Filmfest DC returns for its 38th year from April 18 through April 28, 2024 with a lineup of 65 exciting films spanning across a variety of categories, including World View (international) cinema), Justice Matters (social issues), Trust No One (thrillers), The Lighter Side (comedies), Shorts and more.
Opening Night kicks off with the DC premiere of Widow Clicquot (France/UK). The film is based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name and tells the story behind the famous Veuve Clicquot champagne. Haley Bennet (Music & Lyric, Cyrano) plays Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, the businesswoman who broke gender barriers and revolutionized the industry. There will be a discussion and reception following the Opening Night film.
Highlights of the festival include political films like Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy (USA), which exposes how Christian Nationalism attempts to become the most powerful anti-democratic force in America, The Old Oak (UK), the latest film by Ken Loach (The Wind that Shakes the Barley) which details a village in northeastern England that has become a safe haven for Syrian refugees, and In The Rearview (Poland/Ukraine), a film that documents the lives of Ukrainians sitting inside a van shuttling them to safety via war-torn roads.
On a lighter note are two music films, Bring the Beat (US), which celebrates Washington, DC’s go-go music scene, and The Humbler (US) about the legendary DC guitarist and self-described creator of “redneck jazz,” Danny Gatton. A Difficult Year (France) is a comedy following two swindlers, deep in debt, who infiltrate a group of climate activists for the free food and drinks.
Other highlights include the thrillers Diabolik (Italy), about the dark and romantic story of a master thief in the 1960s, and A Normal Family (Japan), a film about two brothers who must make a drastic choice after discovering a dreadful secret.
Since 2020 The Arabian Sights Film Festival has been incorporated into Filmfest DC. Highlights from that section include Bye Bye Tiberias (Palestine) a timely documentary film about Emmy-nominated Hiam Abbass (Ramy, Succession), and her return to her rapidly changing Palestinian village after many years away. The film tells the intimate story about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation. The Chanting of the Dunes (US), follows the story of Wahbi al-Hariri-Rifai, who was an accomplished international artist, architect, archeologist, and author, and the first living artist to be honored with a solo exhibition at the Smithsonian. This narrative film takes viewers on a journey through multiple countries and momentous world changes.
Closing Night of the festival will feature The Trouble with Jessica (UK), a film about a dinner gone terribly wrong, with a cast that includes Alan Tudyk, star of Netflix’s breakout comedy Resident Alien.
In a continuing effort to expand film opportunities throughout the city, Filmfest DC will also host several films and programs beyond the movie theater walls. There will be a screening of Bring the Beat: Go-Go in DC at The Kennedy Center, as well as Movies Under the Stars at the Wharf. Filmfest DC’s Impact Project will take filmmakers into the city’s public schools. Additionally, PBS TV stations WETA and WHUT will host “Filmfest DC Select” showing the festival’s many local films.
Many of the above film directors, subjects and stars will be present throughout the festival. Most screenings will take place at Landmark E Street Cinema, (555 11th Street, NW).
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