The 3^rd Annual Film Festival at Little Washington, VA

         Next month, on April 7 –9, The Film Festival at Little Washington, VA will once again light up Rappahannock County. The Festival has entries in many categories including features, shorts documentaries, student, animations, web series or episodes, and music videos. The Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community (RAAC) is once again the proud sponsor of this prestigious event. All filmmakers, both professional and amateur, were invited to submit work completed after January 1, 2012. The submission period closed on January 15, 2017.

The premier event came about three years ago when several Rappahannock filmmakers approached the RAAC, whose mission is to enhance the lives of community residents through exposure to the arts and active participation in art programs and request a forum for their films,” explains festival program director, Theresa Wood. Despite being kept rather low- key, the 2015 festival was well received, leading to the decision to expand the event.

“This is the only film festival in the state featuring films partially or wholly produced in the state of Virginia by filmmakers who reside here part-or full time, Wood says. Wood also points out the Virginia Film Office, a division of Virginia Tourism, has been very supportive of this film festival, as it aligns perfectly with their mission of bringing film ad television series to the Commonwealth.

The Film Festival is an all- volunteer, non-profit enterprise with net proceeds going back into the arts community in the form of Claudia Mitchell grants. (The Fund was established with a generous bequest from the estate of Claudia Mitchell, RAAC’s president for many years and a dedicated supporter of the arts community.)

This years Festival kicks off with an Opening Night Reception at Tula’s Restaurant and Bar from 500-7:00 p.m. The event is open to the public and tickets ($25 each) allow guests to sample delicious food, wine and beer – all crafted in Virginia.

The evening continues at 7:00 p.m. just across the street from Tula’s in the Little Washington Theatre with a welcome followed two films-a short and a feature. The evening wraps up with a Q&A session with the filmmakers. Saturday features the majority of the festival’s films, which range in length form three minutes to nearly an hour and a half, covering a broad range of subject matter. Beginning at 10:00 a.m., films continue throughout the afternoon and evening with periodic Q&A sessions. Sunday’s film line-up will kick-off with a Champagne Reception at Gay Street Gallery. Sunday’s films begin showing at 11:00 a.m.

With over 175 films submitted for screening, this Festival has become one of the hottest tickets in Virginia. The proposed threats to the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities by the current administration in Washington will make events like the Film Festival at Little Washington that much more special. The community theatre may be what gets us through! Tickets go on sale March 1 at www.EventBrite.com. For more information, you can contact Theresa Wood, Festival Director, at FFLW2017@gmail.com or by phone at 817-403-0496. Be aware that cell service in Rappahannock County is sketchy at best.