The annual Fredericksburg Film Festival is returning June 25, with the theme “Cinema That Connects.” The films will reflect the festival’s focus on stories that highlight the power of movies to bring people together.
The event will take place in downtown Fredericksburg. It will feature independent films, events with filmmakers, and additional community programming. Events will be held at the Fredericksburg Marriott Hotel and Conference Center and the event spaces 718 Venue and REIGN The Venue.
For Film Lovers
“For me, FFF provides a tremendous opportunity to bring great indie films and filmmakers to Fredericksburg, where there is an abundance of film lovers,” says Dalton Okolo, executive director of the festival. “I myself am a filmmaker, so the passion is organic. I want to know how these great films got made and I want to see how audiences react to them.”
Okolo calls cinema at its best “a grand equalizer.” He says it’s “a medium meant to be digested by everyone, no matter their socioeconomic status.”
“Whether you’re a seasoned filmmaker or someone who just wants to see good movies, we want the festival to be a place that you can have a great experience. And have a chance to chat with other people who just love cinema,” Okolo says.
New Categories
New film categories this year include Adults Animation, Kids Animation, Abstract Cinema, and Horror. Ten Virginia-made films will be highlighted, including four made by Fredericksburg filmmakers.
Films worth noting include the 2026 Academy Award nominee Cutting Through Rocks. The film features Sara Shahverdi, the first elected councilwoman of her Iranian village. Shahverdi works to break patriarchal traditions. But accusations of her doing so come to light, her identity is put in turmoil.
Magic Candies, which was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 2025 Academy Awards, will be an opening night short. The film explores a child named Dong-Dong who buys marble-shaped candies. He’s shocked when, after he eats the first one, his sofa starts talking to him.
Feature image courtesy Fredericksburg Film Festival
