Virginia’s 13th annual Middleburg Film Festival was held on Oct. 16-19. The event hosted a variety of unreleased films, some of those including “Hamnet,” “Eternity,” “Frankenstein,” and “Bugonia,” allowing for Loudoun locals and film lovers to preview prospective award-winning projects and bringing the likes of Hollywood to Northern Virginia.
In previous years, the festival has been set on a smaller scale in the quiet town of Middleburg. With the festival located just 30 minutes away from the Dulles Airport and an hour away from DC, the festival has grown to attract A-list celebrities like Brendan Fraser, Greta Gerwig, and Emma Stone.
This year’s event was a weekend long, kicking off on Thursday night and finishing that Sunday night. Throughout the weekend, some of Hollywood’s favorite celebrities were spotted throughout the town of Middleburg including “Wicked” director John M. Chu, award-winning Irish actor Colin Ferrell, Marvel Studio’s Elizabeth Olsen, and “Eternals” director Chloe Zhao.
“I would recommend people to go to the festival at all ages,” Bulldog attendee Leo Overstreet said. “It’s a good experience. Everyone there is respectful to the movies.”
The festival’s events were held in local areas like the Hill School and Middleburg’s community center. The town’s library was also used as an area for guest panels and interviews.
“It’s not well known, but it’s also not a big location you know,” Overstreet said. “Let’s just say if it was in New York City, there would be so many people there, so many crowds. It would be uncomfortable.”
The Salamander Hotel, the centerpiece of the event, provided a central area or “headquarters” for guests during the event. The hotel’s memorable, friendly service and high quality accommodations has given the Salamander a five stars seal by Forbes in their resort, restaurant, and spa.
“[With] the amount of people there, this place gave off a little like VIP, like the ‘Shining’ hotel,” Overstreet said. “Everyone was nice there.”
Alongside the high spirits of the event, the festival also held a few award contests, giving out several awards to actors and directors, including an attendance award that went to the films that were attended by the most amount of guests throughout the weekend.
“It was a nice way to show how audiences love the films they’re watching,” Overstreet said.
With a general admission fee of just $20 per film, the festival provided a weekend-long preview of never before seen films, meet-and-greets with popular stars, and a rustic, refined atmosphere in southern Loudoun.
“It made me feel like it was like a different world,” Overstreet said. “I really liked that.”
