Richmond International Film Festival announces 2015 selections

More than 120 films from over 25 countries will be screened over four days at multiple venues.

January 20, 2015; 9:05 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

The Richmond International Film Festival, a four-day cavalcade of more than 120 award-winning films from six continents–from Ecuador to Ethiopia, Australia to Sweden–has announced its 2015 selections and event lineup.

The film festival will kick off on Thursday, February 26th with the screening of feature, short, documentary, and animated films throughout the day at Richmond’s historic Byrd Theatre, as well as a full afternoon and evening lineup of movies at Bow Tie Movieland at Boulevard Square.

The opening night of films includes the screening of Wish You Well, a coming-of-age drama set in 1940s Virginia written by best-selling author David Baldacci and starring Josh Lucas and Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn. Baldacci and the film’s producers will participate in a question-and-answer session following the showing of the film.

The festival will continue over the next three days with screenings at the Byrd, the Virginia Historical Society, and Bow Tie Criterion Cinemas.

A Swedish Influence

This year, the festival is spotlighting a number of Swedish films, exposing moviegoers to a taste of Swedish lifestyle, arts and, culture.

Swedish films included in the spotlight are this year’s Golden Globe nominated Force Majeure, which is also Sweden’s official Oscar entry for consideration of Best Foreign Language Film of the year. The film is directed by Ruben Ostlund and stars Johannes Kuhnke.

Force Majeure debuts opening night at Movieland with a Swedish mixer to take place prior to the screening. The second Swedish spotlight film is the best-selling adaptation, The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared directed by Felix Herngren and starring Sweden’s funniest man, Robert Gustafsson, which plays at the Byrd Theatre on Sunday afternoon (trailer below).

A Selection of other Shorts & Features

Closing out Sunday afternoon is the world premiere of Living in a Food Desert, a feature documentary directed by Jesse Vaughan that takes an inside look at the food desert crisis affecting hundreds of thousands in Virginia. The film features familiar people and entities such as FeedMore, Tricycle Gardens, Renew Richmond, First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, Delegate Delores McQuinn, and Dr. Jewel Hairston.

Other features include:

Salgan & Salgan, a feature documentary, which profiles legendary tango pianist, Horatio Salgan
The Japanese Dog, Romania’s official Oscar entry for consideration of Best Foreign Language Film of the year, directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu.
Des Eclats de Verre, Sundance Grand Prize Jury and Audience Award winner and this year’s Best Short Winner at the Toronto International Film and Video Festival
Blood and Circumstance, a film recently shot in Virginia
Sewing Hope, a feature documentary narrated by Forest Whitaker that follows a Ugandan Nun who has dedicated her life to helping women terrorized by Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (trailer below)

Festival Awards

Capping off the festival on Sunday, March 1st will be the annual Red Carpet Awards where prizes selected by the Grand Jury and audience will be awarded in various categories. Held at the Byrd Theatre, the red carpet opens at 6:15 p.m. followed by the ceremony at 7 p.m. This event, along with all film screenings and community events, are open to the public. Dress for the red carpets is upscale casual to black tie.

Other Events

Other events during festival week include Q&As with visiting filmmakers, various industry panels, the annual Balliceaux mixer, educational forums, the youth outreach day, the RIFF annual RVA Music Showcase where Richmond’s best musicians perform and come together with filmmakers at the Broadberry, and the new FLOW Collective, a creative inspirational series that includes engaging presentations from prominent artists, individuals, and heads of industry, along with breakout sessions incorporating the concept of creative flow in a variety of disciplines.

Tickets

Individual Screening General Admission $10
Individual Screening Seniors (55+) & Students $7
Individual Screening & Special Guest Panel $12
Daily Pass (All General Admission screenings for any one day of your choosing): $35
VIP Full 4 Day Festival Pass (An official badge that includes all 120+ screenings over the four days, special guest panels, Q&As, mixers, music showcase, filmmaker & writer breakfasts, the Saturday 11am FLOW Talks, and the Red Carpet Awards): $225
FLOW Collective Series: $75. Includes the FLOW Inspirational Talks Saturday 11am plus full day of FLOW Collective panels, creative think tanks, and industry workshops

Tickets are available for purchase online here.

To view a full schedule of this year’s films and events, visit the official Richmond International Film Festival website.

Photo: Cinema Treasures