Actors, Filmmakers Appeared at Washington West Film Festival in Reston

RESTON, VA — Fans vied for a spot in front of the Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston to catch a glimpse of the celebrities walking the Red Carpet at the Washington West Film Festival, held Oct. 19-25 in the Reston Town Center. Celebrities appearing at the events included Academy Award winning actor and director Robert Duvall; legendary journalist Bob Woodward; Emmy Award winning actor Ed Asner; Sound of Music actors Nicholas Hammond and Heather Menzies; filmmaker Chris King; producer Tom Shadyac; director Ben Younger; producer Bruce Cohen; among many others.

An annual non-profit event, the Washington West Film Festival showcased 59 films from around the world, including world and D.C. premieres. Features, documentaries and shorts were shown at the main festival location at Bow Tie Cinemas, as well as at the Wolf Trap National Park, Arlington Spectrum Theater, Arlington LMO, Loudoun Gum Spring Library, Leesburg Junction, Reston CenterStage and Reston Station.

According to the festival's president Brad Russell, " 'Story can change the world' is our core passion - we believe the context of celebrating stories is the best place to create stories of hope." All of Washington West’s box office net proceeds are given each year to projects committed to alleviating hunger, illness, displacement, or poor education around the world.

Chris King, Robert Duvall, Brad Russell on the Red Carpet at the Washington West Film Festival

Highlights from the Washington West Film Festival this year included film screenings followed by Q&As with actors and filmmakers.

Chris King, Robert Duvall on stage at the Washington West Film Festival

Academy Award-winning actor, director and writer Robert Duvall spoke to an audience in a Q&A session and film screening on Saturday, Oct. 22. Eight on-screen clips from his career were shown, including scenes from The Godfather and The Apostle.

Robert Duvall receiving Sun City Storyteller of Hope Award from Brad Russell

After accepting the Washington West's Sun City Storyteller of Hope Award, an annual award which recognizes a filmmaker's contribution to communities in need, Duvall took questions from the audience and shared stories of his experiences. The conversation will be was hosted and moderated by Chris King, director of Birthday, a 50+ award-winning and Oscar-qualified short film.

Bob Woodward, Alicia C. Shepard on stage at the Washington West Film Festival

Later in the evening, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward joined the festival for a 40th anniversary screening of All The President's Men, followed by an audience Q&A. Woodward, along with Carl Bernstein, did much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal in 1972. At the Film Festival Woodward discussed subjects that ranged from Watergate to the upcoming presidential election. The conversation was moderated by Alicia C. Shepard, author of: Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate.

On Sunday, Oct. 23, 7-time Emmy Award winner and former Screen Actors Guild president Ed Asner spoke in an audience Q&A after a screening of two of his most recent roles in short films.

At the Wolf Trap National Park, a Q&A conversation was held that evening about the making of the film classic The Sound of Music with actress Heather Menzies Urich and Nicholas Hammond, who played Louise and Friedrich Von Trapp in the 1965 movie. The discussion was moderated by journalist, writer and musician Fred Bronson.

To cap off closing night, director Ben Younger and producer Bruce Cohen discussed their newest film Bleed For This following its screening for the audience. This major motion picture releases in theaters nationwide on Nov. 18.

The Washington West Film Festival partnered this year with the The Robert Duvall Children's Fund (RDCF), a non-profit organization committed to provide for the welfare, health, education and relief of children and their families who are poor, distressed or underprivileged. The RDCF will receive the majority of the net box office proceeds this year, with a small portion given to Kids in the Spotlight, according to Washington West.

To find out more about the RDCF, visit: robertduvallfund.com.

To learn more about the Washington West Film Festival, visit: https://wwfilmfest.com.

Photo credits: Sharon Reed