12th Middleburg Film Festival to Open with ‘Blitz,’ plus ‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘Conclave,’ Zoe Saldaña to Receive Spotlight Actor Award

The Middleburg Film Festival announced today an initial lineup for its 12th edition set to run October 17-20 with Blitz opening the fest, Emilia Pérez as the Friday Spotlight and Conclave as the Saturday Centerpiece.

Launching the four-day festival is Apple Original Films’ Blitz from Academy Award-winning director Sir Steve McQueen who will be honored with the Festival’s Visionary Director Award following a post-screening conversation. The film is a co-presentation with the British Embassy and will be introduced by British Ambassador to the United States Dame Karen Pierce who will be in attendance to receive the Festival’s inaugural Film Diplomacy Award in recognition of her longstanding commitment to the film industry and the power of film to both increase our understanding of the world and one another and foster the global creative economy. Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Lee Satterfield will present the award to the Ambassador.

Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son. McQueen is widely renowned for his critically acclaimed and award-winning films, including Hunger, Shame, and 12 Years a Slave, which won the Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Picture. His follow up film Widows starring Viola Davis was highly praised, and his anthology film series Small Axe(2020) won Best Picture from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and received fifteen BAFTA nominations. McQueen’s recent projects include the feature documentary Occupied City and the BAFTA-winning documentary series Uprising. He was awarded the Turner Prize in 1999 and has exhibited his artwork in major museums worldwide.

Screening as the Friday Spotlight film is Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez. Told through song and dance and bold visuals, the film follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. The fearsome cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. Written and directed by Audiard (Rust and Bone, A Prophet), the double Cannes-winning film also stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Edgar Ramírez and is France’s official selection for the 97th Academy Awards. Zoe Saldaña will be recognized with the Festival’s Spotlight Actor Award for her transformative role as Rita following the screening of the film. Best known for her roles in the Avatar, Star Trek, Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises, Saldaña’s films have cumulatively grossed more than $15 billion globally. She won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress earlier this year with her Emilia Pérez co-stars.

The Saturday Centerpiece film is Conclave from director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front). The film follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church. The ensemble cast also includes Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, and Isabella Rossellini.Rossellini will join Berger at the Festival to receive the Agnès Varda Trailblazing Film Artist Award for her storied career. Rossellini is known for her diverse film roles, including standout performances in Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and Death Becomes Her. Her recent work includes appearances in Spaceman, Problemista, La Chimera and lending her voice to the Academy Award-nominated animated film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Rossellini has earned acclaim for both her acting and unique contributions to film, including Green Porno, her award-winning series of shorts on animal mating behaviors. The Agnès Varda Award is accompanied by a grant for mentoring aspiring film artists.

The Middleburg Film Festival continues its collaboration with the U.S. Department of State through the United States’ flagship film diplomacy program – American Film Showcase – to host a delegation of leading Kenyan and Nigerian filmmakers. Kunle Afolayan (Nigeria), Bolanle Austen Peters (Nigeria), Kenneth Ambani (Kenya) and Philip Karanja (Kenya) will share selections of their work and participate in a conversation focused on connecting with global audiences and the important role of film in the wider creative economy. The State Department’s American Film Showcase is implemented and produced by the USC School of Cinematic Arts.