Films ranging from the directorial debut of international star Russell Crowe to the story of The French Connection from the French point of view will be screened during Filmfest DC starting tonight.
The film festival will hold its opening night at Friendship Height’s AMC Mazza Gallerie. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser is expected to attend and the event will be hosted by Arch Campbell—who reviewed movies for decades on D.C. television and radio stations.
The festival’s first film, Tango Glories, an Argentinian film about a psychiatrist and a patient who bond over their mutual appreciation of tango dance, will be screened tonight. Director Oliver Kolker will host a question-and-answer session after the screening. Tickets to the show, which starts at 7 p.m., are $45 at the box office.
Crowe’s directorial debut, The Water Diviner, will be shown at the theater at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Crowe stars in the film, which is scheduled to be released in American theaters next week.
The movie is about a father who uses his ability to find water buried deep in the Australian outback to help find the grave of his three sons who are believed to have been killed during the invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.
Crowe explained to The Washington Post that the movie is about showing the horrific nature of the young men’s death. “If you’re a rational human being, you’re going to realize that there is bravery and compassion and grief on both sides of this war. Grief is really the only thing that comes out of war,” Crowe told the newspaper.
In total, Fimfest DC will feature more than 50 international films that will be screened at six different locations in the District tonight through April 26.
More than half of the films will be shown at AMC Mazza Gallerie. Tickets to most films costs $13. For a full schedule and to find more information about the movies, check out the film festival’s website.
