John Malkovich will show his directorial debut, The Dancer Upstairs, at the Opening Night Gala of Filmfest DC 2003 on April 23, according to organizers of the Washington, DC International Film Festival. Malkovich will be the featured guest speaker at the event. The festival will close on May 4 with a screening of “The Secret Lives of Dentists,” directed by Alan Rudolph.
Tony Gittens, the festival’s founder and director said, “We’re thrilled to have The Dancer Upstairs and ‘The Secret Lives of Dentists’ at Filmfest this year, particularly because their storylines relate to the Politics in Film theme of the festival. The plot of The Dancer Upstairs is particularly relevant to current national interest in the relationships between international governments and their affects on society at large, and ‘The Secret Lives of Dentists’ speaks to the politics of marriage,” he added.
Filmfest DC 2003 will celebrate its 17th year with more than 100 features, documentaries, short films, the Opening Night Gala, an event showcasing newly restored silent classics with live musical accompaniment, and the Closing Night Event. This year’s 12-day festival will include new films from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Mauritania, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, and Tunisia.
For more information, visit the Filmfest DC website.
