CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Virginia Film Festival has announced its 2026 Virginia Filmmaking Series, which includes 10 films made by filmmakers from the Commonwealth that will be screened at this year’s festival, which runs from Oct. 21-25., the festival announced on Tuesday.

This year’s lineup is highlighted by the world premiere of “1 15 41 Tragedy to Triumph,” a documentary following the UVA football team from the on-campus shooting in November of 2022, which claimed the lives of players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, to its record-breaking 11-win season and ACC Championship appearance in 2025.

The film, shown in partnership with UVA Athletics, combines interviews with players, coaches, family members and university officials to document the program’s rise following the tragedy.

This year’s lineup also features “The Cashier,” the feature film debut of writer and director Andy Edmunds, director of the Virginia Film Office. The dark comedy was made with all-Virginia crew, and its star, Daphne Maxwell Reid, will be at the screening to receive the VAFF’s Governor Gerald L. Baliles Award for her “significant contributions” to Virginia filmmaking, according to VAFF’s release.

In addition to Edmunds’ debut, the festival will screen the final film from renowned Charlotteville director Chris Farina, “Death Becomes Us: And Hands Are With Us.” Farina, who received the Governor Gerald L. Baliles Award last year at a screening of his film “Pep Banned,” was diagnosed with ALS in 2022, transforming not only his life, but also what is now his final film from a small project into a personal exploration of death, encouraging the audience to choose acceptance over fear.

Other films in the lineup include “9th & Gasoline” from director BL Shirelle, “Admission Possible” from Matthew Syrett and Bowie Alexander, “No More Punk Time: The Last Days of Crayola House,” directed by Tarik Begic, “One of a Kind” from directors James Burns, Lee Adams, and Noah Gray, “Our Community. Our Canvas” from Pam Hervey, “A Price We Have to Pay” from Ricardo Preve, and “Rock & Reel: A Film About Monticello’s Black Fiddlers” from David McCormick and Stephen Brouillette.

“We are very excited to shine a spotlight on this collection of extraordinary Virginia-themed films and filmmakers,” Jody Kielbasa, VFF Executive Director and Vice Provost for the Arts at the University of Virginia, said in the festival’s release. “Each year we are more impressed with the filmmaking talent showcased in this series and the way their voices reflect their visions of the Commonwealth.”