"He needed some back roads, so I had gravel brought in the field paths to make them look like old country roads," said Wiltshire, who was born and raised on the farm.
Sciurba said he planned to start filming his third movie, a present-day version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Beautiful and Damned," in Loudoun and Fauquier next summer. The gloomy Fitzgerald novel deals with promising and wealthy individuals who squander their potential.
Equine actor Avery's Mark, owner George Wiltshire, left, and filmmaker Frank Sciurba at Mosby Spring Farm.
(Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post)
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The old-fashioned ambiance of the area has also drawn the makers of another film, "Woman's Story," to schedule its premiere at the Tally Ho Theatre in Leesburg on Friday.
Filmmaker Gary Conway first passed by the theater on a trip to Leesburg about three years ago, when he visited to promote his wine, Carmody McKnight, to restaurants nearby.
"It has the feel of the theater I went to as a kid," said Conway, who wrote, directed and acts in the movie about a woman re-evaluating her 30-year marriage. "I thought that here would be a community that would appreciate seeing a film like this. Like a great glass of wine, it has many, many levels."
Conway said his film was a celebration of various art forms, including architecture, painting, sculpture and playwriting. Filmed mostly in Memphis, Tenn., the movie incorporated a classical music score and paintings Conway created as he was filming the movie.
"Woman's Story" marks the directing debut of Conway, a longtime actor, screenwriter and producer who, under the name Gareth Carmody, played the title role in the 1957 movie "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein," which has since become a cult hit. That movie will also be shown this weekend at the Tally Ho.
Conway, who lives in a winery near Paso Robles, Calif., with his wife, Marian McKnight Conway, a former Miss America, said he would like to start a vineyard in Loudoun County.
Some tickets may still be available for the premiere of "Perfect Poison," 2 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Theatre at Washington, 291 Gay St., Washington., Va. For information, e-mail illuminatifilms@earthlink.net.
"Woman's Story" premieres 6 p.m. Friday at the Tally Ho, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. A Saturday night showing will be followed by a 7:45 p.m. question-and-answer session with Conway. Tickets for the movie are $8. 703-669-8444 or visit www.tallyhotheatre.com. A gala fundraiser 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Lightfoot Restaurant, 11 N. King St., Leesburg, will raise money for nonprofit groups supporting women's issues, education and arts in the Loudoun area. $65 a person. 703-771-2233.
