The Middleburg Film Festival has grown into a major local event for movie fans—a place to see some of the most prestigious fall films before they come out. Launched in 2013 by Salamander Hotels founder Sheila Johnson, it now offers four days of new and upcoming movies at several venues in Middleburg. Ahead of the festival, set to take place October 17-20 this year, three films have been announced as part of the lineup. The festival will open with Blitz, directed by Steve McQueen and starring Saoirse Ronan. Emilia Pérez, a story of four Mexican women told through song and dance featuring Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez, will be the Friday Spotlight. And Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger’s latest, which is about the process of selecting the new Pope, was selected as the Saturday Centerpiece. The festival has a history of previewing movies that end up being big successes, including The Holdovers, which was the 2023 festival’s Saturday Centerpiece, Wes Anderson’s 2021 film The French Dispatch, and the 2020 Best Picture Oscar winner, Nomadland. In addition to showing the films, Middleburg hosts conversations with the actors and filmmakers to discuss their work, as well as master classes, concerts, and tastings from local wineries and breweries. In partnership with the US Department of State, four Kenyan and Nigerian actors, directors, and producers will join the festival this year to show their work and participate in discussions about global film and its importance. Tickets for the Middleburg Film Festival go on sale once the full lineup of films and events is released in early October.The post Middleburg Film Festival Announces Partial Lineup of Movies first appeared on Washingtonian.