Five Alumni Films at the 2009 Virginia Film Festival

The Virginia Film Festival runs Nov. 5 to 8, 2009. This year, several alumni will bring their films to Charlottesville.

Alumni whose films will appear in the festival are as

Music from the Mountains

An Appalachian fiddler and singer packs her bags for Music City, USA

I learned that music relationships are very much like romantic relationships—if the chemistry is not there, you know quickly, and you move out of the way so that you can both find a match-up that sparks.

Who makes the TV shows you love?

HBO’s Janet Graham Borba (Col ’79) fires up the small screen

HBO’s Janet Graham Borba (Col ’79) fires up the small screen.

Meals—and Art—on Wheels

Artists use bio-fuel bus to deliver message about food and sustainability

Artists use bio-fuel bus to deliver message about food and sustainability

1979: Preppie Profiler

Tom Shadyac's infamous poster pokes fun at preppies.

Bestsellers at the U.Va. Bookstore: April through June 2009

Fiction/Poetry

1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

2. Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

3. When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon

New & Notable

Fiction for young and old, the race for the White House, collegiate a cappella and the hurricane that devastated the Gulf of Mexico 150 years before Katrina.

All Fired Up

DJ Enferno joined Madonna on tour

Eric Jao worked as a network engineer while moonlighting at D.C.’s hottest clubs, until he was discovered by Madonna. Watch a video of him DJ.

Required Reading: Lois Shepherd

Lois Shepherd explains how you might have misunderstood Catcher in the Rye, the enduring resonance of Crime and Punishment and how books confront death and dying.

Every Picture Tells a Story

John Wright uses quiet approach to capture face of celebrity

Whether photographing Jessica Lange, Christopher Walken, Paul Newman or Al Pacino for Inside the Actors Studio or capturing Ella Fitzgerald performing at the Lincoln Center, Wright faces the challenge of reaching beyond a celebrity’s image and conveying a human being.

Keeping it Reel

Light House puts young people behind the lens

Young people are the largest consumers of digital media, films and TV. It’s a language they are taught to hear but not speak.

Music for the Silver Screen

How a film score tells the emotional story of a movie

How a film score tells the emotional story of a movie. Plus playlists for your next event.

Verbatim

“The secret to getting smarter is really not a big secret: Engage in intellectual activities. Read the newspaper, watch informative documentaries, find well-written books that make intellectual content engaging.

Fighting Over Punch Lines

Comedians’ feud fuels professors’ study

A feud between Joe Rogan and Carlos Mencia spurred two law professors to examine intellectual property rights among comedians.

Letters to the Editor

Palin Comparison

In the most recent issue of Virginia Magazine, you refer to Tina Fey’s supposedly humorous impersonation of former Gov. Sarah Palin (“Quotable Quotes,” Summer 2009). Specifically, you