I attended Showcase 1 of the DC Shorts Film Festival last night. For the festival, the films are divided into nine different showcases, including a ribald late-night collection of shorts as well as a family-appropriate slate. Each showcase contains around ten short films.
Here’s my take on the films in Showcase 1:
Sunday Punch – It’s a film noir that’s a little predictable but sexy and gorgeously shot.
Shovel Ready – A darkly comic 48 Hour Film about getting rid of the troublesome people in your life.
Prayers for Peace – Heartbreaking, beautiful and personal. Probably the film I’ll remember most.
Somewhere Never Traveled – One of those mysterious films that you’re entranced by, but don’t know what’s going on – like something by Sofia Coppola.
Hipster Job – A retelling of the story of Job, but with hipsters. Deliberately crude and stupid.
Quartering Act – A WWII drama that’s a little too long. Tries to get the historical details right but feels awfully American for a story set in France.
Just About Famous – A wry, funny and sympathetic look at the bizarre world of celebrity impersonators.
El Cortejo (The Cortege) – A Spanish film about finding love in the most unlikely of places.
Banana Bread – Hyper-violent and you can see the punchline coming from a mile away.
Gayby – My favorite. It’s like a modern Woody Allen movie, with a neurotic woman who wants to make a baby the old-fashioned way with her gay best friend.
They’re all interesting and entertaining films. See Showcase 1:
Saturday, September 11 @ 9:00pm @ U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center
(followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers)
Sunday, September 12 @ 1:00pm @ Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Tuesday, September 14 @ 9:00pm @ Landmark’s E Street Cinema
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