‘Devotion’ and ‘Turn Every Page’ Win Audience Awards From Middleburg Film Festival
J.D. Dillard’s “Devotion” was announced as the Audience Award winner for best narrative film following the conclusion of the Middleburg Film Festival. The Sony Pictures historical drama, which stars Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, was a heavy favorite from patrons and could be a quiet dark horse contender in the Oscar race.
Dillard and actor Christina Jackson were both in attendance in Virginia for a post-screening Q&A. Written by Jake Crane and Jonathan Stewart, the film is based on Adam Makos’ novel and tells the inspirational, true story of two elite U.S. Navy fighter pilots who fought in the Korean War in the 1950s.
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“We were honored to have these filmmakers join us at the festival to present their exceptional films to our audiences and engage in thoughtful conversations,” said Susan Koch, MFF executive director.
The Audience Award for best documentary went to Lizzie Gottlieb’s “Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb.” Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, the nonfiction feature examines the 50-year professional relationship between Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Caro and his editor Robert Gottlieb.
The win comes in the middle of the independent studio’s 30th anniversary, which has amassed 158 nominations and 37 wins including “Anne Frank Remembered” (1995), “Inside Job” (2010) and “Searching for Sugar Man” (2012), all of which won the Oscar for documentary feature.
The festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with many films in the Oscar conversation screening at the fest, including “The Whale” with Brendan Fraser, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story” with Daniel Craig and “She Said” with Carey Mulligan.
“A big and heartfelt thank you to everyone who made our 10th anniversary a massive success,” said Sheils Johnson, MFF founder and board chair.
Many filmmakers and stars were honored throughout the four-day fest, including Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) with the Rising Star Award, Rian Johnson and Bob Ducsay (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story”) with the inaugural Variety Collaborators Award and Michael Abels (“Nope”), recipient of the Distinguished Composer Award.
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