Broderick, Bening headlining Virginia Film Festival

Matthew Broderick, Annette Bening and Cherry Jones will be among the headliners at this year’s Virginia Film Festival.

And the presidential election, marching bands and the integration of public schools in Charlottesville are among the topics that will be highlighted in this year’s festival.

Organizers announced Wednesday that 80 films and more than 100 guests are scheduled for the 22nd annual event Nov. 5-8.

Director Norman Jewison and filmmaker John Waters are also attending.

The complete schedule for the 2009 Virginia Film Festival is available at http://www.vafilm.com. Tickets for the events go on sale Friday on the Web site or at the Culbreth Theatre. For more information on tickets, call 1-800-UVA-FEST (800-882-3378).

Tickets for the events range from free to $75 and go on sale Friday. This year, the public will be able to attend all of the festival events.

“We have opened the festival completely to the general public this year,“ said festival Director Jody Kielbasa. “We wanted to make sure the festival was accessible to everyone.“

Kielbasa, who took over the director spot in May, said many of the movies scheduled to run highlight diversity and this year’s theme of “funny business.“

He also said the 2008 election of Barack Obama became a big inspiration for this year’s movie selections.

“I looked around at what was out there and said, ‘OK, we have one of the most historic elections in the history of our country, and a number of films that chronicle that and the events leading up to it,‘“ Kielbasa said.

One of those movies is “Marching Band,“ a documentary that looks at the presidential election through the eyes of the marching bands of the University of Virginia and Virginia State University. Members of the UVa marching band are scheduled to perform before the movie is shown on opening night.

The documentary “Locked Out: The Fall of Massive Resistance” marks the 50th anniversary of the decision to close Charlottesville public schools rather than accept integration.

“This is a remarkable film that serves as a perfect bookend to films like ‘Marching Band,‘“ Kielbasa said. “[It] celebrates the history we made as a nation last year. There is no way to truly capture that historic moment without looking where we come from, and this film does this in a powerful way.“

Along with film screenings, there will be panels to discuss various films. Actresses Bening and Jones will discuss their movie, “Mother and Child,“ an unreleased film that details the lives of a woman who gave up her biracial daughter for adoption and a black woman looking to adopt a child.

Among Bening’s credits are “American Beauty” and “Bugsy.“ Jones was in “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” and numerous other films and TV shows, including many episodes of “24.“

Actor Broderick will join director Josh Goldin and producer Glenn Williamson to discuss “Wonderful World,“ a movie about a failed children’s folk singer who finds love and happiness where he least expects it. Broderick is well-known for his roles in “The Producers,“ “Glory” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,‘ among other films.

“A festival gives people a chance to meet the actors they’ve watched and admired over the years,“ Kielbasa said. “The most exciting part of any festival is the discovery process.“

Another highlight of the four-day festival is the family day screening of three movies geared for young people. Kids will be able to experience their own red carpet walk with paparazzi and see debuts of films created by members of the Young Filmmakers Academy and Lighthouse.

“There will be something for everyone,“ Kielbasa said. “I always want people here to be able to participate in this festival in as many ways as possible.“

Although organizers declined to discuss the festival’s actual budget, festival operations manager David Hopper said the University of Virginia has committed to keeping the event viable. The festival is funded by the university and through ticket sales.

In years past, the festival has attracted up to 12,000 participants and organizers hope to have the same number this year.

“[The] university has remained very supportive and although cutbacks have been inevitable on an operation level, these economies will not be visible from the public standpoint,“ Hopper said.

For more information about the festival or to purchase tickets, go to http://www.vafilm.com or call 1-800-UVA-FEST (800-882-3378).