This year, from September 19th to 29th, the DC Shorts Film Festival will screen over 150 international films in 6 theaters in and around Washington DC. This year’s 11 day event has a special focus on Russian filmmakers and has the largest collection of Russian shorts in the country. The festival will show shorts from 23 nations with genres including drama, comedy, documentary, animation, and more.
In the Documentary category, the number one must see is Honk if You Love Someone.
What makes you get up in the morning? For one individual it is to make someone feel good. The narrator of the 5 minute documentary describes what he and his group of friends are doing to make the world a better place.
Living in downtown Washington, DC, it is easy to be caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday work life. Most people in the city, especially on Mondays, are not happy or excited for another day of work. Most are purely focused only on what they are doing and it does not matter what else happens around them. It is the same monotonous thing day after day. Go to work, do not get hit by a car as you walk, finish that project, etc.
The group of friends holds up signs all around the city, signs reading “honk if you love someone”, “smile”, and “don’t be so hard on yourself”. The purpose of doing this is solely to bring some joy and happiness in the lives of those who see them. The group feels great knowing that they are helping others be happy, and just that alone is enough to drag them out of bed each morning.
Must-Sees:
Honk If You Love Someone
5 Minutes | Documentary | USA
One man's quest to make Washington, DC smile.
Line of Sight
7 Minutes | Documentary | USA
John Bramblitt lost his eyesight to epilepsy, but never his vision to paint.
Wyrzutki ("Castaways")
18 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
On the train to the Treblinka death camps, dozens of Jewish children were thrown from the rail cars in hopes of survival.
Mile High Pie
4 Minutes | Documentary | USA | World Premiere
In Arkansas, everything is high--including the bouffants, oil rigs and meringue pies.
Other Films in Documentary:
Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution
14 Minutes | Documentary | USA
The harrowing struggle for Syrian freedom, as experienced by a young rebel fighter and a female journalist.
The Donor
8 Minutes | Documentary | USA
Unexpected consequences arise when a gay man offers to help his lesbian friends conceive.
Legal Stranger
14 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
A lesbian couple tries to create a normal life for their child in a state that refuses to recognize their marriage.
Building Magic
10 Minutes | Documentary | USA | World Premiere
Self-taught Mario the Magician entertains children through his creative approach to the craft.
System Preferences
17 Minutes | Documentary/Animation | USA | DC Premiere
Computer pioneer Bashir Rameyev's quest to achieve something extraordinary for his country.
Chinatown
15 Minutes | Documentary | USA
The District's Chinatown has seen many changes over the past decade, challenging its established residents.
People of Dogs
9 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
Follow Cora Bailey, leader of IFAW’s CLAW project into the slums of South Africa on her quest to save animals and people in this forgotten corner of our world.
Visions Of My Mother
6 Minutes | Documentary | USA | World Premiere
With bittersweet memories, Pinchas cooks a dish his mother prepared before they were led to concentration camps.
Ray Kurzweil and the Singularity
4 Minutes | Documentary | Australia | DC Premiere
Around 2045, technology will crescendo and there will be a quantum evolutionary shift in human existence.
Something Novel
6 Minutes | Documentary | USA | World Premiere
Jasmine de Lung challenges those who try her baked goods to experience something novel with each bite.
Performance
4 Minutes | Documentary/Experimental | Canada | World Premiere
The last minute of preparation before a performance/fight could change the lives of a dancer/boxer.
Gay for Pay
7 Minutes | Documentary | Singapore | DC Premiere
An exploration into the porn industry's “Gay-for-Pay” performers and culture.
Flo
10 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
In the face of Multiple Sclerosis, lung cancer and visual impairment, photographer Flo Fox continues to pursue her art.
Olivia's Birds and the Oil Spill
7 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
An 11-year-old raises $200,000 for Audubon’s efforts to rescue oiled birds after the BP Gulf spill.
Rock Wall Climbing
5 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
How do big wall climbers get their start? With little walls, of course.
Nogi-atavism ("Legs-atavism")
11 Minutes | Mockumentary | Russian Federation | DC Premiere
Soviet scientists in the 1950s attempt to create shorter citizens--with opposition from the shoe industry.
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DC Shorts Film Festival: Documentary
September 5, 2013
This year, from September 19th to 29th, the DC Shorts Film Festival will screen over 150 international films in 6 theaters in and around Washington DC. This year’s 11 day event has a special focus on Russian filmmakers and has the largest collection of Russian shorts in the country. The festival will show shorts from 23 nations with genres including drama, comedy, documentary, animation, and more.
In the Documentary category, the number one must see is Honk if You Love Someone.
What makes you get up in the morning? For one individual it is to make someone feel good. The narrator of the 5 minute documentary describes what he and his group of friends are doing to make the world a better place.
Living in downtown Washington, DC, it is easy to be caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday work life. Most people in the city, especially on Mondays, are not happy or excited for another day of work. Most are purely focused only on what they are doing and it does not matter what else happens around them. It is the same monotonous thing day after day. Go to work, do not get hit by a car as you walk, finish that project, etc.
The group of friends holds up signs all around the city, signs reading “honk if you love someone”, “smile”, and “don’t be so hard on yourself”. The purpose of doing this is solely to bring some joy and happiness in the lives of those who see them. The group feels great knowing that they are helping others be happy, and just that alone is enough to drag them out of bed each morning.
Must-Sees:
Honk If You Love Someone
5 Minutes | Documentary | USA
One man's quest to make Washington, DC smile.
Line of Sight
7 Minutes | Documentary | USA
John Bramblitt lost his eyesight to epilepsy, but never his vision to paint.
Wyrzutki ("Castaways")
18 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
On the train to the Treblinka death camps, dozens of Jewish children were thrown from the rail cars in hopes of survival.
Mile High Pie
4 Minutes | Documentary | USA | World Premiere
In Arkansas, everything is high--including the bouffants, oil rigs and meringue pies.
Other Films in Documentary:
Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution
14 Minutes | Documentary | USA
The harrowing struggle for Syrian freedom, as experienced by a young rebel fighter and a female journalist.
The Donor
8 Minutes | Documentary | USA
Unexpected consequences arise when a gay man offers to help his lesbian friends conceive.
Legal Stranger
14 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
A lesbian couple tries to create a normal life for their child in a state that refuses to recognize their marriage.
Building Magic
10 Minutes | Documentary | USA | World Premiere
Self-taught Mario the Magician entertains children through his creative approach to the craft.
System Preferences
17 Minutes | Documentary/Animation | USA | DC Premiere
Computer pioneer Bashir Rameyev's quest to achieve something extraordinary for his country.
Chinatown
15 Minutes | Documentary | USA
The District's Chinatown has seen many changes over the past decade, challenging its established residents.
People of Dogs
9 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
Follow Cora Bailey, leader of IFAW’s CLAW project into the slums of South Africa on her quest to save animals and people in this forgotten corner of our world.
Visions Of My Mother
6 Minutes | Documentary | USA | World Premiere
With bittersweet memories, Pinchas cooks a dish his mother prepared before they were led to concentration camps.
Ray Kurzweil and the Singularity
4 Minutes | Documentary | Australia | DC Premiere
Around 2045, technology will crescendo and there will be a quantum evolutionary shift in human existence.
Something Novel
6 Minutes | Documentary | USA | World Premiere
Jasmine de Lung challenges those who try her baked goods to experience something novel with each bite.
Performance
4 Minutes | Documentary/Experimental | Canada | World Premiere
The last minute of preparation before a performance/fight could change the lives of a dancer/boxer.
Gay for Pay
7 Minutes | Documentary | Singapore | DC Premiere
An exploration into the porn industry's “Gay-for-Pay” performers and culture.
Flo
10 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
In the face of Multiple Sclerosis, lung cancer and visual impairment, photographer Flo Fox continues to pursue her art.
Olivia's Birds and the Oil Spill
7 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
An 11-year-old raises $200,000 for Audubon’s efforts to rescue oiled birds after the BP Gulf spill.
Rock Wall Climbing
5 Minutes | Documentary | USA | DC Premiere
How do big wall climbers get their start? With little walls, of course.
Nogi-atavism ("Legs-atavism")
11 Minutes | Mockumentary | Russian Federation | DC Premiere
Soviet scientists in the 1950s attempt to create shorter citizens--with opposition from the shoe industry.
