Big Stone Gap,” which had its world premiere at last year’s Virginia Film Festival.

“Projects like this one generate new revenues, create great-paying jobs and highlight Virginia’s historical significance,” McAuliffe said Thursday.

The governor called the festival, in its 29th year, “one of the most acclaimed festivals in the mid-Atlantic and one of the commonwealth’s premiere cultural events.”

This year’s festival will feature numerous films with Virginia roots. It will also feature appearances from Virginia natives who have left their mark on Hollywood, including Richmond-born actress Shirley MacLaine, whose prolific career has included numerous hits and an Oscar for “Best Actress.” She will take part in a moderated conversation and Q&A during the festival’s “A Salute to Shirley MacLaine” event on Nov. 4.  

In addition to MacLaine, Virginia native Danny McBride will present two episodes of his HBO comedy, “Vice Principals.” Several UVA alumni also will travel to Charlottesville to screen films and documentaries that they have helped create, on topics ranging from employment practices in the American carnival industry to how one alumnus used Disney films to connect with his autistic son. 

The festival will take place Nov. 3 through 6 and will feature more than 120 films, as well as many guest appearances and special events. A full schedule of events can be found at virginiafilmfestival.org. Tickets will go on sale Friday online, in person at the UVA Arts Box Office at Culbreth Theatre and via phone at 434-924-3376.