Entering its seventh year, the Middleburg Film Festival continues to be the top fall event for moviegoers eager for an early look at Best Picture contenders. And this year is no different. The lineup for the 2019 Middleburg Film Festival has been released, kicking off on October 17th with Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story as the Opening Night Film.
Marriage Story stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, and looks at a couple undergoing a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce. The film finished runner-up for TIFF’s prestigious People’s Choice Award.
The Closing Night film on October 20th is Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited mob drama The Irishman, led by Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. The Centerpiece film on Saturday, October 19th will be James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale.
The Spotlight films on Friday, October 18th consist of Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet Tubman biopic, Harriet, led by Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo as the legendary activist and freedom fighter. Also that day is Waves, from Krisha director Trey Edward Shults. The acclaimed drama stars Sterling K. Brown, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell and Lucas Hedges, centering on a suburban African-American family navigating a recent tragedy.
Noah Baumbach will be on hand to be honored with the Spotlight Director Award for his extensive body of work on human dramas including The Squid and the Whale, Greenberg, and Frances Ha. Grammy-winning composer Terence Blanchard will be given the Distinguished Composer Award during a tribute concert celebrating his career. He’s scored many of Spike Lee’s films including Chi-Raq, BlacKkKlansman, 25th Hour, and Inside Man.
Screenwriter Anthony McCarten will be on hand to receive the Distinguished Screenwriter Award. His latest film The Two Popes will also play at the festival, as his previous drama Darkest Hour did in 2017.
The Middleburg Film Festival runs from October 17th to October 21st. As usual, we will be on hand providing coverage of as many movies as possible, as it’s firmly one of the best festivals in the country and we are proud to have a close association with it. If you’re planning to attend, go to www.middleburgfilm.org now for ticket packages and other information. A full schedule will be released in early October.
