Seventh Annual Middleburg Film Festival Unveils Full 2019 Slate with 34 Narrative, Foreign Language and Documentary Films Middleburg, VA, October 1, 2019 – The Middleburg Film Festival announced today the 34 films making up the full slate for the 2019 edition of the Festival. MFF, now in its seventh year, opens Thursday, October 17 with Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach’s MARRIAGE STORY, starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. As previously announced, Baumbach will be honored with the Spotlight Director Award following a screening of his opening night film. Screening the largest number of films in its history this year, MFF runs October 17 to October 20 in Virginia’s historic wine country located one hour from Washington, DC. Individual tickets will go on sale today at www.middleburgfilm.org. Middleburg Film Festival 2019 Full Slate Opening Night MARRIAGE STORY Director: Noah Baumbach Country: USA Genre: Narrative Starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, MARRIAGE STORY is an incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. The ensemble cast also includes Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty and Merritt Weaver. Centerpiece Film FORD v FERRARI Director: James Mangold Country: USA Genre: Narrative Directed by James Mangold, the film is inspired by the remarkable true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and the fearless British driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale), who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. Friday Spotlights HARRIET Director: Kasi Lemmons Country: USA Genre: Narrative Based on the inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, HARRIET tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and subsequent missions to free dozens of slaves through the Underground Railroad. Tony Award winning actress Cynthia Erivo stars in the title role alongside Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monae, Joe Alwyn, Jennifer Nettles and Clarke Peters. WAVES Director: Trey Edward Shults Country: USA Genre: Narrative WAVES traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family – led by a well-intentioned, domineering father – as they navigate life love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a tragic loss. The film stars Sterling K. Brown, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell and Lucas Hedges. Closing Night Film THE IRISHMAN Director: Martin Scorsese Country: USA Genre: Narrative Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, THE IRISHMAN is an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of WWII veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime. Main Slate THE AERONAUTS Director: Tom Harper Country: UK Genre: Narrative In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history. While breaking records and furthering scientific discovery, their voyage to the very edge of existence helps the unlikely pair find their place in the world. But they face physical and emotional challenges in the thin air, as the ascent becomes a fight for survival. ATLANTICS Director: Mati Diop Country: France/Senegal/Belgium Genre: Foreign Language Narrative Along the Atlantic coast, in a suburb of Dakar, Senegal, construction workers have not been paid for months. They take to the dangerous seas in search of work in Spain. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada, who is soon to be married to another man. A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Director: Marielle Heller Country: USA Genre: Narrative Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about kindness, love and forgiveness from America’s most beloved neighbor. BLOW THE MAN DOWN Directors: Danielle Krudy, Bridget Savage Cole Country: USA Genre: Narrative Though reeling after the death of their mother, the Connolly sisters suddenly find they have a murder to cover up, leading them deep into the underbelly of their salty Maine fishing village. THE CAPOTE TAPES Director: Ebs Burnough Country: UK Genre: Documentary Answered Prayers was meant to be Truman Capote's greatest masterpiece, an epic portrait of NYC's glittering jet-set society. Instead, it sparked his downfall. Through never before heard audio archive and interviews with Capote's friends and enemies, this intimate documentary reveals the rise and fall of America's most iconic gay writer. THE CAVE Director: Feras Fayyad Country: Syria/Denmark/Germany/USA/Qatar Genre: Documentary Following his Academy Award-nominated documentary LAST MEN IN ALEPPO, director Feras Fayyad returns to his native Syria, a country still ravaged by an unrelenting war. In THE CAVE, Fayyad follows a dedicated team of female doctors who tirelessly treat casualties in an underground hospital while battling systemic sexism as they risk their lives to provide medical care to the besieged population. CLEMENCY Director: Chinonye Chukwu Country: USA Genre: Narrative Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard) who finds herself questioning her position and the ethical consequences of her work. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge), the man she is sanctioned to kill. COUP 53 Director: Taghi Amirani Country: UK/Iran/USA Genre: Documentary The story of the 1953 Anglo-American coup in Iran that overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah. Featuring never before seen archival footage with firsthand witnesses. FRANKIE Director: Ira Sachs Country: France/Portugal Genre: Narrative FRANKIE follows three generations of a family who have gathered for a vacation organized by the family matriarch Frankie (Isabelle Huppert) in the fabled resort town of Sintra, Portugal. Unfolding over the course of a single day, they’re unaware that this may be the family’s final gathering. The ensemble cast includes Marisa Tomei, Brendan Gleeson and Greg Kinnear, A HIDDEN LIFE Director: Terence Malick Country: USA/Germany Genre: Narrative Based on real events, from visionary writer-director Terrence Malick, A HIDDEN LIFE is the story of an unsung hero, Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. When the Austrian peasant farmer is faced with the threat of execution for treason, it is his unwavering faith and his love for his wife Fani and children that keeps his spirit alive. THE HOY BOYS Presented by The Washington Post Press Freedom Partnership Director: David Simonds Country: USA Genre: Documentary Twin brothers Tom and Frank Hoy started in copyboy jobs in 1953 and later became White House news photographers for two major Washington DC newspapers – The Washington Post and The Evening Star. World Premiere HONEY BOY Director: Alma Har’el Country: USA Genre: Narrative Written by Shia LaBeouf, HONEY BOY traces the life of child actor Otis Lort as he rises from early sitcom success to a self-destructive Hollywood supernova. Based on LaBeouf’s own life, HONEY BOY weaves together two timelines as Otis (played by Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges) struggles to come to terms with his ex-rodeo clown father, played by LaBeouf in a role inspired by his own father. INVISIBLE LIFE Director: Karim Aïnouz Country: Brazil/Germany Genre: Narrative Foreign Language Winner of the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, INVISIBLE LIFE tells the story of two sisters born in Rio de Janeiro who make their way through life mistakenly believing the other is living out her dreams half a world away. JOJO RABBIT Director: Taika Waititi Country: USA Genre: Narrative Writer director Taika Waititi (THOR: RAGNAROK, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE), brings his signature style of humor and pathos to his latest film, JOJO RABBIT, a World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy (Roman Griffin Davis as JoJo) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism. JUST MERCY Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Country: USA Genre: Narrative JUST MERCY is a powerful true story that follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice as he fights a merciless legal system stacked against him and his clients on death row. The film also stars Jamie Foxx, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Karan Kendrick and Brie Larson. THE KING Director: David Michod Country: UK Genre: Narrative Wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne Hal (Timothée Chalamet) has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people, including his hard-drinking mentor, Sir John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton). But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape and navigate palace politics, chaos and war.