Virginia Film Festival Premieres UVA Football Documentary Honoring Fallen Players and 2025 Success
The 39th annual Virginia Film Festival will conclude its final weekend in Charlottesville with the world premiere of a documentary that captures the emotional recovery and eventual triumph of the University of Virginia football program. The film, titled “1 15 41 Tragedy to Triumph,” serves as the closing-night feature for a festival that has spanned four days of international cinema, family programming, and appearances by legendary screen actors.
Directed by Greg Frith, a seven-time Emmy-winning senior producer at NFL Films, the 75-minute documentary focuses on the aftermath of the November 13, 2022, shooting that claimed the lives of three UVA football players: Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry. The incident also left two other students injured. The film explores the profound impact on the victims’ families, survivors, and teammates as the program attempted to move forward while honoring those lost.
The documentary blends behind-the-scenes footage and game highlights with personal interviews. It captures the heavy weight of the legal proceedings surrounding the shooter’s sentencing alongside the team’s physical and emotional rebuilding under head coach Tony Elliott. This trajectory culminates in the Cavaliers’ record-setting 2025 season, which saw the program achieve 11 wins and an appearance in the ACC Championship game. NFL Films produced the project in collaboration with BD4 Studios and UVA Athletics, featuring reporting from journalists Avery Davis and Maggie Glass.
Sunday’s premiere, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., will be followed by a live discussion with Frith, Coach Elliott, and UVA player Will Bettridge, moderated by John Freeman. For executive director Jody Kielbasa, the screening represents the core mission of the festival: providing a shared experience where audiences can collectively process grief and celebration within a theater setting.
While the UVA documentary anchors the final day, the festival weekend has been marked by high-profile guest appearances. Academy Award winner Jessica Lange attended for a screening of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” in which she reprises the role of Mary Tyrone. Lange was honored with the festival’s Visionary Award and participated in a series of discussions about her career, including a live podcast recording and a conversation with Ben Mankiewicz.
Similarly, Daphne Maxwell Reid, widely known for her role as Aunt Viv in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” headlined the Saturday screening of “The Cashier.” The dark comedy, written and directed by Andy Edmunds, was filmed entirely in Virginia with a local crew. Reid received the Governor Gerald L. Baliles Founder’s Award during the event, which featured a discussion with the cast and director.
The festival’s diverse schedule also provided a platform for regional stories and specialized documentaries. Highlights included “Our Community. Our Canvas.,” a look at public art as a medium for healing; “Rock and Reel,” which investigates the history of Black fiddlers at Monticello; and “Admission Possible,” which follows first-generation students through the college application process. Actor Tim Blake Nelson joined the festival for a screening of “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd,” while Nathan Lane appeared Sunday for a 30th-anniversary presentation of “The Birdcage.”
As a program of the University of Virginia, the festival utilizes venues across the city, including the Paramount Theater, the Violet Crown, and the Culbreth Theatre. Beyond the screenings, the event hosted industry panels titled “Making It” and “Pitch Perfect” to support aspiring filmmakers in the region. Tickets and program details are managed through the UVA Arts Box Office and the festival’s official online platform.
