PURCELLVILLE, Va. — OCTOBER 11, 2018 — In preparation for the 2019 Cabin Fever Film Festival, the Purcellville Arts Council will sponsor three filmmaking workshops in October, November, and December, 2018. The workshops are free and will be held in the Purcellville Train Station (200 N. 21st St.) from 7:00PM to 8:00PM with an hour afterwards for open discussion. Refreshments will be served.
Monday, October 22, 2018 (7:00PM start): Workshop attendees will be introduced to the Cabin Fever Film Festival - dates, deadlines and submission criteria. Local film and television professionals will be on-hand to discuss ideas for short films and possible basic story ideas for those working on possible festival submissions.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 (7:00PM start): Attendees can discuss any challenges they have/are facing in their filmmaking process. Problem-solving by group discussion and moderated by experienced filmmakers will be the focus of this workshop.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 (7:00PM start): Workshop attendees may screen or discuss film work that is complete or in-progress for an honest, productive critique.
These workshops are the build-up to the 2nd annual Cabin Fever Film Festival which will be held January 25 and 26, 2019 at Franklin Park's Visual and Performing Arts Center. Co-sponsored by the Town of Purcellville's Arts Council and Franklin Park's Visual and Performing Arts Center, audiences will be treated to a slate of films where the focus is on local talent. “There is a lot of fantastic and creative talent here and the Purcellville Arts Council is hoping that the three workshops in October, November, and December of 2018 will help those who are considering submitting their work to the 2019 Cabin Fever Film Festival. We are also lucky to have accomplished film and TV professionals living in our area and who are donating their time to these workshops,” said Liz Jarvis, Chair of the Purcellville Arts Council.
January 2018 saw the launch of the event with the screening of the feature length film “THE SCREENWRITERS”, the story of two screenwriters who must finish a feature-length screenplay in less than 24 hours. Local screenplay writer, Elizabeth Stinnette, and the movie’s director Peter Forbes participated in a Q&A session which proved to be entertaining and educational for the festival audience. The evening was capped off with a catered reception where Purcellville Mayor Fraser awarded filmmakers with certificates recognizing their participation in the inaugural Cabin Fever Film Festival.
The following day, the Festival continued with a morning screening of the documentary “NICHOLS: THE LAST HARDWARE STORE” submitted by Sarah Huntington from Lincoln, VA. Following the documentary, filmmakers Sarah Huntington and Drew Babb participated in a Q&A session. They discussed their experiences in making the film and why documentaries, especially ones that capture oral history, are important. After a short break, the audience viewed a block of local student films: “TEO AND JAKE PLAY CHESS” submitted by Michael Chirillo, “EXPLORING COROLLA” submitted by Maddy Wade, and “THE GHOULIE GIRLS: Summoning Charles Dickens” submitted by Maddy Wade.
A late entry, entitled “NO MORE” was shown after a second break. This short documentary, submitted by four-time Emmy winning TV producer and Purcellville resident Francis Lyons along with Director Joey Katz, was shown to those who wished to remain to view it and provide feedback to the film makers. This documentary was filmed on the day of the special election in Alabama in 2017. It tells the stories of two sexual abuse survivors and how the election affected their lives. The Festival concluded with the audience again taking the opportunity to meet the filmmakers.
