8 Tips for Making the Most of Filmfest DC (And Why You Shouldn’t Miss It)
Whether you’re a DC native or just in town on a visit, DC’s annual international filmfest is not be missed. Â And even though it started tonight, there’s still time to get in on the fun April 16-26.
Dan Alban a fellow wine enthusiast, movie critic, and Filmfest DC veteran of more than a decade kindly shared his advice with me for how to make the most of it:
- Filmfest DC is a truly international film festival, so see movies from countries you’re interested in – either places you’ve been, places you want to visit, or cultures you find fascinating. You can use the Filmfest DC website to sort films by country of origin.
- Buy tickets at least one day in advance to make sure the film you want to see isn’t sold out. You need to buy at least a day in advance because day-of sales are only made at the box office for your theater (and if the show is sold out, you may have traveled there for no reason). See #8 below for how to combine advance purchases to save yourself some money.
- See the Shorts (Short Cuts 1 & 2). A great way to see a lot of films from a lot of different countries is to see the short films. Some of the most inventive, quirky and heart-tugging films I see each year are shorts. The other great thing about short films is that any movies you don’t like will at least be over quick.
- See some award nominees, especially the nominees for the Circle Award. The Circle Award is a juried film competition, and the films selected are often of quite high quality: http://www.filmfestdc.org/
awards.cfm - Like funny movies? Suspense movies? Movies about music, especially jazz? Movies about social justice issues? Check out the Highlights section of the website for films likely to appeal to you: http://www.filmfestdc.org/
highlights.cfm - When all else fails, look films up on IMDb or RottenTomatoes to see how they’ve been rated/reviewed. (Because the films are often known by their foreign language title, it is sometimes easier to search by the name of the director)
- Don’t be afraid to roll the dice on something that looks weird or interesting, even if it has few/no reviews. The worst that can happen is that you decide a film just isn’t worth your time and you slip out after 20-30 minutes.
- Take advantage of the various discounts for buying ten tickets at once (that’s just five films with a partner) or four weeknight tickets (that’s just two films with a partner) http://www.filmfestdc.org/
tickets.cfm
Full Disclosure: I may receive affiliate credit from links in this post or on this site which will help fund my travels. Thank you for your support!
