Screening of ‘The Great Divide’ (90 minutes) followed by a panel discussion
August 5 (doors open at 6:00 pm; screening at 6:30 pm)
The Lyceum at 201 S. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA
Tickets ($15) available online and at the door
ALEXANDRIA, VA – On August 5, National Night Out, the Alexandria Film Festival will present the feature documentary 'The Great Divide' at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria (ticket price $15; doors open at 6:00 pm; screening at 6:30 pm). 'The Great Divide' explores America's gun culture by examining the country's history of violence, from its roots in Native American genocide and African American slavery to the modern day epidemic of mass shootings that we continue to collectively endure as a nation.
"National Night Out, an annual event that encourages community members to come together to promote public safety, is a fitting date to screen this powerful film about gun culture in America," says festival Chair Jill Ray. Director Tom Donahue and Producer Ilan Arboleda will join the festival for an audience Q&A immediately following the screening. Donahue and Arboleda are award winning feature film, documentary, and television creators. Their films are often rooted in social disruption. For example, 'This Changes Everything,' which screened at the Alexandria Film Festival in 2019, grapples with the systemic discrimination against women in Hollywood.
“We made ‘The Great Divide’ to confront the painful truths behind America’s relationship with guns. We wanted to probe deeper than the headlines and understand the history of how we got to this place. I can’t think of a more meaningful time or place to screen the film than on National Night Out in a community so committed to civic engagement and dialogue. We’re grateful to the Alexandria Film Festival for opening this space for conversation,” says Donahue.
The Alexandria Film Festival is made possible with support from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, the City of Alexandria, as well as the generous support of individual donors and corporate sponsors including: Alexandria Gazette Packet and Connections Newspapers; Alexandria Hyundai; Alexandria Living Magazine; Alexandria TImes; Atlas Brew Works; Bad Ass Coffee; Burke & Herbert Bank; Cheesetique; Delia’s Mediterranean Grill; Glory Days; Goodwin Living; Hadeed Rug Cleaning; Jim Connolly/Long & Foster Real Estate; Law Office of Deborah Matthews; Old Town Crier; Pond Roofing; Ted’s Montana Grill; and The Zebra.
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About the Alexandria Film Festival
The Alexandria Film Festival brings high-quality short and feature-length films of all genres, filmmaker panels, and arts presentations to the port city of Alexandria, Virginia and beyond. The festival highlights the talents of local, national and international filmmakers in an acclaimed travel destination within eyesight of the nation’s capital.