DOCWEEK MIDDLEBURG MEET THE OTHERS

DOCWEEK MIDDLEBURG MEET THE OTHERS

Photos by Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo

ANNE CLANCY

As many young women have done for many years, Anne Clancy first came to Middleburg at age 16 to satisfy the bug that bites many…horses.

“I moved here in 1985 to train with Tad Coffin, our 1976 Olympic Gold medalist for 3-Day Eventing,” she recalled, adding that she initially intended to return to her hometown in Birmingham, Alabama. “But I talked my parents into allowing me to stay another season. One season turned into another, and I never went home.”

She’s a 1991 graduate of New York University as a literature major. Documentary film was a natural fit. The first year of the film festival, she attended as a guest during the pandemic. She defined it as “a needed interaction, and the films were excellent.”

She also shared Tom Foster’s enthusiasm for documentary films. Then, he asked her to serve on the board. They agreed to introduce an opportunity to meet friends and discuss important issues while enjoying good food and wine. Anne Clancy coordinates the food and wine for the event. Her input includes working on the details for the boxed dinners available for pre-purchase from local restaurants in an al fresco gathering. The festival concludes with a seated dinner on Saturday evening inside for sponsors and guests.

“I do a lot of juggling,” Anne added. “A 30-year career with Taylor Harris Insurance Services, Riverdee Stable, DocWeek Middleburg, riding every day, a wife and mother. But I still find time to sing Billie Holiday and yodel like Louis Armstrong. It’s a great life.”

JASON VICKERS

From age five, Jason Vickers grew up in Winchester. Following college at the University of Mary Washington with a degree in business, in 2000 he moved to Los Angeles as a tennis professional with aspirations of making it in Hollywood in the entertainment business.

“I realized, through many failed auditions, I was more likely to succeed behind the scenes if I were to do anything in the entertainment world,” Jason recalled. He then went east to New York City in 2006 and became a personal assistant to Academy Award-winning actress Renee Zellweger.

Six years later, he turned toward talent management and in 2012, started JV Management, with clients in film, television, music, and fashion for almost a decade.

“During that time my interest in documentary films started to develop,” Jason said. “I enjoyed films where I actually learned something as opposed to mega blockbuster films.”

He moved to Middleburg in 2018, and took over as COO of the family business, the OakCrest Companies in Winchester. He heard about the Middleburg Doc event and thought he’d be able to lend some of his knowledge and experience in the film world by getting involved. He met Tom Foster, who suggested he join the festival’s board

“I happily said ‘Yes!’ and the rest is being written,” he said. “I think we’ve really developed a unique, small-but-mighty film festival for our town, and I couldn’t be more proud.” He focuses on technology. So, in addition to helping procure films to show for DocWeek, he also oversees ticket sales, website design and implementation each year.

“I’d say the most difficult part of being on the board is narrowing the hundreds of incredible documentary films that are released each year down to only five. It’s by far the hardest task we have every year.”

His favorite documentary is “Grey Gardens” because “it mixes a lot of what I love,” he said. “History, politics, legacy, with a touch of fame.”

JOAN FAVILLE RAMSAY

Joan Faville Ramsay, a nonagenarian, brings a lifetime of enviable experiences and knowledge to DocWeek Middleburg. She grew up in San Francisco, frequented the Getty Museum, went to Stanford and studied history and is a devoted “movie buff.”

She covets being involved with a serious event with interesting films where guests and patrons learn. “This is what I want to provide, a new viewpoint on film,” she said. An example would be Lizzie Gotleib’s “Turn Every Page” shown in 2003.

She met Tom at a dinner party in Middleburg. “He expressed interest in film and we became friends, he knew I was a movie buff,” she recalled.

Like the others on the board, she enjoys the camaraderie and considers them all erudite.

For her part, Joan has travelled the world and lived in five different countries: Northern Ireland, London, Paris, Dakar, Senegal and Nouakchott, Mauritania.

"We are on track to show some great documentaries this season," she concluded.

TUESDAY, MAY 14- SATURDAY, MAY 18

ROBERT DOVE

Robert Dove brings a background in finance as a member of the board for Doc Five Middleburg, specifically his experience in financing infrastructure.

“An example,” he said, “is the renovated service plazas in Connecticut that I negotiated with the state as a PPP (public-private partnership) while I was at Carlyle.”

Now retired and living in Marshall, he said the area reminds him of “parts of the English countryside.” As for documentary films, he added, they “bring the opportunity to learn something as well as being entertained.”

Robert joined the board three years ago as treasurer and to help create a legal structure around DocWeek Middleburg as a 501c3 entity with a bank account and accounting firm.

“We are a cohesive board where everyone has a different skill set which results in very little overlapping of responsibilities,” he said. “In addition, the challenge every year is to find documentaries that will meet our objectives of entertaining and provoking conversations in the community.”

Beyond DocWeek, he likes to watch crime mystery series he finds on different streaming platforms.

His all-time favorite documentary?

“That’s a difficult question,” he said. “Recently the documentary “Ronnie’s” we showed a couple of years ago about Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London must be one of my favorites and it was a successful evening. It’s led to DocWeek always trying to find one doc related to music each year.”