Sixteenth Washington DC Independent Film Festival Program Announced

The DC Independent Film Festival (DCIFF) has announced its official 2014 selections. The festival opens on February 19th and runs through February 23rd, during which time it will premiere 72 feature-length and short films at its two main venues - the US Navy Memorial (701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20004; Metro: Archives), and the Goethe Institut (812 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001; Metro: Chinatown).
By: Washington DC Independent Film Festival (DCIFF)
WASHINGTON - Jan. 20, 2014 - PRLog -- The festival opens on Wednesday, February 19 with The Toastmaster, the first feature film by acclaimed Spanish music video director Eric Boadella. This poignant and funny drama follows a young man as he comes into his unlikely inheritance - his place in a line of great Armenian toastmasters.

DCIFF is proud to highlight local filmmakers again this year, with five films by artists from the DC area (Leaving Sharpe, Water, Blood and Circumstance, Ofir, and Sons of the City). The depth of talent in evidence in this diverse slate of films makes it clear that the area will be home to interesting, profound, and thought-provoking cinema for years to come.

Music and film have gone hand in hand since before the invention of the “talkies”, and DCIFF 2014 continues this tradition. The festival will close on Sunday, February 23rd with a screening of This Ain't No Mouse Music!. The films Brothers Hypnotic, The Road to Fame, 3 Mile Limit, Searching for Perfection, and Virtuos Virtuell will explore the many facets of music and the performing arts.

The relationship of humanity to our shared habitat is another theme which is prominent at DCIFF 2014. Most notable among the slate of films are Ofir, a documentary which tells the dramatic story of Ofir Drori’s efforts to stop illegal animal poaching in Africa, and The Guardian of Guano, a short film chronicling what it means to be the caretaker of an isolated Peruvian nature reserve and the birds who help to fuel the region’s agriculture.

The festival will also spotlight the extraordinary flourishing of independent filmmaking, thanks largely to new technologies. Advanced hardware and software is now easily within reach even of high school students, and the internet has put filmmakers in touch with potential funders in ways that previous generations of artists could only dream of. The festival has responded to these changes with two initiatives.

First, DCIFF will be hosting its first ever High School Film Competition at the GALA Hispanic Theater (3333 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20010; Metro: Columbia Heights) on Saturday, February 22nd. These young filmmakers will have the opportunity to showcase their work and receive feedback from experienced judges, as well as gaining exposure to the film festival circuit.

In addition, DCIFF's Summit on the Hill (Thursday, February 20th from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM; Congressional Offices, Room TBD) will focus on “crowdfunding” as a means of funding independent filmmaking and the role that legislation will play in this vital support system. The Summit, hosted by the Congressional Entertainment Caucus, provides a unique opportunity for filmmakers, media, producers, and other industry professionals to share their concerns and their expert perspectives with Congressional policymakers.

Many key figures - writers, directors, actors, issue experts, and documentary subjects - attend the festival and 2014 is no exception, when we will be joined by, among others, Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams, director Jennifer Lynch, and actor Jeffrey Wright (to be confirmed).

Alongside its diverse slate of films, DCIFF will continue its tradition of supporting the art of filmmaking by offering seminars and master classes taught by leaders in their fields. DCIFF will hold workshops on:  Music scoring; Web-based series; Sound design; Cinematography and technology; Animation; Acting in independent films; Location and permits; Legal concerns for independent filmmakers.

In addition, DCIFF is pleased to announce that Manny Perez (Greencard Warriors, Homeland, Rescue Me) will be conducting a master class for actors and two-time Oscar winner Ron Judkins (Lincoln, Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park) will hold a master class for sound design.

DCIFF is about more than just film, featuring a nightly happy hour with live musical entertainment by local bands and a chance to mingle with filmmakers, actors, and fellow festival-goers.

DCIFF is pleased to announce the following special screenings:

OPENING NIGHT
The Toastmaster (East Coast Premiere)
8:00 PM Wednesday, February 19
US Navy Memorial
Director: Eric Boadella
Filmmaker in Attendance

CLOSING NIGHT
This Ain't No Mouse Music!
7:30 PM Sunday, February 23
US Navy Memorial
Directors: Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling
Filmmakers and Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz in Attendance

WORLD PREMIERES

Blood and Circumstance
4:30 PM Saturday, February 22
US Navy Memorial
Director: Tim Gordan
Filmmaker and Cast Members in Attendance

Sons of the City
9:00 PM Thursday, February 20
US Navy Memorial
Director: Marcus Richardson
Filmmaker and Cast Members in Attendance

SCREENINGS WITH PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Partners for Peace
6:00 PM, Wednesday, February 19th
US Navy Memorial
Director: Ed Kucerak
Director, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, and Jaclyn Friedman Participating

Despite the Gods
7:00 PM, Thursday, February 20th
US Navy Memorial
Director: Penny Vozniak
Conversation with Director Jennifer  Lynch

Below is the full festival schedule:

Wednesday February 19th

6:00 - 8:00 PM: Partners for Peace ($; US Navy Memorial)
8:00 - 10:00 PM: The Toastmaster with Girl Meets Boys and The Well ($; US Navy Memorial)
10:00-11:15pm Post-Screening Toasting Party

Thursday February 20th
10:00 - 1:00 PM: On the Hill Summit: Legislating Crowdfunding (Free; U. S. Congress, Room TBD)
6:00 - 7:00 PM: Happy Hour with Music (Free /w/ cash bar; US Navy Memorial)
7:00 - 9:00 PM: Despite the Gods with Handle With Care ($; US Navy Memorial)
9:00 - 11:15 PM: Sons of the City with Red ($; US Navy Memorial)

Friday February 21st
6:30 - 7:15 PM: Happy Hour with Live Music (Free /w/ cash bar; US Navy Memorial)
7:00 - 9:00 PM: Furever with The Missing Scarf ($; Goethe Institut)
7:15 - 9:30 PM: 3 Mile Limit ($; US Navy Memorial)
7:30 - 9:30 PM  Docs and Shorts at Night ($; US Navy Memorial)
9:00 - 11:15 PM: Paat with Ne Te Retourne Pas ($; Goethe Institut)
9:30 - 11:30 PM: They Will Outlive Us All with Killer and Das Feste de Leibe and Plumas ($; US Navy Memorial)

Saturday February 22nd
11:45 AM - 2:15 PM: Short Films For Mental Stretching ($; US Navy Memorial)
2:15 - 4:30 PM: Astounding Animation ($;US Navy Memorial)
3:00 - 6:00 PM: Juried High School Student Competition ($; GALA Hispanic Theater)
3:30 - 5:00 PM: Experimental Film and Music (curated by Sonic Circuits) ($; Goethe Institut)
4:30 - 6:30 PM: Blood and Circumstance ($; US Navy Memorial)
5:00 - 7:00 PM: Road to Fame with No Strangers ($; Goethe Institut)
6:30 - 9:00 PM: Greencard Warriors with Perfect Day ($; US Navy Memorial)
7:00 - 9:00 PM: Docs at Night ($; US Navy Memorial)
7:00 - 9:00 PM: Brothers Hypnotic ($; Goethe Institut)
8:45 - 9:30 PM Happy Hour & Live Music (Free /w/ cash bar; US Navy Memorial)
9:00 - 11:00 PM: Blood and Circumstance($; Goethe Institut)
9:30 - 11:30 PM: Lawrence & Holloman with Psychedelic Breakfast ($; US Navy Memorial)

Sunday, February 23rd
12:15 - 2:15 PM: Ofir with Guardian of Guano ($; US Navy Memorial)
2:15 - 5:00 PM: Shorts 2: Through Women's Eyes ($; US Navy Memorial)
5:00 - 7:15 PM Finding Neighbors with This Is It ($; US Navy Memorial)
7:30 - 9:15 PM: This Ain’t No Mouse Music ! ($; US Navy Memorial)
9:30 - 10:30 PM: Awards Party with Live Music

DCIFF Official Feature and Feature Documentary Film Selections 2014:

FEATURE FILMS
3 Mile Limit
New Zealand / 2013 / 105mins / DC Premiere directed by Craig Newland
Blood and Circumstance USA / 2014 / 97mins / World Premiere directed by Tim Gordan
Finding Neighbors USA / 2013 / 96mins / East Coast Premiere directed by  Ron Judkins
Greencard Warriors USA / 2013 / 90 mins / East Coast Premiere directed by Miriam Kruishoop
Lawrence & Holloman Canada / 2013 / 88mins / US Premiere directed by Matthew Kowalchuk
Paat Iran / 2013 / 77mins / US Premiere directed by Amir Toodehroosta
Sons of the City USA / 2014 / 77mins / World Premiere directed by Marcus Richardson
The Toastmaster Spain and USA / 2013 / 81mins / East Coast Premiere directed by Eric Boadella
They Will Outlive Us All USA / 2013 / 77mins / DC Premiere directed by Patrick Shearer

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS
Brothers Hypnotic
Netherlands & USA / 2013 / 86mins DC Premiere directed by Reuben Atlas
Furever USA / 2013 / 80mins DC Premiere directed by Amy Finkel
Ofir USA / 2013 / 58mins East Coast Premiere directed by Mark McDannald
Partners for Peace Canada / 2013 / 101mins US Premiere directed by Ed Kucerak
The Road to Fame China / 2013 / 80mins DC Premiere directed by Hao Wu
This Ain’t No Mouse Music! USA / 2013 / 92mins DC Premiere directed by Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling


More about DCIFF:

* DCIFF presents and promotes independent filmmakers. DC is a city with many facets and we try to involve and tap into all of these with the festival: the Federal government, 5 top-tier universities, a vibrant NGO community, the city's multicultural population, the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, and the rich cultural diversity brought by the many embassies in the District.

* The festival has always been 100% volunteer and 100% independent and as one of the few truly independent film festivals left in the US, it is even more impressive that it has remained constant during its tenure.

* We show films of any length, any genre, any style and from any country and we try to mix established and novice filmmakers to encourage discussion and opportunity. Our selection principles are simple: well-made, brave and conceptually challenging regardless of constraints. The festival has welcomed directors and producers such as John Daly, Keifer Sutherland, Ed Sanchez, Harry Shearer, and Les Blank.

* DCIFF is a small festival with a big profile that helps truly independent film keep up with the studio giants and cultivate extraordinary talent and ideas for the future of visual media.

To find out more about DCIFF, please visit our Web site (http://dciff-indie.org/) friend us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/dciff), subscribe to our "DCIFF Live" blog (dciff-indie.org/), follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/DCIndieFilmFest) or call the DCIFF office at 202-338-1198.


Media Contact
Maria Datch, Press
press@dciff.org
202-244-8663
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Page Updated Last on: Jan 20, 2014



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