The 19th annual Alexandria Film Festival released its 62 selections for the upcoming season to be shown at several venues around the area beginning Nov. 2 and continuing Nov. 7-9. Patti North, Executive Director of the Alexandria Film Festival says, “This year we’re excited to offer four different spaces including Virginia Tech Alexandria which is new this year.  It has a nice modern building with plenty of parking and offers more screening space so we could show a few more films this year than in the past.

North adds, “This year is a little different because more than half of the screenings are for films by local and regional authors. This says something about how film is developing in our area.” North adds that already 49 filmmakers are planning to attend the screenings, and there will be a number of Q&A sessions after the screenings for the audience.

One of these local films is by Maggie Burnette Stogner who is the executive director of the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University. This documentary, “Upstream: Downriver, Uniting for Water Justice” explores the issue of polluted waters in  communities around the country and their united fight to clean their water.

North explains the films incorporate a number of themes including fantasy, social justice, comedies and everyday drama.The films range from “Coexistence My Ass” which is very funny but profound; to “Comparsa” where victims of sexual abuse fight back by using art. There are a number of documentaries, some with international themes like “Chickpea Zoom” where people in Ukraine came together to move all animals from a zoo to safety. “It’s full of pathos but humanity unites them. There probably won’t be a dry eye in this one.”

An interesting film in the world of fantasy, “Turn Me On,” by Angela Bourassa is about a Utopian community of the future where people are freed from their emotional complications. They just woke up happy. But one day someone forgot to take the necessary pill and started feeling emotions they weren’t familiar with which puts them in unexpected danger. “It’s a very well made film. A little bit of the Body Snatchers, a little bit of the Handmaiden’s Tale with twists and turns.”

North says, “We accept filmmakers with all different points of view all the time. We know some of our films will be crowd pleasers but we know some won’t be big ticket items but deserve to be screened.”

North explains, “When I was in school no one even thought about becoming a filmmaker. It was too complicated and expensive. You couldn’t do it without a studio, equipment and all of the technical things it took to produce a film. But now by 8-10 years old most kids have already made a film using their phone or computer. They may not be sophisticated but they have done it.”

Films run from “Right Hand Man” at 3 minutes and “Bats in the Belfry” at 12 minutes to “Kemba” at 118 minutes and “Checkpoint Zoo” at 103. The screenings  are held in different locations including Virginia Tech Alexandria at Potomac Yard, the Alexandria History Museum Lyceum, Patagonia Old Town and Charles E. Beatley Library.  

The screenings begin Nov. 2 and continue Friday-Sunday, Nov. 7-9. Playbills for all the films with a summary of the film and time and place are available online. Tickets may be purchased  at https://afffilmsthatmatter2025.eventive.org/welcome

The second in this series on the Alexandria film fest will feature interviews with several local filmmakers.