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Community Corner

OCT 23-27: Hollywood Comes to NoVa at the Washington West Film Festival

Tickets are going on sale for the third annual Washington West Film Festival, one of the most anticipated and fast-emerging film festivals in the country. The Northern Virginia-based festival—taking place October 23-27—will be the venue for nearly 40 screenings of new independent and Hollywood films for 2,000 filmgoers. With its tagline—“Story can Change the World,” the festival features inspiring films that capture the human condition—including four by local filmmakers—as part of its goal to turn the region into a true, attractive film market.

Last year, the festival screened films produced by Tom Hanks and HBO and hosted red carpet Q&A sessions with actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and major motion picture director Tom Shadyac.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Ed Asner are already committed for this year. As the spotlighted country this year, the festival will showcase several Lithuanian short films. In keeping with the festival’s vision, all box office net proceeds are donated to a charity that then becomes the subject of a short film debuting at the festival.  Past proceeds helped provide relief for Hurricane Sandy victims and built a theater for Haitian children.

The festival is anchored at the Reston Bow Tie Cinemas in the Reston Town Center but screenings will take place in a variety of other locations including the Angelika Film Center in Merrifield.  Tickets range from $12-$25; discounts for students and seniors. View the schedule and order tickets at: wwfilmfest.com/tickets.

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As the festival line up continues to evolve, early highlights include:

·         Oct 23: Preview Music Event with legendary film composer W.G. Snuffy Walden

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·         Oct 24: Opening Night

·         Oct 27: Family Screening of Casper and Costume Party, Sherwood Community Center, Fairfax ($5 per family)

·         Oct 27: George Mason student short films

·         Oct 27: Closing Night

·         Films by local filmmakers including:

o   Rebekah Wingert-Jabi (VA), short documentary "My Neighbourhood"

o   Noel Izon (MD), documentary feature "Chocolate Soldiers from the USA"

o   Bryan Reichhardt (MD) and Paul Glenshaw (VA), feature documentary "Barnstorming"

o   Daniel Stine (VA), short documentary "Grape"

Started by local leader and film aficionado Brad Russell, the festival aspires to grow the DC-region as a world class film hub, helping draw great film premieres, provide programs to develop artists and technicians in the film industry, and use storytelling as a powerful engine for change and charity.

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