Shot in the Dark: Filmfest D.C. 2009

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WE LIVE IN an age of awesome.

Sure, the economy is in the tank, people are hurting for basics, and war is all around now, but we have more cultural options available to us than ever before. So even if you haven't had a proper meal, left the house or glanced at the want ads for weeks, entire catalogs of film, music and more are available to distract you with the click of a mouse.

But the sheer volume of audio, video and information can be overwhelming — isolating, even. That's why well-curated events such as Filmfest D.C. are so appealing:

Not only will you not be stuck watching old flicks streamed to your Xbox, but just trying to catch a fraction of the 70-plus new films screened at nine locations through April 26 will have you running around town, reengaged with the world you left behind when the layoffs hit and you upgraded your Netflix subscription to max unlimited.

Now in its 23rd year, Filmfest D.C. is still the king of this area's ever-expanding movie festival scene, and certainly it's the most eclectic, covering everything from documentaries to dramas — from newbies and legends alike — and featuring many local and world premieres.

As in the past, Filmfest D.C. picked a couple of regions of the world to concentrate on; this year, Eastern Europe and Japan get the spotlight.

While the rest of the universe collapses under economic duress, many of the films from Eastern Europe are the direct result of those countries' GNPs increasing with the fall of communism, which gave opportunities to new, young cinematic voices.

Highlights include Javor Gardev's "Zift" (Bulgaria's official 2009 Oscar selection), Jerzy Skolimowski's "Four Nights With Anna" (Poland), Attila Gigor's "The Investigator" (Hungary), Aida Begic's "Snow" (Bosnia's official 2009 Oscar selection), Uros Stojanovic's "Tears for Sale" (Serbia) and Goran Markovic's "The Tour" (Serbia's official 2009 Oscar selection). Also, the world's first interactive movie, 1967's long-lost "Kinoautomat: One Man and His House" (Czech Republic), has been found and restored.

Japan has long been a powerhouse of world cinema, and the six films from the country in Filmfest D.C. affirm that position. Yojiro Takita's "Departures" (the opening-night flick), Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Tokyo Sonata," Yoji Yamada's "Kabei" and Shunichi Nagasaki's "The Witch of the West Is Dead" concern the deep drama and black comedy of family struggles. But Naoko Ogigami's "Megane" and Takeshi Kitano's "Achilles and the Tortoise" touch on the influence and meaning of arts.

While the geographical jags are the focal points of Filmfest D.C., several themed groupings run concurrently, including "World View," which spotlights recent global cinema (Belgium's "Eldorado," Palestine's "Salt of Sea," etc.), and the "Capital Focus Award," which includes "Kabei" and "Snow" duking it out with France's "35 Shots of Rum," Canada's "Necessities of Life," Greece's "Small Crime," Turkey's "Wrong Rosary" and Mexico's "Tear This Heart Out."

While Silverdocs has the reality-flick showcase on lockdown, Filmfest D.C. doesn't cede the territory entirely. The "Global Rhythms" series features music films about subjects from Argentina ("Cafe de los Maestros"), Cuba ("Celia the Queen"), Senegal ("Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love") and China ("The Drummer"). And "Views From the News" includes "I.O.U.S.A." (national debt is go!), "Ramchand Pakistani" (about an accidental border crossing with consequences), "A Wednesday" (Mumbai cop goes "Cops") and "Bedford: The Town They Left Behind," covering the Virginia burg that had the highest losses for a city its size during WWII and still provides soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

The Filmfest D.C. folks also took the time to remember their own when programming the 2009 edition. Area-related productions include three documentaries: WUSA reporter Mike Walter's 36-minute "Breaking News, Breaking Down" looks at the mental trauma of reporting from catastrophes; Michael F. Fountain's "Bonecrusher" covers a father, a son and the legacy of coal mining in Russell County, Va.; and the rock-doc "Ashes of American Flags: Wilco Live" by Brendan Canty — who has spent his post-Fugazi time mostly behind a camera rather than the drum kit — and Christoph Green.

This laundry list is just scratching the surface of Filmfest D.C.: a mere 31 films out of 70-plus.

But taken together, these movies could be considered your very own bailout — engage the awesome.

Photos courtesy Europacorp Intntal and Regent Releasing