AWARD-WINNING STARS ARE COMING TO MIDDLEBURG, VA.

The Middleburg Film Festival, presented by Coca-Cola, takes place on Nov 10-13, one-hour west of Washington D.C.

 

MIDDLEBURG, VA – November 7, 2020 – The Middleburg Film Festival, presented by Coca-Cola, will return on November 10-13 for its eighth-annual program.

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The premiere of Oscar-winning director Tom McCarthy’s thriller Stillwater will open the festival on Tuesday, November 10 and the premiere screening of Liesl Tommy’s Aretha Franklin biopic Respect will close the festival on November 13.

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Additional participating award-winning filmmakers include: Writer Charlie Kaufman who will bring his directorial debut project I’m Thinking of Ending Things; Adrian Lyne, who will premiere with his thriller Deep Water; and Kenneth Branagh who is returning to the festival with his second Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery Death on the Nile.

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“In six short years, The Middleburg Film Festival has managed to garner cachet, enthusiasm, and loyalty that other festivals spend decades developing,” said The Washington Post Film Critic Ann Hornaday.

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A total of 25 films will screen at the festival – from narratives to documentaries, feature-length to shorts.

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“These visionary films push boundaries, challenge convention, and have a rare and magical ability to inspire, to engage, entertain, and lift us up in our everyday lives,” said MFF Founder Sheila Johnson.

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In addition to a full slate of films, the festival program will also include four days of noon seminars with filmmakers speaking about their craft, breakfasts with filmmakers and opening and closing parties for filmmakers, sponsors, patrons and select ticket holders, all held in the historic wine country of Middleburg.

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“Festival attendees can engage in casual conversations with filmmakers while enjoying the best of Virginia’s wine country cuisine and local restaurants,” said MFF Executive Director Susan Koch.

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Advance ticket packages are currently sold out, but individual tickets for films, receptions and seminars are available at www.middleburgfilm.org, and at the box offices at the Salamander Resort and Middleburg Community Center.

Slated films include:

• Stillwater, starring award-winning actors’ Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin in a thrilling story of an Oklahoma oil-rig worker who travels to France to clear his daughter’s name of her wrongfully convicted crime. The director, producers and cast are scheduled to engage in a Q&A after the screening.

• Respect, a long-developed biographical drama based on the life of the late American singer, songwriter, actress and activist Aretha Franklin, will be portrayed by Jennifer Hudson. Director, Liesl Tommy and Hudson will present the film and answer questions after the screening.

• I’m Thinking of Ending Things, an American psychological horror story from Charlie Kaufman. Starring Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley and Toni Collette, the story delves into the journey of a young woman who travels with her new boyfriend to meet his parents at their secluded farmhouse. 

• Deep Water from director Adrian Lyne and 20th Century Studios, stars Oscar-winner Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas and Tracy Letts, all of whom have committed to attending the festival. This psychological erotic thriller based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel, tells the story of a conflicting married couple who develop hatred for each other and begin to play dangerous mind games that eventually lead to murder.

• Death on the Nile starring director Kenneth Branagh himself, alongside co-stars Gal Gadot and Armie Hammer who have all committed to attending the festival and its premiere. The film proceeds after a passenger on the S.S. Karnak Cruise Ship was found murdered, and renowned detective Hercule Poirot is assigned the task of identifying the murderer among the passengers before they strike again.

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As part of the program’s dedication to education and development, Tony Award-winning director Liesl Tommy will conduct a Future Filmmaker Seminar on Friday for ten aspirant young female filmmakers who were carefully selected based on their short film submissions to the festival. All 10 of their short films will be available to the public on Sunday morning and can be accessed at the MFF website, www.middleburgfilm.org. 

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The Coca-Cola Company is the Middleburg Film Festival’s Presenting Sponsor, with co-sponsor TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Participant Media is Sponsoring noon seminars and Arri is sponsoring the Future Filmmaker Seminar for aspiring young female filmmakers. The Salamander Resort and Spa will be providing accommodation for all participating filmmakers and will offer weekend package rates for patrons and attendees.

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About Middleburg Film Festival:

Middleburg Film Festival annually holds a four-day spectacle of films in the historic countryside of Middleburg, Virginia, one hour away from Washington, D.C. With a carefully curated wide selection of narrative and documentary films, the festival holds screenings in intimate theatre environments that are immediately followed by a Q&A program with award-winning filmmakers, actors, and special guests. Recognized as an upcoming contender for world-class festivals of its kind, Middleburg Film Festival hosts world, regional and international premieres, top-notch foreign films and Oscar candidates.

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About 2020 Presenting Sponsor, Coca-Cola:

As the presenting sponsor of the 2020 Middleburg Film Festival, Coca-Cola is dedicated to delivering happiness alongside the medium of filmmaking that coincidentally made its debut in the late 1800s, the same time in history when Coca-Cola was born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. As an institution that has delivered happiness and great taste, from festive occasions to humble moments, Coca-Cola, along with Middleburg Film Festival will serve the art of filmmaking by presenting a collection of diverse and renowned films from around the world.

 

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