CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – After months of anticipation, the 39th annual Virginia Film Festival officially kicked off Wednesday with its Opening Night Film, “The Debut,” which was screened at The Paramount Theater to a sold out crowd.
The film is written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg and follows Mona, an overlooked housewife, played by Julianne Moore, who decides to audition for a role in a community musical, written for the film by Eisenberg with original songs. Under the direction of the musical’s director, Jerry, played by Paul Giamatti, Mona fully immerses herself in the role and the musical as a whole.
“‘The Debut’ is just great fun,” VFF Artistic Director Ilya Tovbis said earlier this month. “It’s a film that I think will be appealing across age brackets, across demographics.”…