Friday Nudge – Loudoun Arts Virtual Film Festival


Inaugural Loudoun Arts Virtual Film Festival Kicks Off With Virtual Offerings
For this week’s Friday Nudge – our weekend reminder to engage your artistic better half – we have the Loudoun Arts Virtual Film Festival.
Based in Loudoun County, VA the Loudoun Arts Film Festival (LAFF) is bringing together filmmakers and producers from all across the United States and beyond.
The virtual version of the LAFF runs from Aug. 27 and run through Sept. 19, 2020. The virtual festival features three weeks of award winning content. It is streamed through the Eventlive platform offering Q&A video sessions with the filmmakers and named talent.
Here are some films on tap for opening weekend!
To view the full schedule of the Virtual LAFF click here: https://watch.eventive.org/loudounartsfilmfestival
How to Stop a Recurring Dream


Faced with a split custody break up, a family’s older daughter kidnaps her hostile sister to embark on a journey to reconnect before they part. WORLD PREMIER!!!
Director: Ed Morris
Cast: Ruby Barker, Lily-Rose Aslandogdu, Jamie Michie, Miranda Nolan, Andre Flynn
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache


When Alice Guy-Blaché completed her first film in 1896 Paris, she was not only the first female filmmaker, but one of the first directors ever to make a narrative film. “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché” follows her rise from Gaumont secretary to her appointment as head of production a year later, and her subsequent illustrious 20-year career in France and in the United States, as the founder of her own studio and as writer, director and/or producer of 1,000 films—after which she was veritably erased from history. Until now…. Directed by Pamela B. Green, the film is narrated by Jodie Foster.
Director: Pamela B. Green
Filmmaker: Jodie Foster
Show Me What You Got


Richly filmed in black and white on the cityscape of Los Angeles, three twenty-somethings come together, sparking with the restless energy of the French New Wave. Each member of the threesome is in transition. A fun-loving Marcello from under the thumb of his Italian soap star father. A soulful French-Iranian actor Nassim toward a more fulfilling career, and artist Christine through the grief following the death of her grandfather. But the frolicsome trio finds joy and release together—exploring their sexuality, joining political protests, making art, and falling deeper into their unconventional amour. Until Marcello must return to Italy and their experience there threatens the delicate balance of their relationship.
Director: Svetlana Cvetko
Cast: Cristina Rambaldi, Neyssan Falahi, Mattia Minasi
The Prison Within


Narrated by Hill Harper, “The Prison Within” is a relevant and timely documentary exploring the destructive impact of untreated trauma on individuals and communities through the powerful stories of survivors of violent crimes and prisoners incarcerated for murder in circle inside San Quentin prison. In a world where rehabilitation and reclamation is vital for us as a society to heal the wounds of trauma, this film dives deeply into what is needed to move toward that goal.
Director: Katherin Hervey
About Loudoun Arts Film Festival
The Loudoun Arts Film Festival, presented by Artistic Fuel in partnership with the Loudoun Arts Council and 50 West Vineyards, kicks off online this week, with in-person drive-in screenings starting Thursday, Sept. 10. The festival’s hybrid model lets film lovers choose between catching new releases from the comfort of their cars or tuning into some truly innovative virtual content from the couch. Drive-in screenings run Sept. 10-13 and Sept. 17-19 at 50 West Winery and Vineyards near Middleburg, Virginia.
Read more about the Film Festival here.


James C. Sullivan is a guitarist, singer and long-time journalist having worked at publications including Snowboarder Magazine and USA Today. He recently returned to his roots in New England after a decade in California because cold winters and cloudy days inspire more creativity.