And a good time was had by all, if the record-breaking attendance and box office receipts of this year’s Virginia Film Festival are any indication.
The 132 films and variety of programs presented at the festival attracted more than 23,750 attendees and raked in more than $90,000 in ticket sales, according to festival officials.
That’s more than 4,000 more in attendance than last year’s estimated 19,000 and more than $18,000 in sales compared with 2009’s $71,442.
“It was a great turnout and we couldn’t be more pleased,” said Jody Kielbasa, festival director. “We’ve two years of attendance records, including a 25 percent increase in 2009 and a 25 percent increase again for 2010. We even exceeded the all-time box office total by 25 percent.”
The festival’s sales exceeded the previous high of $72,138 set in 2006, a year in which Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman and Liev Schreiber appeared.
Kielbasa said he believes the turnout shows the community has not only accepted recent changes in the festival format but the idea of the festival itself. The festival’s former format set a tone by setting a theme and scheduling films that reflect the chosen artistic motif. In the new format, officials scour other festivals for fine films, contact foreign filmmakers and focus on variety and excellence of films.
“It’s a testament to the community and how they’ve embraced the new direction of the festival in leaving behind the over-arching theme,” Kielbasa said. “We also did a lot of free events like our family day, which may bring down the box office but allows for more community involvement with families and kids.”
This year’s festival saw 17 feature programs sell out, including the opening night showing of “The Black Swan” and the film “127 Hours.” Documentaries including a film centered on Charlottesville’s own The Corner Parking Lot — aptly titled “The Parking Lot Movie” — also sold out. So did the classic movie “Breathless.”
The fest kicked off with the sold-out showing of “Black Swan” and wound up Sunday with the showing of “happythankyoumoreplease,” a film by Josh Radnor, star of the hit CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother.”
In between, festivalgoers met and listened to Peter Bogdanovich, who presented his movies “Paper Moon” and “The Last Picture Show.”
Guillermo del Toro, writer and director of “Pan’s Labyrinth,” was scheduled to preview a film and talk with festival patrons but had to cancel.
Kielbasa said he expects the festival to continue growing under its current format because there are few Charlottesville venues that show foreign and independent films and there are a lot of great films to be seen.
“I think the community will continue to embrace the festival, the new format and our offerings,” he said. “We’re going to try and provide more opportunity for the community at large.”
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