Community Corner

Inaugural Middleburg Film Festival Kicks Off This Weekend

Watch trailers for films being screened this weekend at first Middleburg Film Festival kicking off this weekend.

By Cinema Siren (aka Leslie Combemale)

Just a short drive from the Northern Virginia area this weekend you'll find a major cultural event — the Middleburg Film Festival — kicking off its first year.

Organizers plan to celebrate the best in independent films.

In the next four days, they are proving themselves to be a significant force to be reckoned with in the film fest circuit, with exclusive advance showings of Oscar contenders including:
  • Philomena (starring Judi Dench) 
  • and its opening film, Nebraska, (which won its star Bruce Dern the Best Actor prize at Cannes this year).  

There are also movies like Le Weekend (starring Jim Broadbent), The Best Offer (starring Geoffrey Rush), and Chile's submission for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, Gloria.  Many documentaries will be screened as well, including Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, The Armstrong Lie, The Slow Food Story, and Muscle Shoals.  

Musician and film composer Mark Isham (Crash, 42, The Mechanic, October Sky, The Majestic, and many more)  is receiving the festival's first Distinguished Film Composer Award and will perform Friday night. 

It is an exciting new opportunity for film lovers and aficionados in the Washington area to be "in the know" about movies before the general public. Tickets are currently available for screenings of all these films, and for most other events, but are selling out fast. 

Cinema Siren will be attending many screenings.  Hope to see you there, bringing support for independent film to the Washington area!

Some of the highlights of the festival and their screening times:  
  • Nebraska: Showing Friday night (sold out), and 11:45 a.m. Saturday
  • Philomena: Showing 4:45 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday 
  • August: Osage County: Showing 7 p.m. Friday and 4:30 p.m. Saturday
  • Lee Daniels' The Butler: Showing at 1:15 p.m. Sunday with a director's Q&A 
  • Le Weekend: 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday 
Panels and Events:
  • A master class with film composer George Clinton (Austin Powers score) 10 a.m. Saturday
  • Keynote address with Ted Leonsis: 10 a.m. Saturday
  • Tribute and Conversation with Bruce Dern 12 p.m. Saturday (in another location from the Saturday screening)
  • Critics: What Makes A Good Film 3 p.m. Friday 
  • Wine tasting with producer Michael Shamberg: 12 p.m. Saturday
  • An Evening with Mark Isham Barbecue at 7 p.m., concert 8:45 p.m. Friday (tickets can be purchased for the concert alone, or both) 
All venues are within a short distance of each other and include the Salamander Resort and SpaThe Boxwood WineryThe National Sporting Library and MuseumThe Hill SchoolThe Middleburg Country Inn, and the Middleburg Community Center.

You can purchase tickets in a number of combinations. Find all ticket information here.

A shuttle is available between locations. Click here for a map of locations.

Click here for an overview of the festival eventsClick here for a schedule.


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