Middleburg Sets Being Heumann as Closer, Unveils Spotlight Picks
The 14th Middleburg Film Festival will close with Siân Heder's Being Heumann, with Netflix's La Bola Negra as the Friday showcase and Tony Gilroy's Behemoth! as the Sunday showcase. The four-day event runs Oct. 15-18 in Middleburg, Virginia, according to lineup details published by Deadline on Oct. 2. The closing film is the final main screening. A spotlight slot is a showcase screening given added focus in the programme.
Heder, an Oscar winner, directs Being Heumann as an Apple Original Film, as noted by Yahoo. That tag means Apple is credited as the originating studio. Ruth Madeley plays disability rights activist Judy Heumann, according to the festival's film guide listing at Middleburg Film Festival. Casting directors Adam Caldwell and Bernard Telsey will be honoured for their work on the same film. Casting directors search for and select actors, and the pair will receive the Special Achievement in Casting Award.
La Bola Negra traces three generations of gay men, according to the same festival guide. The Netflix film holds the Friday Spotlight slot. Performer Guitarricadelafuente will accept the International Spotlight Award for the film. The honour covers his performance and the original song 'La Nieve', music written for the film.
Behemoth! from Tony Gilroy takes the Sunday Spotlight. The exclamation mark is part of the title. The Sunday slot places it on the closing weekend of the festival. Full plot and cast details were not included in the lineup announcement.
The rest of the honours list spans directing, animation and acting. Martin McDonagh will receive the Director Spotlight Award for Wild Horse Nine. The prize singles out directing work. Brad Bird will receive the Spotlight Animation Award for Ray Gunn, an honour for work in animation, or film made frame by frame. Seth Rogen will receive the MFF Artistic Achievement Award for two projects, The Invite and Tangles. Rosalind Eleazar will receive the Breakthrough Actor Award for Misty Green, a prize for an emerging performer.
What makes this stand out for audiences is the balance. A closing film sits beside Friday and Sunday showcases. Short runs like this move fast. Four days. Several awards. A lot packed into a single weekend programme.
