VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE CANCELLATION OF UPCOMING APPEARANCE BY FILMMAKER GUILLERMO DEL TORO
Acclaimed Writer/Director/Producer Cancels Appearance
Due To Scheduling Conflict
Charlottesville, VA – October 29, 2010 – Virginia Film Festival officials announced today that renowned filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has canceled his appearance at the upcoming festival due to a scheduling conflict.
Del Toro had been scheduled to join producer Mark Johnson in presenting his latest film, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, at the Paramount Theater on Saturday, November 6. Mr. Johnson will now present the film and participate in a post-screening discussion with noted critic David Edelstein.
“We are quite obviously disappointed that Mr. del Toro will be unable to join us,” said Virginia Film Festival Director Jody Kielbasa. “We do, however, understand that these types of conflicts are an unfortunate reality of the festival planning process, and hope that we will be able to welcome him to Charlottesville for a future festival.”
The Virginia Film Festival, presented by the University of Virginia’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, is set for November 4-7 at venues throughout Charlottesville. The weekend will feature more than 100 films over four days, in addition to a variety of parties and special events. Guests scheduled to appear include noted writer/director/producer/actor/author and film critic Peter Bogdanovich, who is this year’s Festival Fellow; Josh Radnor, the star of the CBS hit comedy How I Met Your Mother, who will present happythankyoumoreplease, a film he wrote, directed, produced and stars in and that won this year’s Audience Award at Sundance; director Tom Shadyac, who will present his new documentary I AM; and Vince Gilligan, the creator of the Emmy-winning television drama Breaking Bad, who will present a live director’s commentary of an episode of the AMC hit series.
Interest in this year’s festival has been extremely high, Kielbasa said, including an opening night sellout for the Darren Aronofsky drama Black Swan. “We have been extremely pleased with the response we’ve seen all the way across our program this year and look forward to what promises to be another outstanding weekend of memorable movie experiences.”
Tickets are available online at www.virginiafilmfestival.org and by phone at 434-924-3376.
Tickets purchased in-person at the U.Va. Arts Box Office in the Drama Building on Culbreth Road. Beginning Tuesday, October 26, tickets will also be available downtown at the Main Street Arena (formerly the Charlottesville Ice Park) on the Downtown Mall.
Press images and information on the entire roster of films and events are also available online at www.virginiafilmfestival.org.
