2023 Has Begun For The Alexandria Film Festival!

Save the Dates!

The 2023 Alexandria Film Festival—our 17th annual!—will take place November 9-12, 2023. We will start accepting submissions to the festival in the coming months. Be on the lookout for that announcement soon! Be sure to subscribe to our social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) for info on pre-festival events and screenings!

AFF 2022: And The Winners Are...

For Immediate Release | November 14, 2022 | Contact: Jill Ray, 703-408-5310

ALEXANDRIA, VA—An audience of nearly 1,100 enjoyed films spanning a wide variety of genres during the Alexandria Film Festival’s three-day, in-person event. At a ceremony Saturday night, the festival’s executive committee announced a slate of awards to filmmakers whose films stood out based on their compelling storytelling and high production values.

Feature documentary “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power,” directed by Nina Menkes and produced by Maria Giese, had its D.C. premiere and received top honors with the Best in Fest Award. The documentary examines the gendered nature of film language, incorporating 175 clips from celebrated films in order to explore who gets looked at on screen and who does the looking. Giese received the honor at an awards ceremony Saturday night noting that change for women in the film industry starts with conversation and that “Brainwashed” spurs exactly that. This is the second appearance at the Alexandria Film Festival for Giese, who in 2019 presented the film "This Changes Everything" about employment discrimination and gender disparity facing women in Hollywood. "Bringing 'Brainwashed' to the AFF this year and to a D.C. audience was an outstanding and inspiring experience," said Giese. "And it wasn't just the thrill of winning the award--it was joining a festival team that so understood the film and its transformative potential to bring about social change."

The Joe Cantwell Prize for Documentary Excellence was awarded to “Guest House,” a locally made documentary, directed by Hannah Dweck and Yael Luttwak. “Guest House” follows the stories of three women in an Alexandria re-entry house as they attempt to acclimate to life after being released from incarceration and battling addiction.

“Her Magnum Opus” by Marta Renzi claimed the Special Jury Award for its creative interpretation of friendship through dance, while the Best Foreign Language Film Award went to “Just Let Me Go” by Luis Diogo of Porto, Portugal. The film, a fictional narrative, focuses on a couple, Ana and Ricardo, chosen to be the subjects of a documentary about loving relationships. During the filmmaking process, Ricardo questions whether he still loves Ana and should remain in the relationship.

The Audience Award, determined by festival attendees who vote on site, went to local filmmaker Jane Pitman for her new feature documentary “Be Moved.” The film tells the story of the Choreographers Collaboration Project (CCP), a modern dance company based in Alexandria. Pitman explores how the CCP helps strengthen and create community within the city. An additional Audience Award will be presented to the film chosen by the virtual cinema audience at the conclusion of the online festival programming after Thanksgiving weekend.

The festival moves online through November 27, and tickets are now available for purchase. Viewers have two weeks to view purchased films once they hit play. See festival offerings here.

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About the Alexandria Film Festival

The Alexandria Film Festival brings high-quality short and feature-length films, documentaries, 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.

Alexandria Film Festival Sample #3

Below are two more of the festival’s multi-film showcases; the links provide more information about the films and tickets. This year’s Alexandria Film Festival – our 16th! -- has a line-up of more than 50 films including 14 with premiere status. Complete description of all festival films are here.

SHOWCASE: "BEHIND THE CAMERA" films explore the power of film in terms of gender politics as well as art. Saturday, November 12, 2022 7:30-11 PM EST,
AMC Hoffman 22 Theater 1. For more information, trailers, and tickets go here: https://alexfilmfest.eventive.org/schedule/6339de8bce714000d209a03f

BEHIND THE CAMERA films:

• BRAINWASHED: SEX-CAMERA-POWER. 107 minutes, Nonfiction, Feature, USA Filmmaker: Nina Menkes. A striking cinematic essay on the gendered nature of film language, this documentary incorporates 175 clips from celebrated films exploring a simple notion about who gets looked at on screen, and who does the looking. Premiered at Sundance 2022. Q&A with Maria Giese, producer. For a recent extended review of this powerful film in The Washington Post go here.

• EXPERIMENTAL CURATOR: THE SALLY DIXON STORY. 60 minutes, Documentary, Feature, USA. Filmmaker: Brigid Maher. Experimental film curator Sally Dixon is known as a trailblazer in the “film as art” movement. She promoted a greater understanding and appreciation of film as an art form and the filmmaker as an artist. Q&A with Brigid Maher.

SHOWCASE: "MEN AND MASCULINITY" films explore the different ways men relate to cats, parents, career dreams, hamsters, and each other. Saturday, November 12, 2022 noon-3:30pm PM EST, AMC Hoffman 22 Theater 2. For more information, trailers, and tickets go here: https://alexfilmfest.eventive.org/schedule/633a5778e0aa1000bc7be1c3

MEN AND MASCULINITY films:

• AARON WITH TWO A’S. 17 minutes, Fiction, Short, USA Filmmaker: Michael Goldburg. Aaron starts his second career at age 65 as an actor, but when he finally manages to land a major role, he discovers he’s his own worst enemy as his inner doubts threaten to derail his lifelong dream and his marriage. Q&A with Michael Goldburg and Steve Lichenstein, writer and producer.

• LOOSE CHANGE. 8 minutes, Fiction, Short, USA Filmmaker: Andrew Bateman. A man-child sets off to buy a new cage for his beloved hamster, but is enticed into a world of hedonism. He must become resourceful to make ends meet. Q&A with Andrew Bateman.

• RENT-A-FRIEND. 30 minutes, Nonfiction, Short, USA Filmmaker: Carson Tappan. In 1986, a novelty VHS tape titled Rent-A-Friend intro- duced the world to friendship on demand. Over 30 years later, the man behind the tape reflects on the experiment and his own personal views on friendship

• CAT DADDIES. 89 minutes, Nonfiction, Feature, USA Filmmaker: Mye Hoang. D.C. PREMIERE.

  A heartwarming and tender portrait of a diverse group of men whose lives are forever changed by their love of cats. The film explores the varying degrees of pres- sure these men feel from societal expectations of what masculinity means, namely that bonding with cats is an inherently feminine trait.

• RUSTLING. 9 minutes, Fiction, Short, New Zealand Filmmaker: Tom Furniss. D.C. PREMIERE. In a family of sheep rustlers, a 15-year-old boy must go up against his domineering father in order to help his younger brother keep the baby lamb left orphaned by their latest slaughter.

• THANK YOU. 5 minutes, Fiction, Short, USA Filmmaker: Mike Kravinsky. What if you learned you would be famous in the future? Q&A with Mike Kravinsky.

• CABARRUS. 9 minutes, Fiction, Short, USA Filmmaker: Andrew Huggins. Set in a trailer park in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, the film delves into the misfortune of two brothers and their ailing mother while exploring themes of addiction, poverty, illness, and criminality.

The above are just a few of the 2022 festival’s films! For tickets and information about the Alexandria Film Festival, please explore our website: https://alexfilmfest.com

See you there!

Dara Sanders, Chair, Alexandria Film Festival

16th Annual Alexandria Film Festival Features 25 “Meet the Filmmaker” Events

For Immediate Release | November 3, 2022 | Contact: Jill Ray, 703-408-5310

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Over three days, November 11-13, the Alexandria Film Festival will screen more than 50 films and host nearly 30 directors, producers and actors taking part in 25 interactive “Meet the Filmmaker” events. Film Q&As are a hallmark of film festivals across the country, offering audiences direct communication with artists – an experience audiences cannot get at home while streaming films. For artists, it’s a way to gain valuable insights from audiences sharing their interpretations of the films and ways they’re presented.

“This year we are screening more than 50 films, and it’s great to be back in person, in theaters and hosting discussions with filmmakers,” notes Dara Sanders, chair of the festival.

In addition to 25 “Meet the Filmmaker” events, the festival features 14 premieres across 13 showcases consisting of two or more films per showcase. Films will be screened in person at AMC Hoffman Center 22 on November 11 and 12. On November 13, the festival offers a day of family friendly, free cinema at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria.

This year’s festival includes locally made films such as Guest House and Barry Farm: Community, Land, and Justice in Washington, D.C. – with filmmaker Q&As for both – as well as films accepted by such world-renowned festivals as Sundance, Tribeca, and the Toronto International Film Festival. One such film, Brainwashed, was named a top-five film to see this fall by National Public Radio and was recently featured in The Washington Post.

All-festival passes and showcase tickets are on sale now HERE.

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About the Alexandria Film Festival

The Alexandria Film Festival brings high-quality short and feature-length films, documentaries, 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.

Alexandria Film Festival Sample #2

Below are two more of the festival’s multi-film showcases; the links provide more information about the films and tickets. This year’s Alexandria Film Festival – our 16th! -- has a line-up of more than 50 films including 14 with premiere status. The premieres are programmed across 13 showcases consisting of two or more films per showcase. Complete description of all festival films are here.

SHOWCASE: "PORTRAITS" films explore how experiences shape our personalities. Saturday, November 12, 2022 8:00 PM EST
AMC Hoffman 22. For more information, trailers, and tickets go here: https://alexfilmfest.eventive.org/schedule/633a227aabeb0d04686b1477

PORTRAITS films:

• The Split Amy and Sam split up as the USA splits into two nations.

• Spring Break on the Ukrainian Border Emmy-winning journalist Peter Musurlian joins his 17-year-old daughter June Musurlian for a Spring Break reporting trip to Ukraine's border with Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland. Q&A with June Musurlian.

• Image of an American: Frederick Douglass and The Right to Vote Upon the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, many Americans thought that slavery had been abolished once and for all. Frederick Douglass, however, argued that “slavery is not abolished until the black man has the ballot.” His fight to secure the vote transformed not only the Constitution, but what it meant to be an American. Q&A with Jesse Eastman.

• The Preacher A cynical con artist manipulates the family of a “miracle girl” and creates a business so large and lucrative that it will inevitably get out of hand. DC Premiere.

SHOWCASE: "SALUTE TO SERVICE MEMBERS" films honor those who serve in uniform and the challenges they face. Friday, November 11, 2022 3:30 PM EST AMC Hoffman 22. For more information, trailers, and tickets go here: https://alexfilmfest.eventive.org/schedule/633a53ab903a8400378025dd

SALUTE TO SERVICE MEMBERS films:

• To Be Forgotten An U.S Army veteran who spent his entire youth in the military. He has now fallen on hard times living on the streets of New York City, without a home or a dollar to his name. Once patrolling the deserts of the Middle East with his fellow soldiers, he is now wandering the city streets alone, looking for his next meal.

• Sentinel: Inside a Sacred Duty An elite group of US Army Soldiers guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. They keep watch all day, everyday, without fail. They are human representations of dignity and honor. This documentary takes an inside look at the special people, past and present, who carry out this Sacred Duty. Q&A with Phil Garrison.

• One Old, One Young The old did not speak of the war. The young did not understand it. DC premiere. Q&A with Jeffrey N. Johnson.

• Thank You for Your Service An investigation into the failed mental health policies within the US military and the deadly consequences to the troops. Q&A with Tom Donahue and Ilan Arboleda, producer

The above are just a few of the 2022 festival’s films! For tickets and information about the Alexandria Film Festival, please explore our website: https://alexfilmfest.com

See you there!

Dara Sanders, Chair, Alexandria Film Festival

Alexandria Film Festival Sample #1

This year’s Alexandria Film Festival – our 16th! -- has a line-up of more than 50 films including 14 with premiere status. The premieres – East Coast, DC Metro Area, Virginia – are programmed across 13 showcases consisting of two or more films per showcase. Films will be screened in person at AMC Hoffman Center 22 on November 11 and 12. On November 13, the festival offers a day of family friendly, free cinema at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria. Below are just two of the festival’s multi-film showcases scheduled for Friday, November 11; the links provide more information about the films and tickets:

SHOWCASE: "THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE" Friday, November 11, 2022 12:00 PM EST at AMC Hoffman 22. For more information, trailers, and tickets go here: https://alexfilmfest.eventive.org/schedule/633a6241e0aa1000bc7bea08

THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE showcase films include:

• What's The Mark? Through the lens of an actress unintentionally involved in a controversial commercial, What’s The Mark? explores the power of media and advertisements in influencing public opinion and the perpetuation of stereotypes and its effects.

• One Pint at a Time Craft beer generates tens of billions of dollars annually for the US economy. Despite beer’s Egyptian and African heritage, these traditions have been mostly forgotten and are rarely found in American brewing culture. Today, Black-owned breweries make up less than 1% of the nearly 9,000 breweries in operation. Eager to shift the historical perception of who makes and drinks beer, Black brewers, brand owners and influencers across the country are reshaping the craft beer industry and the future of America’s favorite adult beverage.

• The Sun Rises in the East The Sun Rises in The East chronicles the birth, rise and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 by teens and young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

SHOWCASE: "LOVE & DESIRE" Friday, November 11, 2022 7:00 PM EST, AMC Hoffman 22. For more information, trailers, and tickets go here: https://alexfilmfest.eventive.org/schedule/633a24d491d20600e3a02b10

LOVE AND DESIRE showcase films include:

• Meteoric When two couples simultaneously discover a meteorite landing site, the claim to the celestial object becomes a battle of wits, gender, and a declaration of true desire.

• A Lone Star Love David, an Irish National, makes his new home in Austin, Texas with the help of a social media android named Viva. When he meets Texas Native, Layla, he must choose between his synthetic companion and a lone star love.

• Just Let Me Go Ricardo and Ana are a couple chosen to be the subject of a documentary about relationships. For 15 days, they, as well as their friends, family and colleagues, making a recap of their relationship. What nobody knows is that Ricardo wants to leave Ana, but hasn't had the courage to do so. The documentary forces him to face this reality and, in his search for answers, he involves three very close friends who share different views about their relationship and what he should do. With each conversation, he becomes even more confused.

• Passcode A freelance software developer discovers he holds a fortune in cryptocurrency on a hard drive. To his dismay, he cannot remember his crypto passcode, and so he sets off to find it in this Kafka-esque dark comedy set in Washington D.C.

The above are just a few of the 2022 festival’s films! For tickets and information about the Alexandria Film Festival, please explore our website: https://alexfilmfest.com

See you there!

Dara Sanders, Chair, Alexandria Film Festival

Alexandria Film Festival To Showcase Independent Films About Power, Passion, Resiliency and Recovery

For Immediate Release | October 3, 2022 | Contact: Jill Ray, 703-408-5310

More than 50 films selected for this year’s festival November 11-13, 2022

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Alexandria Film Festival (AFF) announced it will screen more than 50 films in person over three days, November 11-13, at the AMC Hoffman theaters and The Lyceum in Old Town, Alexandria. Created by a diverse group of local and international artists, the films represent a variety of genres and tackle topics ranging from serious social issues like discrimination and racism to crowd-pleasers like drama, romance, sci-fi, comedy, and horror.

Among this year’s line-up are films that were part of major film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, and the Toronto International Film Festival. Many will be having their D.C. metro area premieres during the festival. Others are on the festival circuit in search of new audiences hungry for original stories.

• Dramedy Aaron with Two As follows the journey of Aaron as he starts a second career as an actor at age 65. The biggest challenge Aaron faces is getting out of his own head.

• Documentary Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power, which premiered at Sundance this year, turns the camera on cinema history itself, illuminating the patriarchal gaze behind supposedly “classic” camera angles, and demonstrates how women are frequently displayed as objects for the use, support, and pleasure of men. Producer Maria Giese will attend in person.

• In this horror-light film Second Hand, a man finds an abandoned mirror on the side of the road. The old mirror bears much more than self-reflection, as it waits for its magical secrets to be revealed.

• Documentary Repairing the World – Stories from the Tree of Life documents Pittsburgh’s powerful community response to hate in the aftermath of the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. Through the voices of survivors, family members, Pittsburgh residents and leaders, the film shows unity in a moment of crisis and what it means to be “stronger than hate.”

Films showing at AMC Hoffman theaters on November 11 and 12 require tickets, while films showing at The
Lyceum on November 13 are being offered free of charge to the community. All-festival passes ($75) and showcase tickets ($15) are available for purchase online. Films are being added to the AFF schedule all week. Visit www.alexfilmfest.com for more information.

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About the Alexandria Film Festival

The non-profit AFF brings high-quality short and feature-length films, documentaries, 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.

September 2022 Online Film Screening Now Available

The Alexandria Film Festival’s online film screening for September is feature documentary The Human Trial, available September 16-30, on Eventive. More than 10 years in the making, the film follows a groundbreaking clinical trial with the patients and researchers seeking a cure for type 1 diabetes. Director Lisa Hepner, who battlestype 1 diabetes, becomes the bridge between two worlds.

Says Hepner who has been waiting 30 years for a cure, “While I was busy trying to outrun my disease it was wreaking havoc on my organs.As our film shows, it doesn’t have to be this way. The cure is no longer an empty promise. There’s reason to be hopeful if we support pioneering research in a meaningful way.

“So many millions of people are touched by diabetes, but because it’s an invisible and stigmatized disease, it’s not taken seriously. I mean 6.7 million people died from diabetes last year alone! I’d like diabetes –both type 1 and type 2 –to be put near the top of the health care agenda. It’s the other pandemic.”

AFF Teams with Patagonia for Living Wine Event

AFF Teams with Patagonia for Living Wine Event

On October 6, The Alexandria Film Festival will screen feature documentary Living Wine in the Patagonia Old Town space followed by a film discussion and wine tasting. The event is open to adults 21 years of age and up. Special pricing is available for young professionals.

Living Wine follows the journeys of natural winemakers in Northern California during the largest wildfire season on record. Equal parts farmer, winemaker and artist, they stay true to their ideals of creating exceptional wines made through innovative sustainable and regenerative farming and without chemical additives. Eschewing the industrial agricultural practices of the corporate wine industry –the winemakers are healing the very environment they are surviving, i.e., a changing climate marked by rising temperatures, shorter growing seasons, and more frequent and virulent wildfires.

According to the film’s director Pete Seeger, “It was inspiring to film our subjects whose life’s work is to heal the soil and earth, and who find spiritual meaning through the simple acts of farming the land and raising their families. We did not expect to encounter the early and worst fire season on record, but these terrifying life and livelihood-threatening fires added an extra layer of suspense and irony to the story, driving home the need for climate stories to be told.”

Patagonia Old Town is the first Patagonia store to open in Virginia, taking over the historic Old Town theater back in 2014. Partnering with area nonprofits, it offers a steady stream of events, films and presentations.

Alexandria Film Festival Offers Back-To-Back Events Ahead of November Fest

For Immediate Release | September 2, 2022 | Contact: Gillian Ray, 703-408-5310

ALEXANDRIA, VA –Today, the Alexandria Film Festival announced it will offer September and October events ahead of its film festival, November 10-13, which will combine in-person and virtual screenings.

“We’re excited to bring deeply engaging films to the Alexandria community and beyond ahead of our 16th annual festival,” said Dara Sanders, chair of the festival. “Our ability to offer this back-to-back programming is thanks to our generous partners Patagonia Old Town and Abramorama.”

Starting September 16,The Human Trial, a feature documentary about finding a cure for type 1 diabetes, will be available to screen virtually for $10Viewers will goon an intimate journeyinside a clinical stem cell trial as patients(including the filmmaker)and scientists put themselves on the line to be first.

The Human Trial

On Thursday, October 6 at the Patagonia Old Town Store, the festival will present an in-person screening ofLiving Wine, with the filmmaker on-hand to take questions from the audience, and a special wine tasting. The feature documentary follows natural winemakers from Northern California who create exceptional wines through innovative, sustainable,and regenerative farming and without chemical additives. Tickets are available at two price points: $20for young professionals between the ages of 21 and 30 and $35for the rest of us. Seating at this exclusive, live event is limited to 75 people. Doors open at 6:00 pm. “Capacity is very limited, so we expect the event to sell out quickly,” added Sanders.

Living Wine –Buy Tickets

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About the Alexandria Film FestivalThe Alexandria Film Festival brings high-quality short and feature-length films, documentaries, 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.

About Abramorama

Abramorama is the preeminent global distribution, marketing, and rights management partner for feature films and episodic programming, centered on music and social impact documentaries.

About Patagonia Old Town

Patagonia Old Town is the company’s first store in Virginia. It carries out its mission “to save our home planet” by using the resources it has—voice, business and community –to do something about the climate crisis.

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May 2022 Online Film Screening Now Available

The Alexandria Film Festival’s May online film screening, “Running with My Girls,” chronicles the journey of five diverse female activists who decide to run for municipal office in Denver.

It begins when Shontel Lewis wins a transit board seat, inspiring four women who worked on her campaign – Dr. Lisa Calderón, Candi CdeBaca, Shayla Richard, and Veronica Barela – to make the unusual decision to run as a cohort. They quickly realize that in politics, large sums of money can convince voters to overlook scandals, empty promises, and shallow relationships with the community.

With only a fraction of the funds of their incumbent opponents, the women tirelessly knock doors, make calls, and rely on each other to power their grassroots campaigns. Using an intimate and unfiltered style to tell each candidate’s story, filmmaker Rebekah Henderson honestly portrays the challenges faced by political outsiders, particularly women of color, while also revealing their tenacious commitment to justice and democracy. 

Ultimately, “Running with My Girls” is a lesson about an engaged community outrunning the deep pockets of the political establishment and a demonstration that building a new kind of political power is not just aspirational but possible.

The film is available for $15 beginning Monday, May 16, at 7pm at our Eventive site: https://watch.eventive.org/alexfilmsthatmatter/play/62759c5622c39000363349eb.

Watch the trailer below:

The 2022 Alexandria Film Festival Call for Entries is Open!

For Immediate Release | March 24, 2022 | Contact: Gillian Ray, jandjray@aol.com

The Alexandria Film Festival — now in its 16th year — is currently seeking and reviewing films to screen at the 2022 festival scheduled for Nov. 10-13, 2022.

Each November AFF brings diverse films created by independent filmmakers to Alexandria, Virginia. In 2020 and 2021, the festival was conducted virtually. During that time, it was also expanded by streaming films monthly, creating a Movie Buf Club, and launching a monthly subscriber newsletter.

Festival leaders are planning an in-person festival and a return to hosting live screenings and filmmaker Q&A events. Dara Sanders, AFF Chair, says, "We’re optimistic we can to return to our traditional in-person format and look forward to bringing the best new films and their makers to Alexandria this November!"

Filmmakers from all over the world may enter short and feature films of any genre on the digital platform FilmFreeway.com. Entries will be considered on a rolling basis until August, but “early bird” period (lowest fees) ends on May 7.

Traditionally, the festival ofers six awards: Best of Fest, Joe Cantwell Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, Audience Award, Special Jury Prize, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best of the Region Award.

AFF will also host events prior to the November festival, including monthly screenings, so watch for our emails! We’ll be active on social media as well.

• AFF on FilmFreeway: filmfreeway.com/AlexandriaFilmFestival-523023

• Our web site: www.alexfilmfest.com

• On Twitter: twitter.com/alexfilmfest

• On Facebook: www.facebook.com/alexandriafilmfestival

• On Instagram: www.instagram.com/alexandriafilmfestival

  Remember the Date: November 10-13, 2022, in Alexandria Virginia!

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ABOUT THE ALEXANDRIA FILM FESTIVAL

Now in its 16th year, the Alexandria Film Festival brings diverse films created by independent filmmakers to the city of Alexandria each November. In 2021, the festival expanded by streaming films monthly, creating a movie buf club, and launching a monthly newsletter. In 2022 we are planning an in person festival.

The AFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by a grant from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, as well as the generosity of volunteers, numerous individual and corporate sponsors including Burke and Herbert Bank, Visit Alexandria, Old Town Hilton Hotel, Connection Newspapers, Alexandria Hyundai, James Connolly Realtor, Wilson Grand Communications, West End Business Association, Alexandria Living Magazine, Alexandria Times, Zebra Magazine, and Safer Country.

That's A Wrap! Alexandria Film Festival Presents Top Awards to Filmmakers

“I’m Fine, Thanks for Asking” Receives Best of Fest Award

ALEXANDRIA, VA – During its closing virtual ceremony on Sunday, December 12, the Alexandria Film Festival presented a slate of awards to filmmakers from around the country and world. Chair Dara Sanders recognized six top films for their compelling storytelling and high production values. The award was recorded and is available for viewing on demand.

The Best Foreign Language Film Award was presented to Maria Brendle, director of Ala Kachuu – Take and Run, about a young Kyrgyz woman who is kidnapped and forced into marriage. When accepting the award, Brendle noted the film is based on true events. 

The Audience Award went to Director Pat McGee for From the Hood to the Holler, a documentary that follows the 2020 political campaign of Charles Booker. McGee accepted the award while attending the Anchorage Film Festival and observed that film festivals like Alexandria’s give filmmakers a platform to share important stories. McGee previously received Alexandria Film Festival honors for his 2018 film “American Relapse.” 

The Special Jury Award was presented to Director Paula van der Oest for her romantic comedy Love in a Bottle about two people who begin a love affair via Facetime during the pandemic. Filmed simultaneously in two different locations, the main characters were kept apart intentionally until filming the final scenes. Van der Oest is an Oscar-nominated director for her earlier film “Zus and Zo.” 

Documentarian Joe Cantwell presented the award he endowed, the Joe Cantwell Prize for Documentary Excellence, to OPEN FIELD, which is “a testimony to all the girls and women who followed their dreams to play professional football” noted Director Kathy Kuras who accepted the award along with Editor and Co-producer John Anderson and the film’s main character Sami Grisafe, quarterback for Team USA. 

The Best Regional Film went to Tower Road Bus, a documentary set in Prince Georges County that explores the experiences of African American students and educators thrust into all-white schools during the 1970s. Accepting the award, Director Michal Streissguth noted it was his second time participating in the festival and it felt like “coming home.”

The top award of the ceremony, Best of Fest, was awarded to I’m Fine, Thanks for Asking, a heart-warming film about a widowed, homeless, single mother to her 8-year-old daughter, and who works multiple jobs to get a roof back over their heads. Co-directors Kelley Kali, a graduate of Howard University, and Angelique Molina thanked the festival for bringing focus to real-life struggles including homelessness. 

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About the Alexandria Film Festival

Now in its 15th year, the Alexandria Film Festival brings diverse films created by independent filmmakers to the city of Alexandria each November. Due to the pandemic, the festival went virtual in 2020 and 2021, extending its ability to reach audiences throughout the region and beyond. In 2021, the festival expanded its offerings by streaming films monthly, creating a movie buff club and launching a monthly newsletter for festival insiders. The AFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by a grant from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, as well as the generosity of volunteers, numerous individual and corporate sponsors including Burke and Herbert Bank, Visit Alexandria, Old Town Hilton Hotel, Connection Newspapers, Alexandria Hyundai, James Connolly Realtor, Wilson Grand Communications, West End Business Association, Alexandria Living Magazine, Alexandria Times, Zebra Magazine, and Safer Country. Learn more at www.alexfilmfest.com. 

Alexandria Film Festival Featured In The Alexandria Times

Reviews for films from the The Alexandria Film Festival have been featured in the November 18, 2021 Alexandria Times. You can read the reviews below or by clicking this link and scrolling down to page 16.

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Alexandria Film Festival Featured In The Alexandria Gazette Packet

Reviews for 4 films from the The Alexandria Film Festival By Dennis D. McDonald have been featured in the November 18-24, 2021 Alexandria Gazette Packet. You can read the reviews below or by clicking this link and scrolling down to page 12.

AFF’s October 2021 Newsletter

AFF’s October 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to the Alexandria Film Festival’s October 2021 newsletter! Our 15th annual festival’s events take place starting November 6! Here’s our news this month:

1. Our Virtual Film Festival’s Program Is Now Available!

2. October’s Streaming Film: “Chasing Childhood”

3. Moving Pictures at an Exhibition: AFF and the Alexandria Symphony: “Homegrown”

OUR VIRTUAL FILM FESTIVAL’S PROGRAM IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Acceptance letters have gone out to filmmakers for the 40 films to be screened online from November 11 through November 25 this year. Soon we’ll start recording interviews with filmmakers to accompany the films online. Films are grouped into “showcases” with most showcases including two or more films:

• Burke & Herbert Bank Family Showcase

• Freedom of Expression

• Girl Power

• In the Time of Covid

• International

• Point of View

• Political Showcase

• Sci-Fi-ish

• Social Justice

• Veterans Showcase

For a complete list of this year’s festival films — and to reserve your tickets — go here: https://festival2021.eventive.org/welcome .

OCTOBER’S STREAMING FILM: “CHASING CHILDHOOD”

Remember when childhood was less curated than it is now? Maybe you’re old enough remember a time when your parents would send you out in the morning and expect you back by dinner time? Clearly times have changed!

In today's highly charged world of structure, stranger danger, and helicopter parenting, free play in childhood has disappeared, giving way to unprecedented anxiety and depression. This phenomenon impacts kids from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Children's lives are consumed with wall-to-wall activities and constant monitoring-the overprotected, over-directed, over-pressured childhood is the new normal.

Margaret Munzer Loeb and Eden Wurmfeld’s documentary CHASING CHILDHOOD documents how some are trying to change the potentially negative impacts of structure and over parenting. The film includes an introduction from CNN correspondent Van Jones and concludes with a panel presentation by middle school experts. Check it out!

• To see a short trailer of Chasing Childhood go here: https://vimeo.com/540299971 .

• To rent and watch Chasing Childhood online (price: $12) click here: https://watch.eventive.org/chasingchildhood/play/6164d2acb5ed1700692f462e

ONE NIGHT ONLY: MOVING PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: Alexandria Symphony Orchestra Presents “Homegrown: American Stories in Music and Film”

In partnership with the Alexandria Film Festival, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will present music of American composers on Saturday, November 6, 2021 (6:00 p.m.) at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center. The performance will feature six original short films screened in tandem with music including:

• MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition

• COPLAND: John Henry

• COPLAND: Our Town

• GRIFFES: “Clouds” from Roman Sketches

• IVES: “The Housatonic at Stockbridge” from Three Places in New England

• HIGDON: Blue Cathedral

• GRANT STILL: “Manhattan Skyline” from The American Scene

Filmmakers will participate in a post-screening panel.

Adult tickets start at $20. Student tickets $15 (with ID). Youth tickets $5 (age 18 & under) with adult purchase. Military, senior and group discounts available. Purchase at www.alexsym.org or call 703-548-0885. Film Festival patrons can receive 15% savings with the discount code “filmaso21”.

KEEPING UP WITH AFF

To keep up with the AFF check out these links:

• The Official AFF Web Site: https://alexfilmfest.com

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexfilmfest

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandriafilmfestival/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexandriafilmfestival

October's Streaming Film: “CHASING CHILDHOOD”

Remember when childhood was less curated than it is now? Maybe you’re old enough remember a time when your parents would send you out in the morning and expect you back by dinner time? Clearly times have changed!

In today's highly charged world of structure, stranger danger, and helicopter parenting, free play in childhood has disappeared, giving way to unprecedented anxiety and depression. This phenomenon impacts kids from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Children's lives are consumed with wall-to-wall activities and constant monitoring-the overprotected, over-directed, over-pressured childhood is the new normal.

Margaret Munzer Loeb and Eden Wurmfeld’s documentary CHASING CHILDHOOD documents how some are trying to change the potentially negative impacts of structure and over parenting. The film includes an introduction from CNN correspondent Van Jones and concludes with a panel presentation by middle school experts. Check it out!

• To see a short trailer of Chasing Childhood go here: https://vimeo.com/540299971 .

• To rent and watch Chasing Childhood online (price: $12) click here: https://watch.eventive.org/chasingchildhood/play/6164d2acb5ed1700692f462e

ASO Presents Homegrown: American Stories in Music and Film

For Immediate Release  |  September 27, 2021

Feature Stories and Interviews Available

Contact: Patti North, Executive Director, Alexandria Film Festival, pattinorth@gmail.com

Melinda Kernc, Director of Development and Marketing, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, kernc@alexsym.org

Download press release

ASO Presents Homegrown: American Stories in Music and Film ASO Presents Six Film Shorts in Partnership with Alexandria Film Festival

Alexandria, VA—In partnership with the Alexandria Film Festival, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will present music of American composers on Saturday, November 6, 2021 (6:00 p.m.) at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center and Sunday, November 7, 2021 (3:00 p.m.) at the George Washington Masonic Memorial.

Saturday’s performance at Schlesinger will feature six original short films screened in tandem with the music. (Sunday’s performance at the George Washington Masonic Memorial will include the music only with no film projection.) The project, entitled Homegrown: American Stories in Music and Film, commissioned original film footage to be screened “live-to-picture” for each of the compositions on the program. The concert will conclude with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, based on ten paintings by Viktor Hartmann depicted in the suite, inviting the listener to experience the emotion conveyed by the artist.

“This Homegrown collaboration with the Alexandria Film Festival started by a desire to perform American orchestral pieces live in concert that serve as soundtracks for newly commissioned films by American filmmakers,” says Maestro James Ross. “Usually the music is made to fit the film, but instead our six filmmakers let their creative fantasies run wild, inspired by each given composer. The variety and organic quality of the storytelling is breathtaking!”

Jennifer Higdon’s reflective Blue Cathedral is set with Michael Fallavollita’s retelling of Tale of the Kite, which garnered 25 film festival awards, including the Special Jury Award at the 2017 Alexandria Film Festival. William Grant Still’s “Manhattan Skyline” from The American Scene will come alive by film artists Jane Pittman and Annette Brieger with Black Lives Matter, which marries the vibrant history of Washington, D.C. and its U-Street corridor. Charles Tomlinson Griffes’ “Clouds” is brought to life with filmmaker Alexi Scheiber’s stop-motion animation (utilizing more than 1500 original watercolors and drawings) entitled Among the Clouds.

Aaron Copland's 1940 rendition of John Henry will be presented with Shannon Washington's "Beat the Machine." The D.C. style of dance Beat Ya Feet, along with other dance styles derived from black culture, is used to tell stories throughout history. Charles Ives’ “The Housatonic at Stockbridge” from Three Places in New England will be screened in painterly fashion with found video footage compiled by artist Tim McLoraine. Building upon themes of unfolding history and community, filmmaker Andrea Kalin set Copland’s Our Town suite to scenes of our own in Our Town: Alexandria.

“We are delighted this historic partnership is finally reaching fruition,” said Alexandria Film Festival Executive Director Patti North. “What began as a unique collaboration uniting the power of live music with visual storytelling as an integrated whole, we add the celebration of an audience being able once again to enjoy these art forms in person and in the moment.”

Attendees for Saturday’s performance are welcome to stay for an interactive talk on the stage with the filmmakers, immediately following the concert.

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra is committed to providing a safe concert environment for our patrons, musicians and staff. The concerts will be presented with no intermission. Schlesinger Concert Hall has been completely overhauled with a state-of-the-art ventilation system. Audience members, musicians, staff, and volunteers will be required to wear a mask during performances. ASO is also requiring all attendees, musicians, volunteers and staff be fully-vaccinated. ASO will communicate with ticket buyers well in advance of each performance to establish what specific safety measures will be required to attend.

Adult tickets start at $20. Military, senior, student and group discounts are also available. To order tickets and for more information, visit www.alexsym.org or call (703) 548-0885.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

James Ross, Music Director Homegrown: Stories in Music and Film, a partnership with the Alexandria Film Festival

MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition

COPLAND: John Henry

COPLAND: Our Town

GRIFFES: “Clouds” from Roman Sketches

IVES: “The Housatonic at Stockbridge” from Three Places in New England

HIGDON: Blue Cathedral

GRANT STILL: “Manhattan Skyline” from The American Scene

Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. George Washington Masonic Memorial

Tickets: Adult tickets start at $20. Student tickets $15 (with ID). Youth tickets $5 (age 18 & under) with adult purchase. Military, senior and group discounts available. Purchase at www.alexsym.org or call 703-548-0885.

Free parking provided by the ASO at both venues. The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center is accessible by Metro bus lines 7A, 7B, 7F, 7Y, 25A, 25C and 25E, as well as DASH bus line AT6. The George Washington Masonic Memorial is accessible by the Blue and Yellow metro line (King Street station), numerous Metro, Dash and Richmond Highway Express bus lines, and the King Street Trolley in Old Town, Alexandria.