Tag Archives: DC Shorts Film Festival

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Two DC Short Film Festivals Collaborate On Humanitarian Film Screening

Photo courtesy of
‘popcorn and movie’
courtesy of ‘ScypaxPictures’

The DC Shorts Film Festival and the Washington Jewish Film Festival have teamed up to present a collection of short films celebrating life and the stories that make it a “human experience”. You can catch this melding of two of the top names in DC film festivals Tuesday, Feb. 23 at the Washington DCJCC and Thursday, Feb. 25 and the U.S. Navy Memorial. Both screenings start at 7 p.m. and last two hours.

The event is free and open to the general public. Please note: Reservations are highly recommended, according to the DC Shorts folks.

You can make reservations for the Tuesday and Thursday screenings online.

Essential DC, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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The Best of DC Shorts At The Navy Memorial

Photo courtesy of
‘Roll Film!’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

The best of the DC Shorts Film Festival in 2009 are being presented in a special double feature format this weekend at the U.S. Navy Memorial‘s Burke Theater (located at 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW above the Archives Metro). There will be 90 minutes of film screened at a time, with a brief intermission, then 90 more minutes of shorts to watch following the intermission.

Tickets sold online are $15 for the night (which comes out to 88 cents per movie shown … not bad). Ticket sales at the door are CASH ONLY.

$3 Stella Artois will we available for purchase, all proceeds go to the DC Shorts Film Festival.

Don’t worry if you can’t make the Friday night showing, both nights will feature the same films. Tickets for Friday and Saturday are still available.

The event goes from 7:00 to 10:30 p.m. each night.

Adams Morgan, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, Night Life, People, Special Events
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Adams Morgan: The Movie

Photo courtesy of
‘Where have you gone, Philip Marlowe?’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

If there’s one thing Paul DeVeaux and I agree on, it’s that DC lacks what some other major cities don’t – a movie about “us.” There is no such recounting of District life from the perspective of an actual resident — or least none that come to mind at a moments notice.

We’ve seen the White House blown up more times than we can count (anyone remember “2012” or “Independence Day?”) and we’ve borne witness to the ups-and-downs of the political game thanks to “All The President’s Men” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” but what about a movie recounting the lives of all the folks putting their blood, sweat, and tears into making this the city what it is.

“That’s what I’m doing”, DeVeaux said. “This movie is my love letter to DC.”

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The Features, Tourism, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Festival Fever!

Bagpipers tuning up

Bagpipers at the Virginia Scottish Games and Festival by Corinne Whiting

Considering the headlines that dominate news pages these days, who could blame us for craving a bit of escapism? Luckily, an avalanche of September festivals offers ample excuses to wear kooky costumes or to (attempt to) speak in charming accents, to relive the past or to leap into the future. Sometimes we just need a few blocked-off streets or patches of green to catapult us out of familiar surroundings and demand we get lost in the sights, sounds and tastes of another time and place.

Some festivals draw repeat attendees who share such a passion for re-enacting and re-creating it seems more a way of life than a weekend hobby. (Some of these participants seem, sadly, to have been born into the wrong century.) Other fests prove more laid-back—a mix of cultural authenticity and comical distortion. But common denominators? The beer’s usually a-flowin’, the people watching superb.

The season kicks off September 5 and 6 with the Virginia Scottish Games and Festival in The Plains, Virginia. I first attended this lively event a few years back (having just returned from 16 months in Scotland), with expectations, in hindsight, a bit too lofty. (Yes, silly me, I thought I would actually meet some Scots and hear some of those dreamy, melodic accents.) Instead I did find some authentic culture (cuisine like tasty yet feared haggis and steaming meat pies) sprinkled with a bit of stereotype (or perhaps slightly-fudged cultural truths, like the presence of England‘s Newcastle beer) and a few unexpected oddities (a parade in which kilted Americans showcased their plaid-clad “Dogs of Scotland”). But the atmosphere carried charm all the same. I watched proud Virginians sport their family tartan, sheepherders demonstrate their craft, Highland dancers do their joyous jigs and bagpipers echo the captivating drone of their instruments up into a piercing blue sky and out into the rolling Virginia hills. It’s Scottish culture with a twist, but a highly enjoyable day in the countryside all the same.

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