The Adrenaline Film Project, a Virginia Film Festival staple since 2004, will once again play an important role as the Festival celebrates its upcoming 25th Anniversary from November 1-4 in Charlottesville.
The Virginia Film Festival is presented by the University of Virginia’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Each year, the Adrenaline Film Project adds a highly-caffeinated jolt to the Festival proceedings by giving a dozen teams of filmmakers the chance to write, cast, shoot, edit and screen an original short film in 72 hours.
The entire event culminates in a competitive, packed-house screening at the University of Virginia’s Newcomb Theater in which the audience votes for their favorite films. Awards are also handed out from a jury of VFF mentors made up of Festival guests, and often including high profile Hollywood producers and filmmakers.
The Adrenaline Film Project was founded and has been helmed for the past eight years by filmmaker and Charlottesville native Jeff Wadlow, who is unable to attend this fall, as he is in production on his upcoming feature for Universal Studios, Kick Ass 2. However, Wadlow helped hand-pick University of Virginia alumnus and longtime Adrenaline veteran Romulo Alejandro and director Derek Sieg, whose critically acclaimed debut film Swedish Auto opened the VFF in 2006.
“Rom Alejandro and Derek Sieg are the perfect filmmakers to take over for me this year,” Wadlow said. “As much as I hate missing this 25th Anniversary Celebration, I feel like Adrenaline is in rock solid hands. In Rom, you have someone who knows the Adrenaline Film Project from every angle, having participated as a filmmaker, mentor, and technical director, and who has enjoyed award-winning success as a filmmaker himself. And Derek Sieg is an incredibly talented filmmaker who can bring so much to the table from his already impressive career.”
Sieg, whose VFF debut in 2006 showcased not only his film but a soon-to-be major Hollywood star in its lead actress January Jones, is excited about the idea of returning to his home turf. “I literally grew up coming to the Virginia Film Festival, and it had a lot to do with inspiring me to become a filmmaker myself,” Sieg said. “So I am really excited about coming back to work with the Adrenaline participants this year.”
While the personnel is changing this year, Alejandro promises that filmmakers and teams should expect the same brand combination of talent and energy they’ve come to know and love. “More than anything else, Adrenaline is all about the passion these participants bring to the table. Our job is to encourage and channel that passion, with the help of an outstanding group of mentors, often including high profile Festival guests. We’re looking forward to another great year.”
The Adrenaline Film Project provides exciting opportunities on both sides of the camera, Alejandro said. “This is a great chance for actors from throughout Central Virginia to get valuable experience in front of the camera, and to get an abbreviated sense of what the filmmaking process is all about. Anybody who has participated will tell you actors are a huge part of Adrenaline’s success.”
The Adrenaline Film Project experience begins with an “Actors Meet and Greet” in Newcomb’s main lounge on the 3rd floor from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 30, 2012. Then, the teams gather again for the official kickoff meeting on Wednesday October 31 at 5:00 p.m., at which point the clock starts on the 72-hour process. Each team must turn in the final cut of their film by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 3 in advance of the screening later that evening.
Teams interested in participating in the Adrenaline Film Project can find the application and additional submission guidelines online at www.virginiafilmfestival.org/adrenaline-film-project.
Applications are available to filmmakers beginning September 19 and are due by 5:00 p.m. October 12. Teams will be notified of their acceptance on October 19.
Applications can be delivered to the Virginia Film Festival’s office at:
617 West Main St
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Hours: M-F 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Or materials can be mailed to:
Virginia Film Festival
ATTN: Adrenaline Film Project
PO Box 400869
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Premier Sponsors for the 2012 Virginia Film Festival are The AV Company, Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau, Flow Automotive Companies, The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, Regal Entertainment and the Virginia Film Office.
The 2012 Adrenaline Film Project is presented by the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia and supported by the U.Va. Robertson Media Center.
For more information, visit www.virginiafilmfestival.org.
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