The University of Virginia's College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences will present the 22nd Annual Virginia Film Festival on November 5 - 8, 2009 in Charlottesville, Virginia. CNN's Candy Crowley will be appearing on mulitple panels at the event.
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| Photo by Larry Busacca/ Getty Images for AWRT |
This year’s festival will also take a look back at several films celebrating milestone anniversaries and that have a particular relevance to this year’s Funny Business theme as well as relevance to the world we live in today. These include one of Hollywood’s most famous look at the political world, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which is now celebrating its 70th Anniversary.
“First of all, Jimmy Stewart has always been my favorite actor,” [Virginia Film Festival Director Jody] Kielbasa said. “But on top of that, when you look at the political landscape today, it is all about insiders and outsiders. The question becomes ‘Who are the heirs to the Jefferson Smith legacy?’ Ronald Reagan? Barack Obama? Sarah Palin?’ We’ll combine the movie with an in-depth discussion moderated by Washington Post writer Liza Mundy, whose original article on this topic launched this idea for me.” The panel will also feature CNN political correspondent Candy Crowley and others. (Friday, 10AM and 1:30PM, Culbreth).
Joining American Beauty and Election on the anniversary roster will be films including:
- Buster Keaton’s Sherlock, Jr. (85th Anniversary)
- Some Like it Hot (50th Anniversary)
- Police Academy (25th Anniversary)
- Sex, Lies and Videotape (20th Anniversary)
- Do the Right Thing (20th Anniversary)
- Pulp Fiction (15th Anniversary)
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The Funny Business of…Politics
Politics will be front and center throughout the festival, including student and public screenings of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which will feature a post-film discussion featuring noted CNN political analyst Candy Crowley and Washington Post writer Liza Mundy, among others. “When you look at the political landscape today, it is really all about insiders and outsiders,” Kielbasa said. “Last June I happened to read a wonderful Washington Post piece by Liza Mundy (who I then learned is a U.Va. graduate) that was celebrating the film’s anniversary and looking at its relevance to the modern political landscape. It covered a number of candidates, including Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, and, of course, Barack Obama. It was this article that launched the idea for this panel, and I am so happy that we will be welcoming its writer, Liza Mundy, along with one of the true ‘go-to’ political analysts today, Candy Crowley, who will appear at a special student screening and panel discussion as well as a second panel discussion for the general public that will also include Dr. Larry Sabato of the U.Va. Center for Politics.”
Other politically-themed films include:
- By the People – A documentary on the 2008 election produced by Edward Norton
- Convention – Documentary filmmaker A.J. Schnack’s look at the interconnected stories of convention characters as they produce, participate in, protect and report on the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver
Source: VA Film Festival
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