Highlights

Bye Bye Mr. Etxebeste!

International Comedies

A good laugh is a universal pastime and if the language of cinema is universal, then laughter is our common vocabulary.

• Bye Bye Mr. Etxebeste! (Basque Country) directed by Asier Altuna, Telmo Esnal
• The Champion (Italy) directed by Leonardo D'Agostini
• The Curse of the Handsome Man (Spain) directed by Beda Docampo Feijóo
• The Heist of the Century (Argentina) directed by Ariel Winograd
• My Donkey, My Lover & I (France) directed by Caroline Vignal
• Ordinary Happiness (Italy) directed by Daniele Luchetti
• The Weasel's Tale (Argentina) directed by Juan José Campanella

Beasts Clawing at Straws

Espionage, Crime, and Thrillers

Good guys vs. bad guys (or girls)... Will she escape?... Who done it?... The heist... Mystery... Suspense... Conspiracy... Betrayal. It's probably best to trust no one. This is edge-of-your-seat movie fun.

• Beasts Clawing at Straws (South Korea) directed by Kim Yong-hoon
• The Crack: Inception (Spain) directed by Jose Luis Garci
• Just 6.5 (Iran) directed by Saeed Roustaee
• The Perfect Patient (Sweden) directed by Mikael Håfström
• Spider (Chile, Argentina, Brazil) directed by Andrés Wood
• The Spy (Norway, Belgium, Sweden) directed by Jens Jonsson
• Yalda: A Night for Forgiveness (Iran, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg) directed by Massoud Bakhshi

Billie

Films on International Music

The collaboration of music and film often serves to illuminate both art forms.

• Billie (UK) directed by James Erskine
• Chuck Berry: The Original King of Rock 'n' Roll (UK) directed by Jon Brewer
• A Soul Journey (Italy, UK) directed by Marco Della Fonte

1982

The latest from and about the Arab world

• 1982 (Lebanon, USA, Norway, Qatar) directed by Oualid Mouaness
• Between Heaven and Earth (Palestine, Iceland, Luxembourg) directed by Najwa Najjar
• Noura's Dream (Tunisia, Belgium, France, Qatar) directed by Hinde Boujemaa
• A Son (Tunisia, France, Lebanon) directed by Mehdi M. Barsaoui
• This is Not a Movie (Canada, Germany) directed by Yung Chang

Justice Matters

When an individual or group has experienced an injustice, filmmakers use their talents and craft to make us aware and call us to take action.

We want to thank the CrossCurrents Foundation for their support in helping to make this series possible.

Films selected for this year's Justice Matters series include:

La Llorona

• La Llorona (Guatemala) directed by Jayro Bustamante
• Máxima (USA, Peru) directed by Claudia Sparrow
• Pureza (Brazil) directed by Renato Barbieri
• Resisterhood (USA) directed by Cheryl Jacobs Crim
• We Have Boots (USA, Hong Kong) directed by Evans Chan (www.raisetheumbrellas.com) - previously shown in Filmfest DC At Home

The award jury consists of:

• Mokhless Al-Hariri: President, Georgetown Design Group, Inc.
• Jennifer Johnson, Esq.
• Conrad Martin: Executive Director, Stewart R. Mott Foundation and Executive Director of the Fund for Constitutional Government

Filmfest DC Catalog Cover

Catalog cover by Alexis Thornlow

Filmfest DC Trailers

This year's Filmfest DC trailers were created by two very talented film students at George Mason University, Faith McKane and Nathan Ridings. Our trailers will be screened prior to festival screenings. Please enjoy!