VAFF Winners for 2024: Virginia Names the Best of the Best

The 37th annual Virginia Film Festival (VAFF), a University of Virginia program held yearly in Charlottesville, VA, has announced its audience and programmer winners for this year’s fest. The VAFF is one of the friendliest and most inclusive festivals you could ever attend.  I refer to it as the Thoroughfare Fest, up one long, bucolic, and beautiful stretch of path lined by eateries and markets. Pedestrians and dog walkers (there is no friendlier dog walking space) wander up this beautiful corridor with its falling leaves, which crunch under your feet, and the moderate temperatures shining down from above. The VAFF feels like the most accessible place on earth. 

And, oh yeah, there are movies. Let me not forget why I’m here. Two theaters line this long path. If you enter the thoroughfare by the Whiskey Jar (where some of the best Southern food can be had–particularly the collard greens), just to your right, you will traipse by the very busy Violet Crown Theater, a charming multiplex that houses most of the films seen at the fest. Further down, closer to the middle of the path, is the Paramount Theater. This grand room shows only one film at a time and is used for the most high-profile gala film showings at the festival (this year, that included Anora, Emilia Perez, Blitz, and several others).

Each year, the VAFF awards the best of the fest, which is no easy feat considering 138 films are shown over five days. The festival is jam-packed with quality, diversity, and artistry, and you may only get one chance to see some films in your life. 

The vitality and curation of the Virginia Film Festival and its staff are second to none. I’ve covered several events (including the Oscars). Without hesitation, I can say that the Virginia Film Festival is far and away the most enjoyable event of the year for me.

Alright, let’s get onto the recipients of the 2024 Virginia Film Festival Awards:

The winners of the 2024 VAFF Audience Awards:

Narrative Feature: Bob Trevino Likes It

Documentary Feature: Luther: Never Too Much

Narrative Short: Makayla’s Voice

Documentary Short: Irma

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The winners of the 2024 VAFF Programmers Awards are:

Narrative Feature: We Shall Not Be Moved

Documentary Feature: The Bitter Pill

Narrative Short: Evanescence

Documentary Short: Roommates

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Pre-Festival 2024 VAFF Award Honorees included:

Achievement in Acting Award: Mikey Madison (Anora)

Achievement in Animation Award: Adam Elliot (Memoir of a Snail)

Achievement in Screenwriting: Jack Huston (Day of the Fight)

Chronicler Award: Dawn Porter (Luther: Never Too Much)

Craft Award: Kalina Ivanov (The Penguin)

Directorial Achievement Award: Alex Ross Perry (Pavements)

Governor Gerald L. Baliles Founder’s Award: Ellen Casey Wagner & Paul Wagner (Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light)

Impresario Award: NEON (presented to Co-Founder and CEO Tom Quinn)

Virtuoso Award: Lamorne Morris (Saturday Night)

Lastly, I would like to thank Artistic Director Ilya Tovbis, PR Collaborative Renée Tsao, and Guest Services Director Atlee Webber for inviting me and ensuring I was well cared for.

That’s a wrap.