By Adolphus Ames —
Experimental Film Virginia, one of the Eastern Shore’s biggest artistic events, began earlier this week on Aug. 2. It is an annual two-week residency that features high-caliber professional artists from all around the world, including dancers, choreographers, actors, and directors. Together they produce and edit roughly 10 short films that fuse elements of dance and cinema in and around Cape Charles.
“It is the only film festival/artist residency where films are made and then immediately screened for the public,” said Renata Sheppard, EFV founder and artistic director. “Most film festivals are open call, meaning a bunch of filmmakers submit their work and a committee chooses a small selection for screening. Our films are actually produced during the festival.”
Sheppard grew up on the Shore and developed a passion for the arts at a young age. “I come from a very artistic background,” she said. “I’ve been involved in dance since I was three. My family is very musical and artistic. It’s only natural I would find my own way in the arts.”
After graduating high school, she attended William & Mary and studied biology. “It wasn’t until I decided to pursue my master’s in dance that I caught the film bug,” she said. “I took a dance film class and was fascinated by all the cinematic techniques, the editing, cutting, and manipulation of time and space. It opened up a whole new world of creativity.”
She started EFV in 2013. It is partially funded by the Virginia Film Office, Northampton County tourism and infrastructure grant, and several other private sponsors. “When I created it, I created what I had always wanted to attend,” Sheppard said. “I wanted to attend a collaborative, peer-supportive in depth exploration of what film could do for dance and what dance could do for film. I also wanted to create a space where artists are able to experiment and push themselves, where they are allowed to make films they wouldn’t have been able to make at home.”
This is the festival’s ninth year. It concludes with the Reel & Raw film premiere on the 14th, featuring food, drinks, and a live band. The films will be screened at 8 p.m. at the Historic Palace Theatre on Mason Avenue. Doors open at 7 p.m.
