Filmfest D.C., though it’s hard to believe, is now a quarter-century old. “My first marriage didn’t last that long,” laughs festival founder and director Tony Gittens. The Washington area is now home to a number of well-programmed film festivals. But the Washington International Film Festival, as Filmfest D.C. is more formally known, was the capital’s first.
A lot has changed in 25 years. “There was no Internet, DVDs, Netflix, DirecTV, Rotten Tomatoes,” Gittens notes. “All the movie theaters from the early days have closed.” Locals owned most of those movie houses. Now D.C. is full of chains with film programmers working mostly from the Midwest, Gittens says. “A place like the Uptown is going to waste.”
He doesn’t believe the suits in the Middle West understand D.C.’s audience: “Washington has a smart, diverse, international audience. We’re people who like to go to the movies.” And for many in a population that’s made up of many people just coming to or soon to be leaving the capital, films are a way for people to connect, Gittens argues.
Twenty-five years means 2,500 films. Gittens and his team pride themselves on screening films that wouldn’t otherwise be seen here. Only about a dozen of this year’s nearly 100 films will get a D.C. release. The rest you might only get a chance to watch during the festival. Foreign films, in particular, have a tough time being bought in America. Filmfest D.C. allows you to experience the world of cinema far beyond our own borders.
Even the slate of films has transformed over the years. “I don’t think we had any films coming out of Iran our first year,” Gittens says. “This year, we have four.”
Filmfest D.C. thus offers a rare glimpse into the authoritarian country. “The Green Wave,” in an interesting combination of live action and animation, tells the tale of the young social media buffs who in 2009 bravely tried to take back their country. “Gold and Copper” is a more traditional film. It centers on a student of the Quran who’s forced to take on his wife’s home duties when she’s diagnosed with a disease. “Circumstance” is more controversial, exploring the consequences when two young women discover their attraction in fundamentalist Iran. Made by Iranian-American filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz, the film won the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. “Dog Sweat” was shot secretly in the country and shows that there’s much more to Iran that Americans — and even many Iranians — see. The film looks at the lives of young people in the country who like sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll — the drug being the banned alcohol, of course.
Really, there’s something for just about every cinematic taste at Filmfest D.C. “A Cat in Paris” is a charming children’s animated film from France. “Drei” (“3”) is the latest from “Run Lola Run” director Tom Tykwer, about a Berlin couple who each, unbeknownst to one another, have an affair with the same man. “The Hedgehog,” another French entry, is based on the international best-seller “The Elegance of the Hedgehog,” about an unconventional trio. Lovers of historical costume dramas will want to check out “Mozart’s Sister” and “Young Goethe in Love.”
Filmfest D.C. runs until April 17. A full schedule can be found online at FilmfestDC.org.
