The 2024 Middleburg Film Festival (MFF) has rounded out its list of honorees.
After previously announcing Steve McQueen (“Blitz”), Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”), and Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”) as award recipients, the Middleburg Film Festival has unveiled its full lineup of honored filmmakers. The annual festival will take place October 17-20.
The MFF honorees hail from some of 2024’s most anticipated and applauded films.
“Nickel Boys” director RaMell Ross will receive the Special Achievement in Filmmaking Award. “Nickel Boys” was also selected as the closing film.
Danielle Deadwyler will receive the Breakthrough Actor Award for “The Piano Lesson.” The “Till” actress leads the film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play alongside John David Washington. The duo play two siblings who disagree about selling the family heirloom piano. “The Piano Lesson” marks Malcolm Washington’s feature directorial and screenwriting debut.
“Sing Sing” actors Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin will receive this year’s Impact Award for their roles in the A24 drama based on the true story of incarcerated individuals in a theater program in New York State’s notorious maximum security prison. Participants engage in writing, directing, and acting in original stage productions through the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program. ”Sing Sing” will have a special screening at the festival.
The 2024 Rising Star Award goes to “Unstoppable” actor Jharrel Jerome, who portrays real-life wrestler Anthony Robles in the biopic. Robles, who was born with one leg, becomes an NCAA wrestling champion.
Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Ed Lachman will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Cinematography, tied to his latest collaboration with Pablo Larraín for “Maria.” Lachman previously worked with Larraín on “El Conde,” for which he received his third Academy Award nomination. Lachman’s career spans Todd Haynes’ “Carol” to Steven Soderbergh’s “Erin Brockovich,” along with “Selena” and Paul Schrader’s “Touch.”
Composer Mychael Danna will be honored with the Distinguished Composer Award. The ceremony will also be accompanied by a concert featuring a selection of Danna’s most acclaimed and award-winning scores from films such as “Life of Pi” and “500 Days of Summer.” The scores will be performed by a 60-piece orchestra and choir, led by music director and conductor Kim Kluge.
“Emilia Pérez” songwriting and composing duo Camille Dalmais and Clément Ducol will be recognized with the Special Achievement in Music Award for the musical film, which features an original score and 16 original songs.
MFF will further offer several programs dedicated to the craft of filmmaking, including a costume design conversation with Academy Award-nominee and Tony winner Paul Tazewell (“West Side Story,” “Hamilton”), who will offer a sneak peek of his upcoming film “Wicked.” Additional offerings include a film music panel with composers and songwriters like Distinguished Composer Award honoree Danna, Diane Warren, Charles Fox, Lesley Barber, Taura Stinson, and Kris Bowers.
As previously announced, “Saturday Night” director Jason Reitman and cinematographer Eric Steelberg will receive Variety and MFF’s Creative Collaborators Award.
Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch” will be the Saturday Spotlight film, with Heller in attendance for a post-screening conversation.
