Washington City Paper: Contents for Apr. 25

These Go to 11
Washington City Paper's guide to the 11th Annual Washington, D.C., International Film Festival

Cover Story

Fifty-nine feature films in 12 days. It's a daunting prospect—and we've already seen 26

of them.

The 11th Annual Washington International Film Festival is the usual cavalcade of hits, misses, and unknown quantities, and as usual Washington City Paper has done what it can to assist committed festgoers (and casual ones, too). Holly Bass, Arion Berger, James Lochart, Joel E. Siegel, Virginia Vitzthum, and I evaluated all but one of the possible films. (We didn't review Open City, since it's so often screened.) There's good news and bad, as well as the customary quota of in-between.

The country of emphasis this year is Italy, but of the seven Italian films, we can recommend only one: The Venus of Willendorf. Another Italian effort, Italiani, has already been screened as the opening-night offering. And then there's Beyond the Clouds, the first film in more than a decade from Michelangelo Antonioni (with the aid of Wim Wenders). This film, which wasn't previewed, has gotten mixed reviews elsewhere, but its screening is an event nonetheless.

The principal other series (aside from Filmfest for Kids) is "Global Rhythms," the annual roundup of music videos. Here the average is better: Our critics commend studies of '50s world music (Umm Kulthum, a Voice Like Egypt), '60s folk (Festival), '70s rock (Listening to You: The Who at the Isle of Wight Festival), and '90s ballet (Swan Lake). Curiously, there are fewer nonmusic documentaries this year than usual.... Continued

Issue of Apr. 25 - May. 1, 1997

News and Features

These Go to 11
Washington City Paper's guide to the 11th Annual Washington, D.C., International Film Festival
Cover Story By Mark JenkinsHolly BassArion BergerJames Lochart, Joel E. Siegel and Virginia Vitzthum
Waste Treatment Facilities
Not even the mentally ill are crazy enough to hang out at the city's psych clinics.
The City By Stephanie Mencimer
Coming Home to Roast
Go ahead, count your chickens: Kenny Rogers' Roasters is coming back to town.
The City By Dave McKenna
A Nice Day
The City By Judith Larsen
Misterioso
Lawrence P. Wheatley, bard of bebop and beyond
The City By Christopher Porter
Organ Grinder
The Mail By Bill Duggan
As Easy as ABC
The Mail By Peter Schott
Let It Rain
The Mail By John M. Wimberly Jr.
Tower of Power
The Mail By Meredith Rode
Phillies Blunt
The Mail By Scott Damell
Puck Up
The Mail By John F. Cissel
Candy Is Dandy
The Mail By Sharon Hogan
Destructive Criticism
The Mail By Lucy J. Blankstein
Contempting
The Mail By Ruth Bolduan
Fit to a T
The Mail By Lila Snow