An environmental advocate who lives on an island in the Potomac River, a failing longtime business in a gentrifying part of D.C. and a high school percussion section will be three of the subjects featured in next month’s Bethesda Film Fest.
The third annual event, organized by the Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District, is set for March 20 and March 21 at Imagination Stage (4908 Auburn Avenue).
Screenings on both nights will start at 7 p.m. and include discussions with the filmmakers. Tickets are available for $10.
This year’s five selected films include “Towpath Joe,” from filmmakers Susanne Coates and Emily Wathen. The pair followed around Joe Hage, who lives on an island next to the C&O Canal.
The screening will also include “Fate of A Salesman,” a look at the Men’s Fashion Center on H Street. After 60 years in business, the suit and dress clothes store closed in 2012 thanks to declining sales and a changing neighborhood.
All five of the films and short descriptions follow:
Cal, the Writer (6 minutes, 19 seconds)
Film by Benjamin Boult and Harry Shock; Sue Sheridan, Producer. When Cal was born, his mother and father were told that he would never walk or talk.
Apparently, no one passed that info on to Cal, now a freshman in college and a Kennedy Center award-winning playwright.
Fate Of A Salesman (26 minutes, 46 seconds)
Film by Ben Crosbie and Tessa Moran
After 60 years of business, Men’s Fashion Center faces its biggest challenge: a tough economy and a gentrifying neighborhood. For the salesmen whose identity, legacy and redemption are tied to the store, they must come to terms with a new future.
My Pit’s the Pit – McLean High School Marching Band (4 minutes, 58 seconds)
Film by Josh Leong
A look at the unique, passionate and under-appreciated front ensemble percussion section – the Pit. Each overlooked member of the Pit is instrumental in the foundational success of the band.
The Stillbrave 100 (17 minutes)
Film by Jay Korff
Tom Mitchell, affectionately known as Tattoo Tom, attempts to finish a 100 mile off-road trail race in which each mile is dedicated to a different child battling childhood cancer.
Towpath Joe (7 minutes, 40 seconds)
Film by Susanne Coates and Emily Wathen
Towpath Joe follows island caretaker, musician, naturalist and Potomac River advocate, Joe Hage. After moving to a small island adjacent to the C&O Canal, Joe reconnects with his passion for music and becomes a diplomat for the river.
Video via Susanne Coates/Vimeo
