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.

On Reviewing Film Festival Submissions in the Time of the Pandemic

By Dennis D. McDonald

I sat in on the Alexandria Film Festival Program Committee meeting via Zoom on August 29. I wanted to hear how decisions are being made about which films to select for screening at our next annual film festival scheduled for November 11-14 of this year (save the dates!)

As a film festival volunteer I’ve participated in such a decision-making in the past plus I’m an amateur film critic. This year I’ve been active in other festival activities instead and I’ve not seen any of the works submitted by filmmakers this year.

The discussion I attended reviewed about two dozen films. This was a subset of all the films being considered for this year’s festival. Most of the discussion I heard at the August 29 meeting was devoted to films that were being “re-watched.” At least one member of the committee had thought a film was worth considering after an initial screening. (These screenings are based on viewing a submitted film streamed online, usually with password control.)

There were only a few unanimous decisions (thumbs up or thumbs down). Most discussions focused on teasing out both positive as well as negative aspects of each submitted film which may range in length from a few minutes to over two hours.

Discussion topics included the following examples:

• Too short (or too long)

• Ease or difficulty of grouping with other films

• Good script and acting — but poor production values

• Good production values — but poor script or acting

• Overwhelmingly depressing

• Made by a local filmmaker

• Funny

• Could be the focus of an interesting Q&A session with the filmmaker

• Relevant to current events

• Confusing

• Seems like two completely separate films mashed together

• Unusual point of view

• Filmmaker can bring an entourage to the screening

• Highlights the struggle of the film making process

• International submission

• We also have another film from that country

• Hard to follow but it’s a fun ride

I left the meeting before the discussion turned to grouping films into “showcases.” I know from past experience how difficult that process can be.

Some of the films we show every year are “curated” based on their being sought out by the festival; sometimes getting curated films submitted means competing with other festivals. For other films being reviewed, a significant portion of every year’s festival showings is made up of unknown or little known films submitted by independents, first timers, students, or amateurs.

The bottom line is that we don’t have complete control over what’s submitted. That makes the selection process both challenging and fun. We ideally want individual showcases and screening sessions to have topical similarity. Sometimes that’s easy to accomplish. Sometimes it’s difficult.

An added challenge this year (or opportunity, depending on your point of view) is related to the pandemic. We don’t yet know which screenings can (or should) be done in person versus those that will be screened online. In person post-screening Q&A sessions are always a high point of festivals for filmmakers; they can see their films on big screens (sometimes for the first time) and they can interact directly with audience members.

On the other hand, filmmakers who might not be able to travel to the festival can participate remotely in online Q&A sessions which can be recorded or conducted in real time. (We recorded many Q&A sessions last year due to the pandemic and in most cases the results were positive.)

It always helps to have multiple viewpoints on reviewing films or, as I like to say, “lots of eyeballs.”

Listening to the various viewpoints of Program Committee members was a lot of fun as they consider how best to display a good subset of this art form. The ultimate judge, of course, will be this year’s audience.

Republished by permission from August 31, 2021 edition of Dennis D. McDonald's Web SIte. Copyright (c) 2021 by Dennis D. McDonald

July Film Screening of “Til Kingdom Come”

The Alexandria Film Festival’s monthly online film screening series continues in July with Maya Zinshtein’s documentary “Til Kingdom Come.” The film documents both sides of the complex relationship between the Jewish state of Israel and Evangelical Christians in the United States.

The film introduces viewers to the Bingham family, a dynasty of Kentucky pastors, and their Evangelical congregants in an impoverished coal mining town. They donate sacrificially to Israel’s foremost philanthropic organization, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, because they fervently believe that Jews are crucial to Jesus’s return. This film traces this unusual relationship from rural Kentucky, to the halls of government in Washington, to the city of Jerusalem, holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.   

The film is  available to stream online for $12 for two weeks beginning July 15 on Eventive at https://watch.eventive.org/tilkingdomcome/play/60ec1ca4d3d26b0029cf00df

Once you hit “play” you have seven days to finish watching.

Spring and Summer Film Series Continues with the documentary FATTITUDE

"This movie will change how you think about the word ‘fat'" - Buzzfeed

Just in time for swimsuit season, FATTITUDE is an eye-opening look at how popular media perpetuates a cultural bias and a civil rights issue for people living in larger bodies.

More than two-thirds of Americans are classified as obese or overweight, and after the pandemic perhaps more.

Did you know fat people are paid $1.25 less an hour than their thinner counterparts and can still legally lose their jobs just because they’re fat. FATTITUDE looks at how systemic cultural prejudice results in fat discrimination, and also examines how fat-shaming crosses the lines of race, class, sexuality, and gender, forwarding the idea that being cruel, unkind or downright unjust to a fat person is acceptable behavior, often harming them far more than the extra pounds.

It features a diverse variety of voices such as academic scholars, activists, filmmakers, actors and psychologists, including Lindy West, Sonya Renee Taylor, Virgie Tovar, Ricki Lake, and what they are doing to inspire change. Are you or someone you love stuck in a shame bubble?

Maybe you need a FATTITUDE adjustment.

Spring and Summer Film Series Continues with #Female Pleasure in May

New this year, the Alexandria Film Festival Virtual Spring and Summer Film Series offers a screening each month until October. 

Our May online screening will be the feature documentary #Female Pleasure by Barbara Miller. The film portrays five courageous women who break the silence imposed by their archaic-patriarch societies and religious communities. But their victory comes at a high price: they all have experienced public defamation, threats, and prosecutions. #Female Pleasure is ultimately an inspiring tool to help women, no matter their cultural or religious background, to reclaim their bodies and celebrate their sexuality without shame or suffering. 

#Female Pleasure will be available May 13-31 for $12. Purchase access on our Eventive site. Once you purchase and hit “play” you’ll have 72 hours to watch the film.

Official synopsis:

#FEMALE PLEASURE accompanies five extraordinary women around the globe who are fighting to smash patriarchal attitudes and reclaim female sexuality.

The film introduces us to author Deborah Feldman from Brooklyn’s Hasidic community, sex educator Vitika Yadav in India, manga artist Rokudenashiko in Japan, Somali activist Leyla Hussein, and former nun Doris Wagner in Europe, courageous women who are all struggling to end the harmful cultural practices like genital mutilation and the shaming of the female orgasm that lie at the root of rape culture and patriarchy. Not only highlighting the issues that have contributed to the sexual marginalization of women, the film also calls these atrocities, embedded within cultural and religious norms, by their actual names: rape, assault, child trafficking, abuse. We witness these female activists who were taught to be silent confronting the very entities that have oppressed them.

Both an urgent call to action and an empowering plea for self-determined joyful female sexuality, #FEMALE PLEASURE is ultimately an inspiring tool to help women, no matter their cultural or religious background, to reclaim their bodies and celebrate their sexuality without shame or suffering.

The Alexandria Film Festival Introduces Our Virtual Spring and Summer Film Series

The Alexandria Film Festival introduces our Virtual Spring and Summer Film Series. The series kicks off this month and runs until October! Our first film, "Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines", is free to screen! Details below.

Synopsis: WONDER WOMEN! THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICAN SUPERHEROINES traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, WONDER WOMEN! looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society’s anxieties about women’s liberation.

WONDER WOMEN! goes behind the scenes with Lynda Carter, Lindsay Wagner, comic writers and artists, and real-life superheroines such as Gloria Steinem, Kathleen Hanna and others, who offer an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre.

Watch the film at: https://www.wmm.com/virtual-screening-room/wonder-women-watch-page-alexandria-film-festival/

Password: WWAFF21

Act for Alexandria’s 11th annual Spring2Action Giving Day

The Alexandria Film Festival will be participating in Act for Alexandria’s 11th annual Spring2Action Giving Day, taking​ ​place on April 28, with early online giving starting now.​

Did you know the blockbuster fictional Hollywood films Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 were​ ​both filmed in Alexandria? To celebrate and thank the “wonder people” like you: donors, sponsors,​ ​volunteers, and staff who keep Alexandria nonprofits providing essential and enriching services and​ ​experiences, the festival will host a free virtual screening of the documentary Wonder Women which​ ​traces the fascinating origin, evolution, and legacy of Wonder Woman. The film​ ​introduces audiences to​ ​fictional and real-life superheroines fighting for positive role models for​ ​girls, both on screen and off.​

The film can be seen at https://www.wmm.com/virtual-screening-room/wonder-women-watch-page-alexandria-film-festival/​

Wonder Women, screening on demand April 15-30, will​ ​kick off a series of virtual screenings the festival will offer monthly.​ ​Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Alexandria Film Festival is only possible year after year​ ​due to the generosity of sponsors, individual donors, and volunteers like you. If you love film and​ ​want to continue and grow the Alexandria Film Festival, visit our Spring2ACTion webpage.​ ​(https://www.spring2action.org/organizations/alexandria-film-festival).​

​We cannot create the Alexandria Film Festival without you!

2021 Alexandria Film Festival Call for Entries Now Open

500 E Alexandria Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301
AlexFilmFest.com | Info.alexandriafilm@gmail.com | 703-549-5250
For Immediate Release​: ​March 30, 2021 | Contact:​ ​Norida Torriente, 202-253-5058

2021 Alexandria Film Festival Call for Entries Now Open

(Alexandria, VA)— The Alexandria Film Festival kicks off its 15th year with its annual call for entries opening on April 1. Filmmakers from all over the world are invited to enter short and feature-length films of any genre on the digital platform filmfreeway.com. Festival judges will evaluate hundreds of films before selecting the best to bring to the city, for the four-day event Nov. 11-14, 2021. The program will ultimately feature more than 50 free and ticketed films—including many premieres—to delight, entertain, and inform area film enthusiasts.

“Over the past 15 years, the Alexandria Film Festival has grown in stature and reputation because of the caliber of the submissions we receive, and the quality of our curated films, including from Oscar winning filmmakers,” said Dara Sanders, Chair of the Alexandria Film Festival. “We are proud to bring the Alexandria community this annual celebration of creativity
and artistry.”

Traditionally, the festival offers six awards: Best of Fest, Joe Cantwell Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking, Audience Award, Special Jury Prize, Best Foreign Language Film, and Regional Award. Additional awards may be offered at the discretion of festival leadership.

Last year, the festival hosted a virtual program that included films by 45 filmmakers from all over the world, including Academy Award winners and nominees—most of whom took part via Zoom. This year, the festival is being planned as a hybrid event that will include both virtual and
in-person screenings and panel discussions.

For submission rules and information, please visit AlexFilmFest.com and follow us on Facebook for the latest festival news. Entries will be considered on a rolling basis until August, but “early bird” period (lowest fees) ends on May 7.

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About the Alexandria Film Festival

The Alexandria Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by a grant from the Alexandria Arts Commission, numerous individual and community donors, as well as generous corporate sponsors including Sunrise Senior Living, Burke and Herbert Bank, Connection Newspapers, Alexandria Hyundai, Wilson Grand Communications, Visit Alexandria, Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota, Alexandria Times and The Zebra.

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Call for Entries: Teen Video Contest Underway at Burke & Herbert Bank

Over $9,000 in prizes to be awarded in Lights, Camera, Save! Contest

Announcement of interest to young filmmakers from our longtime and valued sponsor Burke & Herbert Bank.

Alexandria, VA – Burke & Herbert Bank is accepting submissions for its 2021 Lights, Camera, Save! video contest until March 1, 2021. Teens, 13-18 years old, can win cash prizes, including a top prize of $5,000 by creating a 30-second video promoting wise money management.

The contest, organized by the American Bankers Association Foundation, is a national competition that encourages teens to use video to communicate the value of sound money management and inspire their peers to become lifelong savers.

Burke & Herbert Bank will host the first round of judging and select a winner to compete on the national level for cash prizes: $5,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place and $1,000 each for two runners-up. Burke & Herbert Bank is rewarding regional winners with $350, $100, and $50, respectively, as well as awarding a $50 gift card to each of their sponsoring teachers.

“Lights, Camera, Save! gives Northern Virginia students an opportunity to harness their creativity and learn about using money wisely,” said Terry Cole, Executive Vice President at Burke & Herbert Bank. “It is so important, especially in today’s challenging economic environment, for teens to learn the value of establishing sound financial habits. This video contest provides a fun and unique way to encourage teens to build these habits to motivate each other.”

To participate, teens must submit a completed entry form along with a link to their original video by March 1. The contest is open to filmmakers of all experience levels. Videos will be judged on their quality, message, and the criteria set forth by the contest’s official rules. For full rules and entry form, visit burkeandherbertbank.com. To learn more about Lights, Camera, Save!, visit lightscamerasave.com.

Alexandria Film Festival Unveils 2020 Program

45 Films To Be Screened Virtually, including 18 Premieres

500 E Alexandria Avenue Alexandria, VA 22301 | Info.alexandriafilm@gmail.com | 703-549-5250

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 27, 2020

CONTACT: JILL RAY 703-408-5310 | JANDJRAY@AOL.COM

Alexandria, VA – The Alexandria Film Festival, which will debut virtually this year November 12-15, announced on Tuesday its 2020 programming of 45 short and feature length fiction and nonfiction films, representing every genre. Topics tackled in the films range from family traditions and unsung artists to stories of survival and union organizing.  Stories range from a father suffering through a hilarious Kafkaesque journey trying to make his daughter’s birthday wish come true to a dazzling animated fantasy from Argentina tracing the journey of souls through varying dimensions of existence. 

Anchoring the festival’s opening night and its 19th Amendment Centennial Celebration Showcase of films is “9 to 5: The Story of a Movement” by Oscar-winning filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar. The documentary follows a group of office workers in the 1970s that organize a national movement for gender equality in the workplace. The movement inspired the 1980 Hollywood film “9 to 5” starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin. The 7 pm screening on Nov. 12 will be followed with a live Q&A with one of the principal subjects of the film, Debbie Schneider. 

Opening night also brings the D.C. premiere of “Trust Me,” directed by Oscar-nominated Roko Belic. The film takes audiences to the front lines of the worldwide information battle creating an avalanche of negative news and misinformation and creating a gap between how we perceive the world and reality. How do we know what and who we can trust?

“We are thrilled to be able to bring ‘9to5: The Story of a Movement’’ and the premiere of “Trust Me” to the greater Washington, D.C. metro area,” said Margaret Wohler, chair of the festival. “Not only can audiences view an amazing slate of films, many of them by artists in our region, but we’re bundling live and pre-recorded Q&A sessions with filmmakers in order to deliver a memorable festival experience.”

Among fiction feature-length titles, “Her Name Was Jo” will screen as part of the festival’s “Girl Power Showcase” on Nov. 14. Described by one judge as “‘Thelma and Louise’ meets ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild,’” the film’s main character is 10-year-old Jo who spends her days on the Shenandoah River with her best friend Selma, fishing, scrapping for metal—surviving. But when her abusive junkie stepfather dies, Jo decides, Selma in tow, to dump the body, steal the car, and set off across the country in search of her real dad, a legendary folk singer in Los Angeles. 

Another standout feature of this year’s festival: women direct nearly half the films. “As our nation celebrates the 19th amendment guaranteeing women’s right to vote, we are honoring this milestone of equality by featuring a number of films by women and about women,” added Wohler. “One goal of the festival is to give underrepresented voices in the film world the opportunity to be heard.”

Festival patrons can also look forward to the popular Burke and Herbert Bank Family Showcase, which features films by and about young people. Two “Salute to Service Members” Showcases are offered free of charge to active and retired service members to celebrate the Veteran’s Day Weekend falling on the same dates as the festival. The Sunrise Senior Living Old Town Showcase features a menu of seven short films—including one World Premiere.

Accessing the films online is simple. Viewers can either watch the films as scheduled in the festival program or watch within a two-week period from the time the films are purchased. Either way requires a ticket. Showcase tickets are $12 while an all-festival pass is $50. There are 14 Showcases -- blocks of films organized around a theme -- and numerous Q&A sessions with film directors, producers, actors and composers. Purchase tickets at AlexFilmFest.com. 

While virtual, the Alexandria Film Festival relies on the generosity of the Alexandria community, -- the city, businesses and residents – for the charitable support needed to conduct the festival. This year’s major sponsors include: Sunrise Senior Living Old Town, Burke & Herbert Bank, Connection Newspapers, Visit Alexandria, Alexandria Living, Alexandria Commission for the Arts, and Alexandria Hyundai. Sponsors make showcases or film blocks possible. The festival also received funding through Spring2Action and ACT for Alexandria.

All festival pass holders in the city of Alexandria will be entered into a drawing for a deluxe movie basket delivered to the winner’s home on opening night. Enjoy popcorn, soda, and candy complements of the festival while enjoying the films. Follow the festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates. Use the hashtag #AlexFilmFest to discuss films online.

"Apocalypse 45" - See It on Eventive

Courtesy of Discovery Channel

Dear AFF 2020 supporters, friends, family and film buffs,

Please join us for a special opportunity World Premier to experience the WW2 documentary, "Apocalypse 45" (2020) which brings to living color the brutal waning days of the US involvement in the Pacific ($12, 103 minutes).

Similar to the 2018 documentary, "They Shall Not Grow Old", the newly colorized footage brings an immediacy and relatedness to the soldiers, kamikazes, war scenes, Japanese civilians, and life in 1945. See the actual flag raising at Iwo Jima, later memorialized by the famous statue in Arlington.

The soldier/cameraman who captured this historic event did not survive the war, as did many who carried a camera instead of a weapon to bring us this story.

You will see the immediate aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and hear from those who survived it.  Directed by Erik Nelson, the film was drawn from 700 reels of archival color footage, never before seen by the public, that have been sitting in a vault in the National Archives and have been digitally restored to 4K.

We hope you can join us! Please click on the link below to get started. You will have 10 days to watch the film before the online link expires.  https://watch.eventive.org/apocalpyse45/play/5f2ff25517d136004ef03778

Be among the first to see this one-of-a-kind intimate, historic footage of US troops in the WW2 Pacific theater. A review of "Apolcalypse 45" is below. https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/apocalypse-45-review-1234735570/

Mark your calendars for the Alexandria Film Festival, November 12-15.

Excellent Series Explains Why NONE Of The Villains Went To Jail

Dear Alexandria Film Fest Friend and Cinephile:

You are invited to watch the new and just released docuseries “The Con.” This fascinating five-part series investigates the 2008 financial crash, and explains very clearly why it happened, who profited, why those responsible have not gone to prison, and why we are more at risk today than ever. As a former federal investigator featured in the series puts it: “the best way to rob a bank is to own one . . . . this is the largest conspiracy of lies in the history of the world.” With the pandemic and economic dislocation increasing savings rates at historic proportions, we think this is information you need to know. 

By special arrangement with the film’s distributor, Abramorama, we are able to offer this exclusive opportunity to you and other Alexandria  Film Festival patrons ONLY.  Just released yesterday, this film series is not available in theaters or on any service like Netflix or Prime. Access the full series for $20—that’s less than $5 per episode. 

To purchase your ticket:  https://watch.eventive.org/thecon/play/5f2be609e898c60036252efa.

After unlocking, you will have two weeks to watch the film, and one week to finish watching once you start it.

This is only one of several NEW films we will offer in the coming weeks and months leading up to the 2020 Alexandria Film Festival in November. As much as we regret the loss of the in-person theater experience, we are working hard to curate great and exclusive viewing experiences that will not be offered by any theater or on line video service. Stay tuned for further opportunities in the coming weeks by visiting our website: AlexFilmFest.com and signing up for our mailing list via the “Contact” tab. Let us know if you have any questions or comments at info.alexandriafilm@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Film-making has not been cancelled and we are going to continue to bring the best of it to you!

Sincerely,

The Board and Leadership of the Alexandria Film Festival

Greetings Alexandria Film Festival Patrons and Fans!

Thank you for your loyal support for the Alexandria Film Festival. We want to assure you that this year’s festival will happen—whether virtually or in person--in November. 

In the meantime, we have been working to provide you with fantastic programming while theaters remain closed. We are so excited to tell you that we have some great opportunities coming up very  soon. 

Starting this Friday, July 31, in a special arrangement with the film’s distributor Abramorama, and Imagine Films, we are able to offer you an exclusive opportunity to watch Ron Howard’s new film “Rebuilding Paradise” when it is released—along with question and answer video with Ron Howard himself.  This amazing film, about the devastating fire in Paradise, California, will put you in the middle of the mayhem, and in the inspiring resilience of that community to rebuild and defy the odds. 

This is only the first of several NEW films that we will offer you in the coming weeks and months leading up to the 2020 Alexandria Film Festival in November. As much as we regret the loss of the in-person theater experience, we are working very hard to curate great and exclusive viewing experiences for you, that will not be offered by any theater. Stay tuned for further opportunities in the coming weeks. 

To purchase your ticket:  https://watch.eventive.org/rebuildingparadisefilm/play/5f1f0d11a25c7800299cd833 

As you will see, you have 30 days to see the film and 3 days to finish it after you press “play,” so this arrangement is pretty favorable to all of us. 

For access to Ron Howard Q and A: 

Let us know if you have any questions and how we can enhance your film watching experience during this pandemic!

Film-making has not been cancelled and we are going to continue to bring the best of it to you!

Sincerely,

The Board and Leadership of the Alexandria Film Festival

Alexandria Symphony Announces “Homegrown” Filmmakers

For Immediate Release  |  June 3, 2020

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

Alexandria Symphony Announces “Homegrown” Filmmakers

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) announces that six filmmakers have been selected to participate in its joint project, Homegrown: American Stories in Music and Film.

The films will accompany music by American composers performed “live to picture” by the orchestra as part of ASO’s 2020-2021 season on November 7 and 8, 2020. The works will also be screened as part of the Alexandria Film Festival on November 12-15, 2020.

Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral, composed in memory of her brother and commissioned for the Curtis Institute of Music in 1999, is reflective and nostalgic. Director Michael Fallavollita will retell his Tale of the Kite, which garnered 25 film festival awards, including the Special Jury Award at the 2017 Alexandria Film Festival. The narrative follows a young test pilot stranded in a mysterious desert. As he awaits rescue, his thoughts drift to childhood memories of his grandfather.

William Grant Still was a composer and pioneer within his time as the first African-American to conduct and have his works performed with a major orchestra. He composed his “Manhattan Skyline” in 1957 as part of a larger work, The American Scene, which resembles love letters to five regions of America. Film artists Jane Pittman and Annette Brieger will marry the vibrant history of Washington, D.C. and its U-Street corridor once known as “Black Broadway” with its re-emergence as an urban hot spot of street murals, DJs, and dynamic art.

Charles Tomlinson Griffes, prolific in his short life and great uncle to ASO’s Maestro James Ross, composed Clouds in 1919 for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Filmmaker Alexi Scheiber will present one of his last and most ethereal works with an experimental stop-motion animation of a cardinal exploring beautiful skyscapes as a celebration of state birds and the natural world.

An American journey would not be complete without Aaron Copland. His 1940 rendition of John Henry celebrates the black folk legend who battles a machine to drive railroad steel. Accompanying the piece is Shannon Washington’s epic film documenting a bone-breaking showdown with Beatyafeet, a D.C.-based Go-Go derived dance transformed into a ballet expressing art of motion, creativity and emotion.

Revised over decades as part of Three Places in New England, Charles Ives composed “Housatonic at Stockbridge” in 1911 shortly after he married his wife, Harmony. Utilizing found video footage, artist Tim McLoraine depicts Ives imagining his life to come with his new wife as he overlooks the pastoral beauty of the Housatonic River, deep in the Berkshires.

Originally composed for the 1940 film adaptation of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Our Town, Copland derived music from the score for an orchestral suite. Building upon themes of tradition and community, filmmaker Andrea Kalin will set the suite to scenes of our own town—our beloved Alexandria. The visual narrative, which will follow the city as it awakens to a new day, will feature evocative cinematography, rare archival imagery, and most importantly, crowd-sourced footage collected from our community—all of us contributing to why Alexandria is special and allowing the soul of the city to shine through the images of its people.

Subscription packages for the ASO’s 2020-2021 season are now on sale, starting at $90. Military, senior and group discounts are also available. To order tickets and for more information, visit www.alexsym.org or call (703) 548-0885.

Filmmaker Biographies Writer/Director Michael Fallavollita started out in the motion picture industry as an assistant film editor for Steven Spielberg. Some of his early credits include Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Casper, and Hook. Oscar Winner Michael Lantieri gave Michael his first feature editing opportunity on his film, Komodo. Next, Michael edited for Back to the Future writer/producer Bob Gale on his original film Interstate 60. Over several years, Michael has edited for Christopher Nolan, Alfonso Cuaron, Frank Darabont, Roko Belic, Kevin Smith, Guillermo del Toro and Zack Snyder on various documentaries, television shows, and motion pictures.

Jane Pittman is an award-winning director, cinematographer and editor based in Alexandria. Her extensive repertoire of short films, feature documentaries and educational/training videos has appeared on PBS and film festivals throughout the world. (Coming Back to the Hoop, This is How Time Passes, Prophets Rising, In Your Hands, The Makeover). Coming Back to the Hoop is in distribution with Random Media, It received the Audience Award at the 2014 Alexandria Film Festival, as did The Makeover in 2014. Jane’s films are also distributed nationally by Films Media Group, a distributor of social interest educational programming. With a master’s degree in music, Jane’s work follows a distinct rhythm, lending her films a unique artistic touch.

Annette Brieger is the Senior Producer for the Washington, D.C. bureau of ZDF German Television. She has been a broadcast journalist for thirty years, working both in the United States and Germany, covering Washington politics and presidential elections, major events like Hurricane Katrina and the Salt Lake City Olympics, and the financial crash of 2008. Annette and Jane have been collaborating on numerous projects in the independent film community and not-for-profit world for many years. Their artistic collaboration has produced a number of critically acclaimed and award-winning documentaries.

Alexi Scheiber graduated Maryland Institute College of Art with an Animation major and a dual minor in illustration and creative writing. Her work spans many mediums but is tied together by two central components: an attention to handcraft in the execution, and a sense of love and optimism, even when handling darker themes. Alexi enjoys combining high fantasy and quiet moments in her work, balancing wonder and intimacy. She learned to paint in watercolors, and while she enjoys other mediums, nothing comes close so far as texture and organic expression. She believes watercolor's flexibility lends itself to interdisciplinary work. Alexi is interested in many varieties of creative work, particularly opportunities in Multimedia Animation, Art Education, and Book Illustration. She is always looking to learn new skills.

Shannon Washington also known as Shannondoah, a childhood nickname given to her by her late cousin, was born in Boston, MA and lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area. She is a student of the arts with a multidisciplinary background spanning across the gamut of visual storytelling and branding. Her career started in 2006 as a freelance designer; however, from the moment she could dream, she has been enveloped in the wonders of creativity. Shannon’s love for cinema originates from the whimsical wonderings of classics such as The Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the melodic storytelling of Crooklyn and Do the Right Thing. Shannon uses these influences along with principles of psychology to craft content that resonates with her audience in an intimately visceral way. Shannon approaches her films and scripted series with a blend of intellect, humor, wit, and emotion. Her goal is for each individual to feel impacted by every project she creates. Shannon is driven by artistic expression. Her philosophy of being constantly curious and perpetually evolving is a staple of the content she produces and the hallmark to her everyday life.

Tim McLoraine is an artist and musician who creates video art for collaborative performance and installations. His work has shown in concert halls, opera stages, and galleries. Notable collaborations include Salome Dances for Peace (Terry Riley) with the Ruysdael Quartet, Miraculous Mandarin (Bartók) with the Columbus Symphony, Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček) with the New York Philharmonic, Orphic Moments at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, Abduction from the Seraglio (Mozart) performed at the Teatro del Lago in Chile, and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Weill) at the Tanglewood Music Center. His solo exhibition Hindsight: stories and loops debuted at the Dupont Underground in Washington, D.C., and his video installation all that we see or seem was shown at the 39th Street Gallery in Maryland. In addition to his art practice, Tim performs regularly with the musical duo Fine.

Andrea Kalin is the creative visionary and founder of Spark Media, a production company dedicated to crafting stories with a strong social conscience. Her films have aired on major networks around the globe, screened theatrically to sold-out audiences, and earned more than 100 industry awards, including a Prime Time Emmy, and Golden Globe and WGA nominations. Andrea specializes in bringing to viewers the emotional front line where lives of courage, perseverance and dignity transcend seemingly insurmountable hardships. Scattering CJ is her 12th documentary feature. Other recent films include: First Lady of the Revolution, Red Lines, and No Evidence of Disease. Her diverse filmography also includes: Smithsonian Channel’s Worlds of Sound and Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story; PBS’s Prince Among Slaves, Talking Through Walls, and The Pact, and a theatrical release, Allah Made me Funny, starring Mo Amer. Kalin’s debut, Partners of the Heart, narrated by Morgan Freeman, was aired on PBS’ “American Experience,” won the Erik Barnouw Award for Best History Documentary, and inspired the award-winning HBO original, Something the Lord Made, starring Alan Rickman and Mos Def. Andrea believes that all her films reflect a common spark: an inspired—and inspiring—impulse to shine a light on the unexpected and to share stories that become a part of who we are and how we see our world. Scattering C.J. will be featured at the 2020 Alexandria Film Festival this November.

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and Alexandria Film Festival Form First-Ever Partnership

For Immediate Release  |  March 17, 2020

Contact: Patti North, Executive Director, Alexandria Film Festival, pattinorth@gmail.com | 703-549-5250

George Hanson, Executive Director, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra ghanson@alexsym.org | 703-548-0885

Deadline Extended to Friday, April 24

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and Alexandria Film Festival
Form First-Ever Partnership

Call for Concepts Issued to Filmmakers for

“Homegrown: American Stories in Music and Film”

ALEXANDRIA  |  The Alexandria Film Festival and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra will undertake a historic partnership in 2020, for the first time leveraging its combined expertise to produce a unique blend of orchestral music and original film. The ASO and AFF will commission five new films to be screened “live to picture” with American orchestral pieces performed by the symphony at its November 7 and 8 concerts, and then screened during the 14th annual film festival November 12–15. 

ASO and AFF have jointly issued a “Call for Concepts” inviting filmmakers to apply. The filmmakers will be selected by Alexandria Film Festival leadership, in collaboration with Alexandria Symphony leadership, and may include students and emerging talent, as well as established filmmakers. Each filmmaker selected will receive a $1,000 commission, performance credits in the event program and website, and will retain all rights to their work.

The orchestral works to be presented are by five American composers, each played in tandem with a 3–5 minute film. ASO music director James Ross (who envisioned this project) says, “Much of this music comes from the middle decades of the 20th century when American composers began to successfully depict our country’s unique flavor in sound. These pieces can be seen (or heard) as a kind of big metaphor for the tenderness and danger that our country and world presently faces.” 

Margaret Wohler, AFF board chair appreciates this unique opportunity for filmmakers to participate in a cross-genre art form. “Live music was common in the silent film era, and we are all familiar with grand orchestral soundtracks as a quintessential part of the film-going experience. With this project AFF and ASO are resurrecting the excitement of live music performed together with film, while cutting a new edge in the presentation of both.” 

Interested filmmakers can find more information at: AlexFilmFest.com/Homegrown

About the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra

Northern Virginia’s premiere fully professional orchestra, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1943 and has established a reputation for thematic and cross-genre programming that features a mix of classical and contemporary music. The ASO’s move in 2002 to the critically acclaimed Schlesinger Center established its reach and reputation as one of the region’s leading arts institutions. The symphony has distinguished itself through powerful performances marked by poetry, vision, and a sense of adventure.

About the Alexandria Film Festival

The Alexandria Film Festival was founded in 2007, and annually features more than 50 high-quality short and feature-length independent films over a four-day weekend, in advance of their arrivals at commercial theaters, streaming services, or television. It also brings filmmakers, including directors, actors, producers and other filmmaking professionals from around the world, to the historic port city of Alexandria, Virginia to interact and engage with an enthusiastic audience of more than 1,200 film buffs, thought leaders, and arts and culture mavens.

The AFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by a grant from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts and numerous corporate sponsors including Brandywine Living at Alexandria, Burke and Herbert Bank, The Foundry at Carlyle, Hilton Hotels, Connection Newspapers, Alexandria Hyundai, Ted’s Montana Grill, San Antonio Grill, Glory Days Grill, Wilson Grand Communications, West End Business Association, and Alexandria Living Magazine, Visit Alexandria, Alexandria Times, and Alphagraphics.  AlexFilmFest.com.

For more information, visit AlexFilmFest.com/Homegrown.

Bong Joon Ho's "PARASITE" Movie Review by Dennis D. McDonald

What begins as a farcical satire of haves vs. have-nots morphs into a tragicomedy with disturbing moral overtones.

We start with a down-and-out family that lives at a very low level (literally) that, headed by an out of work patriarch, folds pizza boxes to get by. The son by chance and via some subterfuge gets a job with a rich upper class family teaching its teenage daughter English. He brings in his sister to tutor the young son by taking advantage of the rich mother’s gullibility. Then through some chicanery the housekeeper is fired to be replaced by the poor family’s mom. And the rich family’s driver is maneuvered out of his position and the dad takes over as driver.

All disguise their family relationships as they embed themselves into the day to day life of the well-off family. The “hijinks that ensue” are both comic and (increasingly) tragic. Things take a very dark turn and there are shocks and surprises along the way. By the end we are forced to wonder, “Who is the host and who is the parasite”?

Fans of Korean cinema will recognize key players here as class divisions become increasingly apparent as the story proceeds towards a dark end.

What also impressed me are the production details and photography. The production team takes full advantage of widescreen photography to contrast the living conditions of the two families with special attention paid to the dramatic architecture and sweeping horizontal lines of the rich family’s house. Despite most of this film taking place “indoors” I was especially pleased to see the movie on a large — and wide — theater screen. Full and effective use of surround sound is also made with voices emanating from all points of the theater. The sounds of rain and running water also contribute to the viewer’s immersion in the onscreen action.

Highly recommended. This is definitely one of the best films I’ve seen so far in 2019 and I’m glad I saw it in a theater.

Read more reviews from Dennis D. McDonald on his website, www.ddmcd.com/movies/

Alexandria Film Fest Awards Top Honors to 'Wake'