Middleburg Film Festival, Day One: And We’re Off

Now in its fifth year, the Middleburg Film Festival gives the Washington D.C area a chance to sample Oscar-buzzworthy films. Over 4000 people will flock to see the carefully curated slate that includes, Hostiles, Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, A Fantastic Woman, Happy End, Call Me by Your Name, Mudbound and I,Tonya, The Middleburg Film Festival was created by Sheila Johnson, co-founder of the BET network.

I couldn’t have been more excited to be invited back to return to the stunning Salamander Resort and Spa, a breathtaking 360-acre venue where audiences will get the chance to hear James Ivory in Conversation Friday morning before Call Me By Your Name makes it Middleburg debut. I set off with my wife Jennifer at the crack of dawn on Thursday morning, leaving the 90-degree heat of LA behind. Driving through LA at 4am to get to LAX gave me a moment to reflect on the city’s beauty, the palm tree-lined streets, the nearby beach (20-minutes away at this time of day), the Hollywood Hills in the rearview mirrors — this was my city and I kind of loved it.

In my second year covering the festival, I was eager to be holed up in a world where I would be surrounded by film lovers talking to each other, sharing the one thing we love. I’d meet my East Coast friends and Oscar squad from Awards Circuit — Clayton Davis and his wife Jessica, Nathaniel Rogers from Film Experience, and Charles Bright from Gold Derby. We sat down that evening for opening night film, Darkest Hour, and swapped predictions at the after party. Fueled by film and adrenaline, we buzzed until midnight.

The small town of Middleburg, Virginia, population 700, doesn’t have a year-round movie theater, but Johnson has masterfully converted the town into a four-day film hub. The Boxwood Winery will host Nicholas Britell’s symphony orchestra concert on Saturday as he performs to clips from Moonlight, The Big Short, Whiplash, 12 Years a Slave, and Battle of the Sexes. The community center and Hill School will host film screenings alongside the National Sporting Library & Museum. The wood-paneled library will hold court to James Ivory and Dee Rees as they discuss their work. That’s what I love about it here, we can either take convenient shuttles to the local venues or we can take in a scenic ten-minute walk while absorbing the idyllic surroundings of this gorgeous town.

Last night, artists and audiences gathered to watch the opening night film, Darkest Hour. Gary Oldman is phenomenal as Winston Churchill, giving a rousing performance as he embodies Britain’s PM when he first takes office in 1940 and is tasked with leading the resistance in Europe against the rise of Nazi Germany. There have been many portrayals of the cigar smoking Prime Minister but none quite like what we see in Joe Wright’s film. Anthony McCarten’s script shows a man who deploys scathing wit brilliantly and one who is also a romantic. We also see a leader who is skeptical about the proposed peace treaty and how that uncertainty helps him to become the great leader that sealed his worldwide renown.

Speaking at the Q&A after the film, McCarten, producer Lisa Bruce, and Ben Mendelsohn sat down with KPCC host John Horn to discuss the film. Bruce said, “As a producer, you’re always looking for something focused and unique. I didn’t know the peace treaty was shoved at Churchill and it was an important story to tell.”

Bruce also revealed that the sets of the film were all recreated. By law, the House of Commons did not allow the crew to film inside, so production designer, Sarah Greenwood researched and built everything from scratch.

It’s an extraordinary film that even on second viewing will blow you away as you watch Oldman’s Churchill deliver his greatest speeches. The performances from Mendelsohn, Kristen Scott-Thomas, and Lily James are just as noteworthy. The film packs a powerful history punch, showing why Churchill would forever be remembered as a great leader. If only 45 could learn how words work and what it takes… (I’m not going there). The festival was off to a mighty start with a mighty film and the general conversation afterward was filled with love for the film and your current frontrunner Best Actor contender, Gary Oldman.

So, here we are. Day Two of the Middleburg Kicks off in an hour where James Ivory will be in conversation. Jane, Wonderstruck, Mudbound, and Hostiles are all screening today. The festival is created by women and the amazing efforts of Sheila Johnson and Susan Koch can be seen all around. Johnson’s passion for film has turned the Middleburg Film Festival into a place where we movie lovers want to be. To catch up on conversations, revel in great film and — lest we forget — the wine tasting.