IndieWire can exclusively announce that the Virginia Film Festival, entering its 39th year, will honor one of our master filmmakers with its Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award: James Gray.

While the award will honor his entire and distinctive body of work, not just his new film “Paper Tiger,” there’s more for Gray fans at the Virginia Film Festival: The “Ad Astra” and “Armageddon Time” director will also join IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” podcast for a live conversation on October 22 during the festival. Venue and timing details are forthcoming, but the “Screen Talk” conversation, hosted by IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson and Executive Editor Ryan Lattanzio, will be open to attendees of the Virginia Film Festival. The live interview will then air on podcast platforms the following Friday as a regular “Screen Talk” episode.

Gray’s acclaimed new film “Paper Tiger” will also screen at the festival. Next week, the drama starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller will open the New York Film Festival for its North American premiere. Neon releases the film in theaters starting November 13.

“James Gray is one of the most singular and deeply human filmmakers working today,” said Virginia Film Festival artistic director Ilya Tovbis. “Across nine remarkable features, he has created emotionally rich, visually assured films that examine family, ambition, class, and the elusive promise of the American Dream. We are thrilled to welcome James to Charlottesville to celebrate his extraordinary career and to share ‘Paper Tiger’ with our audiences.”

“’Paper Tiger’ is both an exhilarating new chapter in James Gray’s career and a powerful return to the New York terrain he has explored with such depth and specificity,” said VAFF executive director Jody Kielbasa. “This honor gives our audience a rare opportunity to hear directly from a master filmmaker about his process, his influences, and the personal vision behind one of the year’s most anticipated films.”

The Virginia Film Festival is a program of the University of Virginia and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts. The 2026 Virginia Film Festival is presented by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.