The Williamsburg Film Festival began as a small group of western movie fans meeting in 1987 to watch old cowboy movies on a big screen.
Several had attended film festivals in Charlotte, Knoxville,Memphis and Asheville over the years and realized the importance of preserving the Golden Years of Hollywood.
In 1997, the group decided to sponsor their own festival. They felt that the charm of Colonial Williamsburg and the interest in Hollywood's Golden era would make a successful combination. It was decided to trial a festival that would honor not only Hollywood's Golden era in film but also the early days of Television.
The First Festival was held at the Comfort Inn in Williamsburg in March of 1997. The facility was small but intimate and everyone felt that the first effort had provided a real foundation for the future.
The first festival was so successful that they needed larger facilities so they moved to The Holiday Inn 1776 in March of 1998 for the second year. Again, a larger than expected crowd attended. More fans and more dealers required more space.
In 1999, they moved to the Holiday Inn Patriot for the Third Festival in February. A larger facility that served a larger crowd and more dealers. In 2000, they returned to The Holiday Inn Patriot and adopted it as their permanent home.
The Holiday Inn Patriot is a great facility that provided sufficient space to house 2 theaters, a large Star Interview Room and an oversized Dealer Memorabilia Room.
The Holiday Inn Patriot is now the home of The Williamsburg Film Festival.
It is the Guest Stars that make Williamsburg Film Festival the Premier Film Festival on the East Coast.
A list of previous guest stars:
1997 Williamsburg Film Festival - Comfort Inn
Dale Berry
James Best
Peter Boone
Gene Evans
Will Hutchins
Willie Phelps
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
1998 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn 1776
James Best
Peter Boone
Conrad Brooks
James Drury
Willie Phelps
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
Dale Robertson
Roberta Shore
Sonny Shroyer
Johnny Western
Peggy Stewart
1999 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
James Best
Peter Boone
Peter Breck
Ben Cooper
Jan Merlin
John Mitchum
Billie Murphy
Willie Phelps
Paul Picerni
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
2000 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
Rex Allen, Jr.
Dale Berry
James Best
Peter Boone
Joseph Campanella
Harry Carey, Jr.
Gary Gray
Will Hutchins
Willie Phelps
Mala Powers
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
Gale Storm
Johnny Western
2001 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
James Best
Peter Boone
Jim Bowman
Jerome Courtland
Beverly Garland
Will Jordan
Ruta Lee
Lucky Bill Parrish
Willie Phelps
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
Marion Shilling
William Smith
Peggy Stewart
2002 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
Jane Adams
Ben Cooper
The LeGarde Twins
Jimmy Lydon
Donna Martell
Jan Merlin
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
Lucky Bill Parrish
Frankie Thomas
2003 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
Kathryn Adams
Joseph Campanella
Dick Jones
Ed Kemmer
Jan Merlin
Ann Rutherford
Frankie Thomas
William Schallert
Johnny Western
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
Mike Culver
2004 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
John Alderson
John Calvert
Joe Canutt
Alex Cord
Kim Darby
Tommy Farrell
Robert Fuller
Kay Linaker
Steve Mitchell
Betsy Palmer
Ann Robinson
William Smith
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
Lucky Bill Parrish
2005 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
Kathy Garver
Ty Hardin
George Hamilton IV
Anne Jeffreys
Joan Leslie
Denny Miller
Don Stroud
Morgan Woodward
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
Lucky Bill Parrish
The Virginia Rounders 2006 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
James Best
Ben Cooper
Beverly Garland
Will Hutchins
Dick Jones
James Lydon
Jan Merlin
Lucky Bill Parrish
Mala Powers
Ted & Ruth Reinhart
William Smith
Peggy Stewart
Frankie Thomas
Johnny Western 2007 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
Richard Anderson
Audrey Dalton
Margia Dean
Ed Faulkner
James Hampton
David Huddleston
Heather Lowe
Andrew Prine
Neil Summers
Eli Barsi
Ed & Bobbi Beard
Sterling Riggs 2008 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
Lesley Aletter
Roger Davis
Richard Devon
Richard Herd
Gene Lesser
Lee Meriwether
Don Kay Reynolds
Jacqueline Scott
Gregory Walcott
The LeGarde Twins
Ed & Bobbi Beard
Blue River Bluegrass Band
2009 Williamsburg Film Festival - Holiday Inn Patriot
Ed & Bobbi Beard
Joe Canutt
George Hamilton IV
Ron Harper
Loren Janes
Dick Jones
Steve Kanaly
Larry Maurice
Steve Stevens
Peggy Stewart
Jacqueline White
Hurt - 2000 was released on: Australia: July 2000 (Melbourne International Film Festival) Ireland: October 2000 (Cork International Film Festival) USA: October 2000 (Cinematexas) Australia: January 2001 (Flickerfest International Short Film Festival) USA: May 2001 (Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival)
Snake Fever - 2010 was released on: USA: 22 May 2010 (Seattle International Film Festival) USA: 21 November 2010 (Williamsburg Independent Film Festival)
Saltwater Cowboys - 2013 was released on: USA: 18 August 2013 (Action on Film Festival) USA: 6 October 2013 (Innovative Film Festival) USA: 18 October 2013 (Orlando Film Festival)
The Track Meet - 2010 was released on: USA: 19 November 2010 (Williamsburg Independent Film Festival)
Red Princess Blues - 2010 was released on: USA: 2010 USA: 5 August 2010 (HollyShorts Film Festival) USA: 29 August 2010 (Angelino Film Festival) USA: 3 September 2010 (Oklahoma Horror Film Festival) USA: 4 September 2010 (Arizona Underground Film Festival) USA: 4 September 2010 (Dragon*Con Independent Film Festival) USA: 17 September 2010 (Southern Appalachian Film Festival) USA: 24 September 2010 (JamFest Indie Film Festival) USA: 26 September 2010 (Manhattan Short Film Festival) USA: 26 September 2010 (New Media Film Festival) USA: 2 October 2010 (Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles) USA: 7 October 2010 (Gotham Screen Film Festival) USA: 7 October 2010 (Offshoot Film Festival) USA: 8 October 2010 (Cincinnati Oxford International Film Festival) USA: 14 October 2010 (Urban Media Makers Film and Video Festival) USA: 23 October 2010 (Beverly Hills Film, TV & New Media Festival) USA: 28 October 2010 (Carnival of Darkness Film Festival) USA: 31 October 2010 (NewFilmmakers Los Angeles) USA: 1 November 2010 (Ferndale Film Festival) USA: 2 November 2010 (Big Apple Film Festival) USA: 4 November 2010 (Rockport Film Festival) USA: 7 November 2010 (Wild Rose Independent Film Festival) USA: 11 November 2010 (St. Louis International Film Festival) USA: 12 November 2010 (Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival) USA: 13 November 2010 (Wanderings Film Festival) USA: 14 November 2010 (Toluca Lake Film Series) USA: 18 November 2010 (Williamsburg Independent Film Festival) USA: 19 November 2010 (Somewhere North of Boston Film Festival) USA: 5 December 2010 (Minneapolis Underground Film Festival) Canada: 7 February 2011 (Yellowknife Film Festival) USA: 13 February 2011 (Lewisville, Texas) USA: 20 February 2011 (Derby City Film Festival) USA: 2 March 2011 (Omaha Film Festival) USA: 18 March 2011 (New Latino Filmmakers Screening Series) USA: 22 March 2011 (Megacon Indie Film Expo) USA: 24 March 2011 (Fort Myers Film Festival) USA: 24 March 2011 (Gasparilla Film Festival) USA: 25 March 2011 (LA Film + Music Weekend) USA: 26 March 2011 (Palm Beach International Film Festival) USA: 31 March 2011 (Garden State Film Festival) USA: 9 April 2011 (Southeast New England Film, Music & Arts Festival) USA: 27 May 2011 (High Desert Shorts International Film Festival) USA: 21 July 2011 (San Diego Comic Con Film Festival) New Zealand: 18 August 2011 (New Zealand Short Film Festival) UK: 30 September 2011 (FantasyCon)
Williamsburg - 2005 was released on: USA: October 2005 (Movies Askew Film Festival) USA: January 2006 (Moviefone Short Film Festival)
Regretting Fish - 2011 was released on: USA: 22 September 2011 (Williamsburg International Film Festival) USA: 22 September 2011 USA: 14 October 2011 (Syracuse International Film Festival) USA: 15 October 2011 (Astoria LIC International Film Festival) USA: 18 November 2011 (Williamsburg Independent Film Festival)
Williamsburg - 2006 was released on: USA: 9 May 2006 (New York International Film and Video Festival) USA: 18 November 2006 (Queens International Film Festival) USA: 2007 USA: 14 March 2007 (Delray Beach International Film Festival) USA: 19 April 2007 (Syracuse International Film Festival) USA: 5 June 2007 (Long Island Wine Country Film Festival)
I Am Death - 2013 was released on: USA: 20 August 2013 (Action On Film International Film Festival) USA: 21 September 2013 (Williamsburg International Film Festival)
The Ventriloquist - 2010 was released on: France: 12 May 2010 (Cannes Film Festival - Short Film Corner) USA: 25 September 2010 (Williamsburg International Film Festival)
Like - 2011 was released on: USA: 24 September 2011 (Williamsburg International Film Festival) USA: 13 November 2011 (Miami Short Film Festival)
Baby - 2010 I was released on: USA: 23 August 2010 (Los Angeles Latino Film Festival) USA: 29 August 2010 (Angeleno Short Film Festival) USA: 20 November 2010 (Williamsburg Independent Film Festival)
Beam Drop - 2010 was released on: USA: 1 October 2010 (SoCal Film Festival) USA: 10 October 2010 (Carmel Art and Film Festival) USA: 21 November 2010 (Williamsburg Independent Film Festival)
The Conflict - 2013 was released on: USA: 20 September 2013 (Williamsburg International Film Festival) USA: 10 November 2013 (Tribeca Film Festival) USA: 14 November 2013 (International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival) USA: 22 November 2013 (Hipster Film Festival)
Play the Film - 2013 was released on: USA: 19 September 2013 (Williamsburg International Film Festival) USA: 20 September 2013 (Bootleg Film Festival NYC) USA: 21 September 2013 (Broad Humor Film Festival) UK: 16 October 2013 (International Filmmaker Festival) USA: 20 October 2013 (NYC Independent Film Festival)
Hurt - 2000 was released on: Australia: July 2000 (Melbourne International Film Festival) Ireland: October 2000 (Cork International Film Festival) USA: October 2000 (Cinematexas) Australia: January 2001 (Flickerfest International Short Film Festival) USA: May 2001 (Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival)
Franky Goes to Hollywood - 1998 was released on: Greece: 12 September 1998 (Athens Film Festival) USA: June 1999 (Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival)