<cl>”Space Cowboy “will be screened July 19
The Alexandria Film Festival is celebrating its 20th season by adding a summer film series this year. “We thought we’d pull out all the stops for our 20th anniversary,” Patti North, Founder and Executive Director of the Alexandria Film Festival, explains.
“There were just so many good films out there. We went out and looked for films that we thought would interest our audience and chose three curated films from a distributor we often use.” All are Virginia premiers. She says, “A lot of people think of documentaries as being educational, but these are extremely entertaining.”
The first film,“Just Sing” will be shown on June 28 at 4 pm at the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum.
“We were looking for something for Pride Month.” North says this isn’t the central theme of the film but it incorporates an element in the mix of personalities as it follows a group of exceptional college vocalists chasing their championship dream.
As their stories unfold, it reveals their pressures and personalities, and their self discovery reveals a number of surprises including a new gay self awareness. Lily Castle, the star of the film, will be available for a post screening discussion. In addition rounding out the evening, Suits and Sirens, a local premiere a cappella ensemble will perform.
The second film is “Space Cowboy” on July 19th at 6:30 pm, also to be shown at the Lyceum. “This is unlike anything we have ever done before. Our audience tends to be well educated on the older side. But,” she says,”I think this film will bring in a lot of young men. Even though people often think of documentaries as educational, it’s not the usual routine.
“This film is a stunning examination of the life of free fall cinematographer and competitive diver Joe Jennings.” North says anyone who remembers the famous 1998 Pepsi commercial involving a flock of geese will instantly recognize him. “You just can’t take your eyes off him. He jumps out of airplanes with a piano, anything.” But beyond the antics lies his mental health struggle with depression and agonizing grief.
The third film,”Louder Than Guns,” will be screened at the Lyceum on August 4 at 6 pm. This film takes a journey with Old Crow Medicine Show’s frontman Keith Secor and journalist David Greene throughout all regions of America where they invite difficult conversations on the issue of gun violence. Through music and listening to diverse points of view the people participating in the discussions find common ground. Tickets for each film are $15, available online or can be purchased at the door.
At the same time this summer the film festival is rolling out, the regular fall festival season is gearing up for November 13-15. “The opening date for film entries was April 1, and we already have 100 entries of all kinds of films.” North says there are a lot of film festivals but Alexandria is the only local one, and the entry fees are reasonable.”She explains sometimes filmmakers find the entry fees predatory at film festivals, and say they pay to be rejected.
“We are also a fun destination for filmmakers with the D.C. area close by. It gives us a leg up.” She adds, “We did a study years ago and found that some film festivals don’t last more than a year. It’s a lot of work, and it’s not cheap to put one on. And seven years is a good run.” So she says that lasting 20 years like the Alexandria Film Fest is pretty remarkable.
And North is always looking for something new and more interesting. This year the Alexandria Film Festival will partner with the Alexandria YMCA to add a two-week boot camp for 13-18 year-olds where the youth will learn the elements of film making using their phones. In addition, an adult boot camp will focus on filmmaking using cameras, sound and other film making equipment.
For more information or to purchase tickets: aff2026screenings.eventive.org