Keeping it reel

Metaphorically speaking, Jody Kielbasa has had to jump onto a racing locomotive that has been gathering speed and momentum for months.

The new director of the Virginia Film Festival grabbed the controls in late May and has had his hair bent back by a brisk wind of activity ever since. Fortunately, the father of three arrived here with a decade’s worth of experience keeping the Sarasota Film Festival on track — and moving forward with throttle wide open.

Under Kielbasa’s direction and leadership, SFF grew from the size of a Lionel model train into a gleaming powerhouse. Movie stars, directors, producers and film fans flock to it.

Last year, the 10-day event drew a record-breaking 45,000 patrons. So when Kielbasa donned the conductor’s cap of the VFF, he brought along a boxcar load of know-how and fresh ideas.

“I think any festival you program needs to reflect the community in which you live,” said Kielbasa, who has experience as an actor, theater founder and film producer.

“The biggest thing I want to do is make sure this festival is reaching the community. In order to be able to do that, I have to become part of the community, and that’s going to take time.

“I’ve been working very hard to get to know as many people and organizations as I can. But, obviously, there’s a finite period of time leading up to the festival. ”

The festival this year will run from Nov. 5 to 8 and has the theme “Funny Business.” Richard Herskowitz, who stepped down from his position of artistic director of the festival last November after 15 years, selected the theme before departing.

Kielbasa is enthusiastic about the theme because it allows him a great deal of flexibility in terms of programming. When he looked up the term “funny business” in a thesaurus, he found it interesting that few of the descriptions actually dealt with things that were humorous.

“More often than not, funny business has to do with skulduggery, waywardness and things out of sorts,” Kielbasa said. “Obviously, comic films will be included, but we’ll also take a look at other things, like the funny business of politics, law — you name it.

“Quality of programming is crucial to the creation of a great film festival. The films selected have to be very high quality. I come from a festival where traditionally 95 percent of the films were brand new.

“This festival has had more of a balance of about a 50-50 mix of classic, historic and archival films with new films. I think in time I would like to skew it more so that it’s a 70-30 mix of new to classic.

“And I want to make sure whenever we’re screening a classic film that we’re not just looking at it through a historical lens, but also through a lens that focuses on what it is about that film that makes it relevant today.”

Kielbasa is working to expand the festival’s outreach and education program fairly dramatically. One new program that’s still in the development stage is Family Day, which will be held on Nov. 7 in and around the Paramount Theater.

The free event is designed as a sort of embrace of the community by the festival.

“We’re going to be screening some family-friendly films that day, as well as creating an interactive family fair that will have a film theme to it,” Kielbasa said. “Maybe a red-carpet kind of experience for children and families as they walk into the Paramount.

“Something where we have actors giving out autographs and having their photos taken. Again, the idea is to get the community involved so the festival has more of a footprint here.

“Outside of that, I want to make sure the festival also creates a greater footprint within the film industry itself. I want it to become a compelling destination for people in the industry.”

Something that has always set the VFF apart is its exploration of the social and artistic aspects of filmmaking. The new director wants to expand that theme.

“At every film festival people will talk about, ‘Gee, what was it like to make this film?’ ” said Kielbasa, who recently co-produced “The Deal,” starring Meg Ryan.

“I think the larger question that sometimes goes unanswered at these festivals is, ‘What compelled the filmmaker to make that film? What are the ideas being explored in it?’

“And then, how can you use the creative firepower of the University of Virginia through the association with faculty, students and experts in the community and in the world outside Charlottesville to discuss the subject matter? This can be something really unique and special that we can offer to the community itself, and to the people who will travel here because we’re talking about these things.”

Kielbasa, 50, was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He earned an academic scholarship to Rollins College, where he majored in history. He also has a degree in theater and a master’s in acting from Florida State University’s Asolo Conservatory for Actor’s Training in Sarasota.

After graduation, he spent the next decade in Los Angeles working as an actor on television programs such as the soap “Santa Barbara” and “SeaQuest DSV.” He also founded the award-winning Tamarind Theatre in Hollywood.

Kielbasa retired from acting years ago, but treasures the experience and lifelong friends he made.

“My last role as an actor was getting killed in the final episode of ‘SeaQuest,’ ” Kielbasa said with a laugh. “I officially retired after that, and I was happy to put it aside.

“Acting is a phenomenal profession, and I have tremendous respect for actors as artists. But the problem with acting sometimes is there’s a lot of space between roles, and there’s a lot of hurry up and wait.

“I really need to be doing something constantly. It was good that I recognized that about myself and was able to take a lot of those interests and find something for myself, which is essentially being a producer.”

The relationships Kielbasa formed with stars during his acting career, as well as during his 10-year tour of duty as director of the SFF, should serve him well. He certainly knows what will motivate a star to put a festival date on his or her must-do list.

“There’s a lot of stars who are interested in promoting their films,” Kielbasa said. “Not only because it’s their job and their business, but because many of them are truly passionate about the work they’ve done in these films.

“When you’re really firing on all cylinders is when you bring somebody in who is not just hitting the mark because it’s part of a press junket or the studio wants them to. It’s when they come because they’re passionate about this role, or it’s the first film they directed, or the subject is something they really care about.

“Then you’ve got somebody who is coming in less as a movie star and more as an advocate for the artistic program. That’s a great thing when you have that, and that’s what I’m always hoping to do.”

Mark Johnson, chairman of VFF’s advisory board, and producer of blockbuster movies such as “Rain Man,” is delighted to have Kielbasa as the new director.

“Jody’s experience as the director of the large and complicated Sarasota Film Festival and his passion for film, both the classic and the cutting edge, make him the ideal person to take over the reins of the Virginia Film Festival,” Johnson said in a statement.

“And not only to embrace what our festival has stood for, but also to challenge it in directions that we have not yet dared to take.”

Kielbasa said a number of factors motivated him and his wife to uproot from Florida and settle here. For one, he felt he had achieved something special in Sarasota, and as it moved in a new direction, he thought it could benefit from a change in leadership.

VFF’s connection with UVa and the intellectual resources that provides was seen as a huge boon to the new director as well. Additionally, the beauty of the area, as well as the welcoming warmth of the people, quickly convinced both Kielbasa and his wife that they had made the right decision.

The new director is still learning about the metaphoric locomotive, but his hands are firmly on the controls. And so far, the view has been pretty spectacular.

“My wife and I have absolutely fallen in love with the area and Charlottesville,” Kielbasa said. “We live in the Crozet area, so when we wake every morning there’s the beautiful mountains right outside the door.

“People here have been extraordinarily friendly to us, and there’s just a wonderful community feeling. The university and all it has to offer is extraordinary as well.

“The fact that the Virginia Film Festival is part of UVa is something that had great appeal for me. That’s ultimately why I’m here, and so excited about the opportunities in front of us.”