Entering its second season, the Northern Virginia International Film and Music Festival brings the magic of film and creativity to the East Coast April 21-30.
By Cynthia Jessup & Meghan Meier
The Northern Virginia International Film and Music Festival was an ambitious creation. Before its existence, NoVA was already regarded as regional hub for the cultural arts. But Fernando Mico, executive director of the Northern Virginia Film and Music Festival, believed the region was missing something vital: a strong film community. In 2015, his dreams came to fruition when he opened NoVA Fest. Entering its second season, the festival—April 21-30 in multiple locations—is more than an awards ceremony. It is a place where the imagination and creativity of filmmaking are celebrated.
The foundation of the festival was built from a filmmaker’s perspective. Its story begins when Mico won Action Film of the Year at the Action On Film International Film Festival in 2011. He then developed a working relationship with Del Weston, creator of the AOF Festival, which became the key element to making NoVA Fest a reality.
Over the course of his filming career, Mico visited many film festivals, and what he admired about these events, regardless of whether he won, was their family-friendly atmosphere and dedicated focus to the actual artist, which is what he wants the local film community to emulate. As a NoVA native, he saw the film arts in general as underrepresented in Northern Virginia and believed the area could benefit if it was branded as a film center. When he visited the Mosaic District as a filmmaker, he saw it as an opportune location for a film festival and for artists to showcase their work.
Putting together a project of this magnitude required guidance—in this case, a blueprint. Mico approached Weston about the possibility of starting a film festival, and Weston offered to extend the AOF Festival brand to make NoVA Fest a sister festival.
The concept for the NoVA Fest is purposeful. Not only is the intent to put the area on the radar as a film center, but also to make it a destination festival. The objective is to create an Olympic village-type community where people are not confined to the theater’s perimeter and can visit the surrounding restaurants and shops.
This year, the festival is doubling its schedule and the number of activities. Now a 10-day event, the festival has added five more categories that include web series and teleplays. But apart from the conventional seminars, screenings and awards ceremony, the festival is bringing something new to the stage: music, including a battle of the bands and a dance party.
But at its core, the festival is about the filmmakers and screenwriters themselves. Making a film of any professional caliber requires a great deal of dedication and sacrifice from the artists, and showcasing their work to the public takes bravery. The purpose of the festival is to promote and support the people and the work they have accomplished. The film business is very competitive, and Mico says what the festival provides is the opportunity for artists to build their resumes and gain confidence to give them the motivation to keep pursuing their dreams.
The screenings at NoVA Fest will be held at Angelika Film Center beginning April 23. Take a look at the extraordinary work produced by talented citizens of Northern Virginia.
This 40-minute film produced by the Virginia Voices and Virginia Historical Society is made up of crowd-sourced video recorded and submitted by regular citizens. The Virginia Historical Society assembled these short clips into a single narrative that gives audiences an overview of Northern Virginia, its people and their stories.
Cafe Kreyol is a brief documentary about Joey Stazzone, a self-proclaimed coffee hunter and past drug addict who has made a career out of traveling around Central America and aiding coffee farmers.
This is the official music video for “The Tide” produced by Jpixx Films. The filming took place in 2014-2015 throughout the city of Norfolk.
TRI
Ultrasound tech Natalie, who struggles with a history of not finishing things, is inspired by a cancer patient to sign up for a triathlon. She is introduced to the passionate world of triathletes and new people as she trains for the Nation’s Triathlon. With the support of her new teammates, she digs deep to discover just how far she can go.
A dramatic new web series, this is about small-town girls trying to get their lives together and follow their big-city dreams. Meet the four best friends: Caroline (the Responsible One), Eve (the Rebel), Jennie (The Party Girl), and Alison (the Dreamer).
Directed and produced by Angie Walls
At the core of The Anthropologist are the parallel stories of two women: Margaret Mead, who popularized cultural anthropology in America, and Susie Crate, current professor at George Mason University and an environmental anthropologist who currently is studying the impact of climate change. Told from their daughters’ perspectives, the film shows how societies are forced to cope with disruption of their traditional ways of life by climate change.
Directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller and Jeremy Newberger
Northern Virginia International Film & Music Festival
Film Screenings at the Angelika Film Center
Schedule and prices vary
2911 District Ave., Fairfax
