Press
MFF 2026 Press Accreditation
Application for press accreditation for the 14th Annual Middleburg Film Festival (Oct. 15-18, 2026) has not yet opened. For any questions please e-mail press@middleburgfilm.org
2025 Press Coverage
THE ANKLER / PRESTIGE JUNKIE
Stars Posing with Ponies? The Unexpected Oscar Power of a Regional Film Festival By Katey Rich
AWARDS WATCH
2025 Middleburg Film Festival Days 1 and 2: ‘After the Hunt,’ ‘It Was Just an Accident,’ ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ ‘Train Dreams’. By Mark Johnson
2025 Middleburg Film Festival Day 4: ‘Is This Thing On?,’ ‘Rental Family,’ ‘Wake Up Dead Man’
By Mark Johnson
THE CONTENDING
Podcast: Middleburg Film Festival: Recapping This Year’s Middleburg Film Festival
By Staff (including Joey Moser & Mark Johnson)
INDIEWIRE
By Anne Thompson & Ryan Lattanzio
Note to Film Festivals: Why Smaller Is Better
By Anne Thompson
By Marcus Jones
SCREEN RANT
Brendan Fraser’s Rental Family Gains Oscar Momentum With Middleburg Film Festival Win
By Abigail Stevens
THE WASHINGTON POST
Why E. Jean Carroll spent No Kings day at a film festival
By Sonia Rao
AWARDS WATCH
‘Hamnet,’ ‘Rental Family’ Tie for Middleburg Film Festival Narrative Audience Award
By Erik Anderson
GOLD DERBY
‘Hamnet’ and ‘Rental Family’ tie for top honor at Middleburg Film Festival
by Charles Bright
INDIEWIRE
By Marcus Jones
PUNCH DRUNK CRITICS
‘Hamnet’ and ‘Rental Family’ Tie For Middleburg Film Festival Audience Award
by Travis Hopson
VARIETY
‘Hamnet,’ ‘Rental Family” Win Middleburg Audience Award
By Clayton Davis
THE ANKLER / PRESTIGE JUNKIE
Podcast: Zoey Deutch on Playing Jean Seaberg in ’Nouvelle Vague’
By Katey Rich
(Taped on-stage Festival Q&A)
THE CREDITS
How “KPop Demon Hunters” Songwriter EJAE Turned Rejection Into Her Golden Success
By Leslie Combemale
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
By David Canfield
Rental Family Named as Middleburg Film Festival's Closing Night Film https://variety.com/2025/film/news/jay-kelly-hamnet-middleburg-film-festival-2025-1236523350/
AWARDS WATCH 13th Middleburg Film Festival: ‘Jay Kelly’ to Open, ‘Hamnet’ is Centerpiece Film, Honorees Announced https://awardswatch.com/13th-middleburg-film-festival-jay-kelly-to-open-hamnet-is-centerpiece-film-honorees-announced/
IndieWire ‘Jay Kelly’ to Open Middleburg Film Festival, with Chloé Zhao and Colin Farrell Among 2025 Honorees https://www.indiewire.com/news/festivals/jay-kelly-middleburg-film-festival-2025-chloe-zhao-honorees-1235151946/
VARIETY ‘Jay Kelly’ to Open Middleburg Film Festival, ‘Hamnet’ to Screen as Centerpiece Film https://variety.com/2025/film/news/jay-kelly-hamnet-middleburg-film-festival-2025-1236523350/
2024 Press Coverage
The Hollywood Reporter:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/middleburg-film-fest-2024-lineup-blitz-nickel-boys-sing-sing-actors-1236013460/
indieWire:
https://www.indiewire.com/news/festivals/middleburg-film-festival-2024-honoree-lineup-1235051440/
Gold Derby:
https://www.goldderby.com/article/2024/2024-middleburg-film-festival-lineup-2/
Washingtonian:
https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/09/20/middleburg-film-festival-announces-partial-lineup-of-movies/
Punch Drunk Critics:
https://punchdrunkcritics.com/2024/09/middleburg-film-56083/
Gold Derby:
https://www.goldderby.com/article/2024/2024-middleburg-film-festival-lineup/
2023 Press Coverage
Hollywood Reporter
Middleburg Film Fest: ‘Rustin’ and ‘Holdovers,’ Plus Their Directors, Are Headed to Virginia
Variety
Middleburg Film Festival 2023 Lineup to Include ‘Rustin,’ ‘The Holdovers,’ ‘Saltburn’
Awards Daily
Middleburg Film Festival to Open with ‘Rustin;’ ‘The Holdovers’ Screening as Centerpiece Film
Punch Drunk Critics
2023 Middleburg Film Festival Lineup Includes ‘Rustin’, ‘The Holdovers’, ‘Saltburn’, & More
2022 Press Coverage
The Washington Post
Middleburg Film Festival turns 10 with largest program ever
By Ann Hornaday
Variety
Middleburg Film Festival Celebrates 10 Years of Movie Loving
By Nick Clement
Rotten Tomatoes
Film Fest Preview: Where To See Next Year's Oscar Contenders Before They Hit Theaters
By Daniel Joyaux
Awards Daily
Middleburg Film Festival Diary: Best of Hollywood Descends on Quaint Virginia Town
By Clarence Moye
RogerEbert.com
Middleburg Film Festival 2022 Highlights
Susan Wloszczyna
2021 Press Coverage
Variety
‘Belfast’ Wins Top Prize at Middleburg Film Festival
by Jazz Tangcay
The Washington Post
At Middleburg, the pandemic pause yields a crop of thoughtful, deeply personal movies
by Ann Hornaday
RogerEbert.com
A Look Back at the 2021 Middleburg Film Festival
by Susan Wloszczyna
Clayton Davis
Can Clifton Collins Jr’s Performance in ‘Jockey’ Break the Oscars Curse for Latino Actors?
"At the Middleburg Film Festival this month, there were two rapturous standing ovations in the main theater of the Salamander Resort, where all the prominent films screen. One was for the best picture front-runner “Belfast” from Focus Features. The other was for Clifton Collins Jr.’s heartfelt turn as an aging equestrian hoping for his final championship run in “Jockey” from Sony Pictures Classics.”
Variety
How Kirsten Dunst and ‘Power of the Dog’ Could Make History for Women at the Oscars (EXCLUSIVE)
by Clayton Davis
“The Power of the Dog” DP Ari Wegner, who just was recognized at the Middleburg Film Festival last week and also shot the early year dark comedy “Zola,” has the best shot to become the second woman to achieve this feat.
Gold Derby
Ann Dowd (‘Mass’): ‘Can I drop to that level of grief and stay there in a truthful way?’
Kenneth Branagh (‘Belfast’) chats his award-winning personal film and how he gently tweaked his own story
by Susan Wloszczyna, Charles Bright
The Film Experience
Middleburg Film Festival to open with “King Richard”, close with “Power of the Dog"
Middleburg Honorees: Ann Dowd, Dakota Johnson, and more …
by Nathaniel Rogers