Marriage Story Opens Middleburg Film Festival

The Middleburg Film Festival just announced this year’s incredible line-up of films. Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story will open the festival on Thursday, Oct. 17 and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman will close the festival on Sunday, Oct. 20.

James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari as the Saturday Night Centerpiece, Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet and Trey and Edward Shults’ Waves as the Friday Spotlight films. Filmmaker Noah Baumbach, film composer Terence Blanchard and screenwriter Anthony McCarten will be honored for their exceptional contributions to films and filmmaking.

In its seventh year, the festival will run Oct. 17-20 in Northern Virginia’s historic wine country. A carefully curated selection of narrative and documentary films will screen in an intimate theatre environment, followed by fascinating Q&As with world-renowned filmmakers and actors. The films include Oscar contenders, festival favorites, foreign films, regional premieres, and both narrative and documentary films. Kicking off the 2019 edition of the four-day festival, Marriage Story which stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in an incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. The ensemble cast also includes Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty and Merritt Weaver.

“We’re honored to kick off this year’s festival with Marriage Story and recognize filmmaker Noah Baumbach for his deeply personal and moving film,” said MFF Executive Director Susan Koch. “We’re also delighted to welcome back and honor screenwriter Anthony McCarten, who once again has crafted a riveting story and magnificent script for his lead actors in The Two Popes.”

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman has been selected to close the festival on Sunday, Oct. 20. Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, the movie is an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of WWII veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime.

Festival tickets, packages and passes are on sale at www.middleburgfilm.org. ML

This article first appeared in the October issue of Middleburg Life.