Critical Content Editorial Desk | October 25, 2026
The Virginia Film Festival devoted part of its October 21–25, 2026 program to Jessica Lange, bringing together a newer screen performance and the film that earned her a Best Actress Oscar. The festival announced that the two-time Academy Award winner would receive its Visionary Award during the event in Charlottesville.
Rather than framing her career around one familiar role, the planned October 23 tribute paired Jonathan Kent’s screen adaptation of Long Day’s Journey Into Night with a presentation of Blue Sky, the 1994 drama for which Lange won her second Oscar.
One character, two stages of a career
In Kent’s adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s play, Lange portrays Mary Tyrone. She previously played that role in the 2016 Broadway revival, earning a Tony Award. Returning to the character on film gives audiences a way to consider how the same dramatic material changes through a different medium.
The production also features Ed Harris, Ben Foster and Colin Morgan. Its difficult family story involves illness, dependence and relationships shaped by years of disappointment. Those subjects are presented in the context of a work of drama, not as biographical statements about the actors.
What the festival scheduled
The official festival program called for a screening and discussion with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz, plus a live recording of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast with Lange and Scott Feinberg. These details describe the announced program; the organizer’s earlier release does not independently document every moment that took place.
The 39th Virginia Film Festival included more than 100 films and a broader series of conversations with filmmakers. The Lange tribute stands out for joining a new adaptation to an earlier award-winning role without presenting either as the whole of her career.
Her work has spanned independent film, major studio releases, television and theater. Revisiting two very different performances in one festival setting creates an opportunity to see that range, especially for younger audiences who may know her primarily from television.
Sources and further reading
- Virginia Film Festival, September 22, 2026 official announcement
- Virginia Film Festival, 2026 program overview
Featured image: An illustrative theater auditorium, not the venue or a photograph of Jessica Lange. Photograph by Jacob Mejicanos / Unsplash; used under the Unsplash License.
