Get closer

Mixed-media artist Brielle DuFlon’s work speaks of comfort in bold ways. Imagine putting on your favorite sweater, wrapping up in a fuzzy blanket, or donning a lacy garment. DuFlon takes those emotional aesthetics to a textile reality in her show, “huddle,” at New City Arts. Using repurposed and reclaimed materials, DuFlon’s dramatic pieces are a […]

Cast your eyes on the 2020 Virginia Film Festival

Unprecedented, unexpected, insane…we could go on, but after months of living in a world with coronavirus, a presidential campaign, and a series of transformative social justice movements, well, you get the idea. To combat it all, we’ve been baking, we’ve been Zooming, we’ve been sitting six feet apart at social gatherings.  We’re ordering takeout, enjoying […]

PICK: 9 Pillars Hip Hop Music Video Showcase

Stage to screen: For the second year in a row, the Virginia Film Festival is screening works by local hip-hop video directors and rappers during the 9 Pillars Hip Hop Music Video Showcase. Curated by Cullen “Fellowman” Wade, who compiles a wide variety of styles within the genre, the showcase connects some of the most prolific […]

PICK: Gallery of Curiosities

Urine for a treat: More than 40 contributors dug into the dark recesses of their art closets to assemble the “deep-dive into the most peculiar parts of our community’s collective wonder” that is the Gallery of Curiosities. In other words, you’ll be offered a peek behind the curtain, past the sensical and the visually accessible, […]

Carving out history: Leni Sorensen bridges the gap between kitchen and table at Monticello

Thomas Jefferson never wrote about the food at Monticello. His kitchens were stocked with ingredients from around the world—cinnamon from Asia, lemons from the Caribbean, brandies and fine cheeses from Richmond. But in his writing, Jefferson didn’t remark on the fine food that his enslaved chefs prepared for his table. He simply expected its consistent […]

The punks are alright

A punk rock arsonist is not the likely lead in a romantic comedy, but love has never been known to follow the rules. Dinner in America cheers for the underdogs and sees people for who they really are. Writer/director Adam Rehmeier’s twist on a boy-meets-girl tale starts with punk rocker Simon (Kyle Gallner) setting a […]

Real to reel: Director Nicole Kassell discusses bringing ‘Watchmen’ to life

HBO’s hit series “Watchmen” presents a universe where high fantasy collides with horrible reality, a world where an alternate world replete with superheroes and interdimensional creatures shifts to a very real American atrocity. Building on the 1985 graphic novel Watchmen, writer/executive producer Damon Lindelof (“Lost”) has crafted a frequently askew viewing experience around the 1921 […]

Films to rally around at the 2020 VAFF

Many of us have found safe, socially distant ways to do the things we considered normal before the pandemic, such as drive-by birthday parties or outdoor, masked haircuts. When and how we might go to the movies like we once did is a tougher issue to resolve, because there’s no getting around the problem of […]