2008 Alexandria Film Festival: Reel Politics
Film Festival Program Guide
Welcome to the Festival
The 2008 Alexandria Film Festival: Reel Politics will be held
from Thursday, September 25 through Sunday, September 28.
Thursday night's opening activities, beginning at 7:30 p.m. will
take place in Market Square in Old Town, all other screenings
will take place at the Nannie J. Lee Community Center, 1108 Jefferson
Street in Alexandria.
Tickets
for the festival are $10 for a one-day pass or $30 for entire
festival, with a discounted price of $25 if you purchase in advance.
Tickets may be purchased on-line with a credit card at www.alexandriacommissionforthearts.org
or at any point during the festival with a check or cash. The
screening on Thursday night in Market Square is free and open
to the public.
If
you are interested in volunteering during the film festival or
for any of the other programs and events of the Alexandria Commission
for the arts, please email aca.volunteer@yahoo.com.
Visit
www.alexandriacommissionforthearts.org
for more information on the films and schedule or to purchase
tickets.
Thursday, September 25 - Market Square - 301 King Street Alexandria,
VA.
7:30-8
pm
Official City Welcome and Festival Kick-Off
8
pm
"Recount" - Directed by Jay Roach
Examining the divisive process that culminated in the Supreme
Court decision in Bush v. Gore, Recount by HBO Films chronicles
the 2000 presidential election and the relentless advocacy of
strategists on both sides of the Florida controversy. This docudrama,
featuring Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Tom Wilkinson, and Dennis
Leary, examines the human drama of the final five weeks of the
most controversial presidential election in U.S. history. Called
"smart, star-studded" by Variety; "powerful…magnificently
acted" by the New York Post; and "gripping" by
Entertainment Weekly, Recount mixes news footage and actual dialogue
with fictionalized re-creations of the key movers and shakers
of the Florida fight. 2008. (120min)
Friday,
September 26
Lee Center Kauffman Auditorium - 1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria,
VA.
7-8:15
pm
"Miss Betty's American History Tours: George Washington's
Hometown - Alexandria, Virginia" - Directed by Robert
Rector
Enjoy a lively, informative walk through Alexandria, VA with tour
guide "Miss Betty" Ward, who takes a humorous fact-finding
look at the City of Alexandria's colonial period and founding.
This documentary short was shot in historic locations and uses
reenactments, animation, and period artwork to bring the town's
colorful history to life. Miss Betty describes George Washington's
life, including his battlefield valor in the French and Indian
War, his reputation as king of the ballroom, his affinity for
ice cream, and his early survey of the new town. The result is
an unusual and delightful history lesson with Miss Betty. 2008.
(47min.)
Miss Betty will make a special appearance before the screening
to introduce viewers to colonial Alexandria.
8:30-10
pm
"Election Day" - Director by Katy Chevigny
Election Day is one of few days in the United States in which
vast numbers of Americans are united in a common activity, encompassing
millions of people and complicated logistics, all aimed at choosing
the next leader of the free world. Election Day follows an ex-felon,
factory workers, harried moms, Native American activists, and
others as they exercise their right to vote. Eleven stories, shot
simultaneously on Election Day 2004, follow real voters from South
Dakota to New York and Florida to Wisconsin as they determine
to make their votes count. The Los Angeles Times writes "Election
Day is a terrific cinema verite documentary...finely observed
and beautifully filmed." 2007. (82 min.)
Saturday,
September 27
Lee Center Kauffman Auditorium -1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria,
VA.
1-2:35
pm
"Dylan's Run" - Directed by Steven Johnson and David
Rosenthal
What drives a young African American man, the great-grandson of
emancipated slaves, to become a member of the Republican Party
and run for Congress in the South? Dylan's Run is an eye-opening
journey into American politics, as seen through the experiences
of a charismatic African American Republican. This film takes
the pulse of race and politics in America as it follows Dylan
Glenn, a former Alexandria, VA resident who attended T.C.Williams
High School, in his attempt to make history by winning a congressional
seat in a white-majority Deep South district. This riveting adventure
"provides an entertaining, often humorous look at the long
hours that go into a modern U.S. campaign effort," according
to Variety. 2002. (94 min)
3-5
pm
"Crawford" - Directed by David Modigliani
What happens to the 705 residents of Crawford, TX when George
W. Bush buys a ranch nearby and then becomes president of the
United States? Thrust into the spotlight by political stagecraft,
Crawford is invaded and then abandoned, leaving no resident untouched
by its unsought and unexpected fame. Through the eyes of Crawford's
people, we get a unique reflection on the Bush presidency and
a snapshot of the last seven years in America. 2008. (90 min)
Producers David Modigliani and Tanya Schurr will be in attendance
for a panel discussion.
5:15-6
pm
"Frontierismo" - Directed by Sofie Benoot
Belgian filmmaker Sofie Benoot takes a new look at the U.S. immigration
issue through a visually poetic journey along the border between
the U.S. and Mexico. The RioGrande River is the backdrop for this
look at the tensions between movement and immobility and the effects
of isolation and exclusion. 2007. (40 min.)
6:15-7:30 pm
The Story of "9500Liberty" - Directed by Eric Byler
and Annabel Park
Director Eric Byler will present several of these videos and discuss
the creation and ongoing work of 9500Liberty. 9500Liberty
is compelling documentary filmmaking that brings real and immediate
stories from ground zero of the national immigration debate in
Prince William County, VA. Using a series of video clips, this
"interactive documentary," presented as a YouTube channel,
monitors the immigration controversy in Prince William County.
Two local Virginia filmmakers created the 9500Liberty channel
in 2007, and they have made international headlines with their
100 + original video clips covering events as they unfold. The
filmmakers hope to "promote greater understanding and alleviate
the hostility in Northern Virginia, in the nation, and wherever
the immigration "issue" threatens a peaceful and productive
society." 2007. (60 min.)
7:45-8:45 pm
"The Anti-Americans" - Directed by Louis Alvarez,
Andrew Kolker, and Peter Odabashian
The Anti-Americans takes a provocative look at the conflicting
attitudes and estrangement that have developed between the U.S.
and its European allies in recent years. The film examines current
European views of American politics and culture in three very
different places: France, the United Kingdom, and Poland. Mixing
humor and commentary, this documentary notes that much of the
goodwill toward the U.S. resulting from 9/11/2001 has been lost,
and that Old World attitudes can be contradictory, infuriating,
and hilarious, reflecting a "hate/love relationship."
2007. (56min.)
9-10
pm
"Culture Jam: Hijacking Commercial Culture" - Directed
by Jill Sharpe
Enter the intriguing world of midnight billboard raids and the
mid-afternoon hijacking of public space. This film looks at the
commercialization of American life through the eyes of three "culture
jammers" who protest against it: media tigress Carly Stasko,
Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping, and Jack Napier
of the Billboard Liberation Front. Armed with DIY anti-ad stickers,
custom neon, and stuffed mice on crosses, these jammers hijack,
subvert, and try to reclaim public space from corporations. 2001.
(57 min.)
Sunday,
September 28
Lee Center Kauffman Auditorium - 1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria,
VA.
1-2:30
pm
"Blacks & Jews" - Directed by Alan Snitow and
Deborah Kaufman
This provocative film looks at the interethnic conflict between
Black and Jewish communities, focusing on misunderstandings and
how to make the shift to mutual understanding and tolerance. Blacks
& Jews, made collaboratively by Jewish and Black filmmakers,
goes behind headlines and rhetoric to take a frank and constructive
look at ethnic and racial tensions in America. 1997. (85 min)
2:45
pm
"An American Lesson" - Directed by David Hopwood
Deena Barlev, a teacher at White Oaks Middle School in Silver
Spring, MD, developed and teaches a course on the civil rights
movement for eighth-graders. This documentary short captures an
innovative teacher as she deconstructs myths and reveals surprising
details about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Ultimately, she leads
her students toward an understanding of how to bring about change
in America. 2007. (12 min.)
3-4:15
pm
"Come Walk in My Shoes" - Directed by Robin Smith
This award-winning documentary provides a fresh, first-person
perspective on
on the civil rights movement and one of its leaders, Congressman
John R. Lewis (D- GA). Lewis takes his congressional colleagues
on an personal pilgrimage to sacred sites of the civil rights
movement in Alabama. The journey begins in Montgomery, where 18-year-old
John Lewis first met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and ends in
Selma on the Edmund Pettis Bridge, where the future congressman
was beaten as he led a march for the voting rights. In between,
we meet some lesser-known but significant movement activists,
and Lewis reflects on the nonviolent protests that challenged
segregation in the South and led to the passage of the 1965 Voting
Rights Act. Come Walk in My Shoes brings us a new view of the
"unsung heroes who cared deeply, sacrificed much, and fought
hard for a better America." 2007. (56 min.)
Director Robin Smith will introduce the film.
4:30-5:30
pm
Awards Presentation and Reception
All are welcome as we celebrate the conclusion of the festival
and honor the featured films. The reception begins with a performance
by the Women's Ecumenical Choir of the Ebenezer Baptist Church,
directed by Minister Becky Mays. Three awards will then be presented:
an Audience Award, an Excellence in Filmmaking Award, and a Special
Jury Prize . The reception concludes with light refreshments.
The
City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the City's
Human Rights Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act. To
request a reasonable accommodation or to request materials in
an alternative format, call Cheryl Anne Colton, Cultural Arts
Administrator, of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural
Activities at 703.838.6348 (TTY 703.838.4902) or email cherylanne.colton@alexandriava.gov.
