Filmfest DC Thurs, April 15 through Sunday, April 25

Filmfest DC, Washington's longest running and most prestigious film festival, is set to kickoff April 15 with eleven days of the best in new international cinema.

This year the festival will feature provocative Italian films and cutting edge work from Romania, the hottest spot on the international cinema scene. Fans can also look forward to "The Tango Singer" (Argentina), "Hipsters" (Russia), "Medal of Honor" (Romania), "Heliopolis" (Egypt), "Will You Marry Us" (Switzerland), "25 Carats" (Spain) and scores of other international award winning films. Now celebrating its 24th year, Filmfest DC presents over 80 feature premieres, restored classics, shorts and special events in an enjoyable atmosphere for movie lovers. New this year is the Social Justice Award. The festival's audience is widely diverse, curious and knowledgeable and Filmfest DC has developed into one of the city's major cultural events.

As seen in the WAMU Calendar.

Filmfest DC April 15 - 25
Tickets now on sale!

The 24th Annual Washington, DC International Film Festival is set to kickoff April 15 with eleven days of the best and most exciting in new international cinema.
Look for our 24-page catalog in The Washington Post on Friday, April 9, and our centerfold ads in The Washington City Paper on April 1 and April 15.

Opening Night

The Filmfest DC Opening Night Gala will take place on Thursday, April 15 starting at 7:00 PM, at AMC Mazza Gallerie with a party immediately following at the Gallerie Atrium. There will be live music, dancing, food and Champagne. Plans are underway for a festive, entertaining and memorable evening!

Our opening night film premiere will be Hipsters, a vibrant musical from Russia, which takes place in the 50s. Hipsters has been described as Swing Kids meets Hairspray, bursting with razzle, dazzle and rhythm. The music and the dancing in the film is spectacular, beautifully and intricately choreographed, and bursting with color. Hipsters has been collecting prizes at film festivals worldwide, including the prize for best film at the Russian Nika Awards (equivalent to our Academy Awards).

Opening Night Gala entertainment will feature dance performances by Flying Feet and live dancing music by the Grandsons during the Gala.

Tickets are $40.00 per person for the film and Gala Party, and are now on sale through tickets.com

Oh Rat Farts!!! And other memorable movie moments to take your mind of the end of the semester.

Can't wait until the semester is over? Need to relax before exams and final projects are due? Take a deep breath, and come to Media Services. We have a ton of films that can help you put things into perspective--below are some choice picks.

(And remember: Caddyshack cures all.)



Caddyshack HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5038
Rock 'n' roll high school HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6546
Fast times at Ridgemont High HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6470
Ferris Bueller's day off HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6126
Heathers HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6486
Sixteen candles HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4960
Breakfast club HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2179
Carrie HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5805
Footloose VHS 4833
Dirty dancing HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 296
Slacker HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 1347
Dazed and confused HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 97

Media Services Recommends...Movies About People, Love Amy

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - HU DVD 1020
Happy Go Lucky - HU DVD 6888
Graduate - HU DVD 29
Ghost World - HU DVD 362
Memento - HU DVD 256
Harold and Maude - HU DVD 1962
Hannah and Her Sisters - HU DVD 1065
Lars and the Real Girl - HU DVD 4598
Some Like It Hot - HU DVD 396
Darjeeling Limited - HU DVD 3945
Fargo - HU DVD 2393
Stranger Than Fiction - HU DVD 3173

"Ohh! The tortures of the damned!" Media Services highlights a film from the collection: Vampire's Kiss HU DVD 6548

This is one of my favorite weird movies, and my all-time favorite vampire movie. Nicholas Cage is at his best, playing a funny role but playing it seriously. Cage is Peter Loew, a yuppie with serious problems: he thinks he's becoming a creature of the night. But when you think you are becoming a vampire and you really aren't, what are you supposed to do? Your first order of business: buy fake vampire teeth. Maybe move on to turning your couch upside down and using it as a coffin-bed. See a cockroach? A vampire would eat it, right?

You can't help but watch spellbound, as Loew devolves into mental illness terrorizing his assistant and freaking out on his therapist. In one of Cage's most spectacular, yet often ignored roles, he showcases his acting prowess and his ability to play complex people in funny and nuanced ways. Yes, he actually does eat a cockroach. Check out the trailer:

Corin Redgrave dies at 70.

Brother of Vanessa & Lynn Redgrave, this well-regarded actor passed away yesterday. Redgrave is best known for his role in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Oscar winner, A Man for All Seasons.

We have several of his films in our collection in Media Services -- all well worth seeing. I'm particularly curious about a little known Nicholas Roeg film, Eureka, starring in addition to Redgrave, Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Mickey Rourke, Rutger Hauer, and Joe Pesci. Heavy hitters all -- and from a time in Roeg's career where he really was making out there films (even compared to his normally out there work.)

Here's the trailer. How can you not want to watch it?



Here's a list of titles and call numbers for other Redgrave films:

Four weddings and a funeral - HU DVD 6282
England, my England - HU DVD 3738
William Shakespeare's Antony & Cleopatra - DVD 3765
In the name of the father - HU DVD 6849
Man for all seasons - HU DVD 2093
Eureka - VHS 1866

Media Services Recommends...Daniella's Awesome List of Awesome Movies

Almost Famous - HU DVD 4902
The Fall - HU DVD 4716
Fantasia - HU DVD 4691
Firefly - HU DVD 5301 - 5304
Grindhouse: Planet Terror & Deathproof - HU DVD 5201- 5202
A Little Princess - HU DVD 3961
Paprika - HU DVD 3440
Planet Earth - HU DVD 2721 - 2725
Serenity - HU DVD 5317
Spirited Away - HU DVD 586

Selected New Home Use Titles

La Nuit De La Veriteì/The Night Of Truth - HU DVD 1086
Amreeka - HU DVD 1571
My So-Called Life: The Complete Series - HU DVD 3001-3006
Mad Men: Season 3 - HU DVD 4549-4552
The Intruder - HU DVD 4553
Delirious - HU DVD 4554