Shorts Night Film Screening Featuring Local Youth on April 28
Friday, April 28 at 7:30 pm
Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium
7500 Maple Avenue
Free Admission
Don’t miss our latest and greatest Shorts Night in the Takoma Park Arts series to see five original short films by D.C.-area filmmakers, including dramas, a documentary, modern dance, and a homegrown feature starring Takoma Park youth. This will be the worldwide premiere for some of the films, and the directors will share their insights in a Q&A with the audience.
The featured films include:
Hugo’s Big Fix by Alice Weiss and Mike Kepka
Based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, this film owes its life to a burst of creativity during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with having to cancel their local Halloween play, Takoma Park Middle School students and parents made a short film from start to finish in just one week!
The film tells the magical story of Hugo Cabret, a street urchin who lives in the clock tower at the Gare du Nord train station and finds mischief and adventure with his friend Isabelle in the streets of Paris.
Alice Weiss is a health policy attorney who co-wrote and filmed the play with her daughter Dalia Badt and husband Steve Badt. Mike Kepka is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and father of June Kepka who acted in the film. He served as cinematographer and helped direct, edit, and score the film.
Requiem Today by Olga Aru
This one-act ballet film breaks through the barriers of prejudice and reflects upon the courageous nature of humankind. Expressive and bold, the performance offers a glimpse of hope and unity, as well as a gender-neutral approach in dance partnering. Some film chapters are dedicated to the BLM movement, mental health awareness, and LGBTQIA+ acceptance.
Olga Aru is a Ukrainian-born American director, actress, writer, and choreographer. She is the founder and artistic director of the Aru Dell’Arte modern dance company, and she screened an earlier film at our Shorts Night in 2021.
The World We Wanted by Richard Hall
In the 1950s and ‘60s, 30 bright teens from around the globe gathered each year to learn about America and discuss social issues in a TV program for the New York Herald Tribune World Youth Forum. Now more than 60 years later, Richard Hall and historian Catherine Bishop have reunited some students from the 1959 forum to see how their perspectives on world issues have changed over the years.
Richard Hall is an independent filmmaker specializing in educational films on history and politics. An archival film enthusiast, he presents the popular Vintage Movie Nights in the Takoma Park Arts series.
Memories by Sarah Molot
In a bittersweet drama, Olly hasn’t seen Mara in a long time but they reunite to spend time together as if they were still kids. If only it wasn’t the last time.
Sarah Molot is a film student at the University of Maryland and a video editor who will be interning with NBC this year.
Main Character by Lexi Christie
A melancholy college student fears she is losing her best friend when her roommate moves away to start a new life with a boyfriend. Through a weekend with her mother and a series of daydreams in different film genres, Sadie wrestles with feelings of loss and envy and what it means to be the “main character” of her own life.
Lexi Christie is a writer, filmmaker, and recent graduate of the University of Virginia where she studied drama and media studies.
The City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts series includes free film screenings, poetry readings, art exhibitions, concerts, theater, and other events at the Takoma Park Community Center. Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info and to sign up for our e-newsletter.
