The thaw is almost here in DC and the tourist season is just around the corner. I’ve been poring through event calendars to find out all the things I want to check out this spring season. This post is going to focus on just films alone. First, the upcoming film festivals:
DC Independent Film Festival
1-11 March 2007
University of the District of Columbia (UDC), Van Ness
4200 Connecticut Ave., NW (Windom Pl. is the cross street)
So many films in the listing.
Celebrating Kerala Cinema
2-18 March 1007
Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery of Art
12th St. and Independence Ave., SW
A series of six films from Kerala, India, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a state.
Francophonie Film Festival DC 2007
6, 13, 20, 27 March 2007
Freer Gallery and Hirshhorn Museum
Four films in French with English subtitles, celebrating the culture and diversity of the French-speaking world.
15th Annual Environmental Film Festival
15-25 March 2007
Various locations around DC
115 films from 27 countries, premieres and screenings at 46 different venues around town. Nearly 100 filmmakers and special guests, including genome pioneer Dr. Craig Venter, photographer Sally Mann and animator Bill Plympton will discuss their work. This film festival is huge and there appears to be so many good films to choose from.
Filmfest DC
DC International Film Festival
19-29 April 2007
Various locations around DC
Details yet to come.
Korean Film Festival DC 2007
May 2007
Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery of Art
More details yet to come, but the films are listed in the link.
Silverdocs
AFI / Discovery Channel Documentary Festival
12-17 June 2007
Details yet to come.
And now for two special film events, independent from the above festivals, I found in my browsing:
Hotel Rwanda, film and book signing
Friday 16 March 2007, 6:45 pm
National Museum of African Art / S. Dillon Ripley Center, Lecture Hall
From the Smithsonian Institution’s website:
(2004, 121 min., rated PG-13) This film is based on the true story about Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of a four-star hotel who saved 1,268 refugees from the ethnic violence in Rwanda in 2004. Paul Rusesabagina discusses his book An Ordinary Man.
Journey from the Fall
Saturday 31 March 2007, 6:30 pm
Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery of Art
From the Smithsonian Institution’s website:
(2006, 135 min., USA/Thailand, directed by Ham Tran, in Vietnamese/English with English subtitles) This film follows one family’s struggle for freedom after the end of the Vietnam war in 1975. Long Nguyen decides to stay in Vietnam despite his allegiance to the toppled South Vietnamese government; however, he is imprisoned in a Communist re-education camp and urges his family to embark on the arduous ocean voyage to the U.S. and freedom. After they left, Long suffers years of solitary confinement and hard labor, and despairs that his family has perished. Upon learning of their successful resettlement in America, he makes one last desperate attempt to join them. Presented in association with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program. Related Exhibition: Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon (in the Ripley Center)
So much going on—and this is just in terms of film! I haven’t even started posting details about festivals and events…
